Clemente no stranger to elite-level competition at Sage Valley, Augusta National
Mar. 19—GRANITEVILLE — Gianna Clemente is no stranger to the highest levels of junior and amateur golf.
The 16-year-old Floridian burst onto the scene as a 14-year-old by Monday qualifying into three consecutive LPGA Tour events, and she's maintained that upward trajectory to become a "veteran" player in some loaded fields despite her age.
Next month she'll be making her third Augusta National Women's Amateur appearance against a field primarily composed of elite college talent, and this week she's playing in her fourth Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
Her schedule is loaded with prestigious events at exclusive courses, and a trip to Sage Valley Golf Club is right up there with the best of them.
"Just excited to be here again," she said. "This is one of my favorite tournaments of the year, and they just treat us so well here the entire week. I mean, the golf course is amazing in itself, but the week and the way they treat us is really unmatched. So, yeah, I'm just excited to be back and going to have some fun this week."
Clemente, the reigning American Junior Golf Association Rolex Junior Player of the Year on the girls' side, tied for 11th at Sage Valley last year before racking up several high finishes. She won the Mizuho Americas Open last May, tied for third at the U.S. Girls' Junior in July and was runner-up in October at the PING Invitational.
She knows what it takes to play well here, having finished alone in fourth in 2022 in the inaugural girls' championship and following that up by tying for eighth the next year.
"I think knowing the greens is really important. These greens can get a bit tricky, especially as they get faster throughout the week," she said. "But, yeah, just working on my swing a little bit right now and just trying to dial some things in with the wedges and things like that, make sure the distance control is good. This course can be a little bit demanding, especially if you miss the fairway, so I think just trying to dial the swing in, for sure."
Wednesday's opening round didn't have the dream start for Clemente, nor her highly-ranked playing partners. Clemente bogeyed holes 3-5 to quickly fall to 3 over on her way to a 4-over 76 while playing in the first group of the day with defending champion — and No. 1-ranked junior — Asterisk Talley (77) and Elizabeth Rudisill (80).
This year's format change from 54 holes to 72 holes allows extra time to catch up, and for those ahead early to fall back to the rest of the field.
"I personally really love it. I think it makes the competition better," she said. "It might be a little bit of a longer week, but I like it. I think 72 holes is way better than 54, so I'm excited. I think that was a good change."
Next month will be her third ANWA appearance, where so far she's a perfect 2-for-2 in making the cut and reaching the final round at Augusta National. Last year, she finished in a tie for fifth while playing in the final pairing with eventual champion Lottie Woad. That's a high-pressure pairing in a nerve-wracking setting, which is where having a week like this one can be beneficial — the juniors have to find a way to achieve balance of enjoying the experience and being ready to compete for a championship.
"I think you just have to set golf aside," she explained. "When you're in the house with those girls — I'm staying with one of my best friends this week, and we're having fun off the golf course. But as soon as we step on this range, we know we're by ourselves and we're in kind of a zone that's completely different. Just knowing how to, I guess it's like a light switch that comes on and off."
That's an area where she may have an advantage this week, as she's already established herself as one of the tournament mainstays despite her young age.
"I think just the experience of the week. It's very fast-paced," she said. "We're staying in a house with 24 girls, and that doesn't happen very often, so just learning how to pace yourself a little bit and not stay up too late, fuel yourself the right way. Just knowing what the week is going to be like I think is a big advantage."
