Asterisk Talley makes history at Junior Invitational at Sage Valley

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – In Greek, the term “asterisk” directly translates to “little star.”

For 15-year-old Asterisk Talley, that star won’t be little for long.

The California native cruised on Saturday, becoming the first wire-to-wire girls division champion in the history of the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. She shot 70-70-67 over 54 holes, finishing 9-under-par and six strokes ahead of runner-up Rianne Mikhaela Malixi.

“Coming into today, I was like, ‘I think 3-under would be a good score.’ Then I was 5-under after the front nine,” she said. “I didn’t want to get really nervous and anxious, and I really ended up playing steady golf after that.”

The conditions changed throughout the three-day tournament, with the course becoming noticeably softer by Saturday. If anything, it inspired more confidence for each player in both fields. Talley was no different.

“I think I could be more aggressive because the greens were a little bit softer, so they wouldn’t roll out as much,” she said. “I think you could land the pins and they would stop by it, so I think I had more aggression toward the pins and I had a lot more room to mess up.”

For many, the ambiance of the week at Sage Valley becomes a balancing act of awe and competitiveness. It can be a difficult thing for even the most experienced junior golfers to keep in check, but Talley took it one shot at a time.

“The first day I was kind of nervous because I didn’t want to get ahead of myself going into the rest of the week,” she said. “Yesterday, I just played the same round even though the conditions were different. Coming into today, I just tried to start off really good and the rest of the round I could be comfortable with my game.”