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Four Boys, Three Girls Earn Spots In 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur -

Four Boys, Three Girls Earn Spots In 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur

June 21, 2024 Brian Hurlburt Comments Off

RJ Arone and Bradley Smolinski shared boys medalist honors in the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier while the trio of Jessica Jang, Hailey Kim and Ariya Soldwisch tied for medalist honors in the girls event. The boys and girls tournaments were held June 20, 2024, at Sun City Summerlin’s Palm Valley Golf Club.—Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider

Boys

RJ Arone and Bradley Smolinski both fired four-under-par 66s to tie for medalist honors in the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier.

That duo, along with Joshua Kim (-2) and Kevin Haoran Wang (-2) qualified for the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship which will be held July 22-27, 2024, at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

The two alternates will be Rafael Estrada (first alternate) and Caleb Kim (second alternate).

Arone said his short game was definitely the key to his success.

“My wedges were on point today,” the Biship Gorman grad said. “They saved my butt today. I was hitting the ball horribly. I didn’t have much of anything with my irons or my off the tee work but my wedges were clutch.”

He added the national tournament will add to a busy summer.

“I’ve got a lot of big tournaments leading up to it so it’s going to be a lot of fun and very challenging,” said Arone who will be playing his college golf at Michigan.

Arone said the round was solid…with one exception.

“I hit a five-iron into the water on No. 9 that led to a double bogey,” he said. “It was smooth sailing up until that point…I was three-under…but then it was shell-shocking.”

Arone said his caddy, Nick Scharf, deserves credit for keeping his focus.

“He really talked me off the ledge,” he said with a laugh. “I wasn’t very happy.”

Now, it’s on to the big show.

“I’ve tried and failed a couple of times to make it,” he said. “I just have to focus on the fact that I’m playing the course and not the players. I just want to play my best and get to match play. Shoot…I don’t just want to get to match play, I want to win it.”

Bradley Smolinski also made a breakthrough in making it to the national tournament.

“This was my third time trying to qualify,” said Smolinski who will be a freshman golfer at Oregon State this fall. “The first two weren’t so successful so it’s nice to do it…especially in my last chance.”

He said he played a solid round in qualifying.

“I knew it would take a low score,” he said. “I focused on my wedges and my putter caught fire.”

Now, he wants to keep improving his game.

“I can still get better at attacking pins when I’m in a good spot in the fairway,” he said. “I’m still a little passive so I want to try and take better advantage of the courses.”

Boys

Medalists

RJ Arone, 66

Bradley Smolinski, 66

Other Qualifiers

Joshua Kim, 68

Kevin Haoran Wang, 68

Alternates

Rafael Estrada, 70 (first alternate)

Caleb Kim, 70 (second alternate)

Girls

Ariya Soldwisch, Jessica Jang and Hailey Kim each fired two-under-par 70s to share medalist honors.

All three have earned spots in the 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship which will be held July 15-20, 2024, at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, CA.

Haram Lee and Amy Cho are the alternates.

Soldwisch birdied the final hole to earn her place in the national spotlight.

“I was thinking on that last putt, which was 20 feet or so, that I had to make this,” she said. “And sure enough, it dropped right in the middle.”

Then it was time to play the waiting game.

“While I was waiting to see what happened, I was so nervous with anticipation that I was actually shaking,” she said. “Now, it’s just a big relief.”

Soldwisch, a recent graduate of Coronado High School, is set to play golf this fall at California State University-Northridge.

“A finish like this definitely helps my confidence going forward,” she said. “I’ve been preparing for college golf during the summer and if I keep trending in this direction, I think I will do pretty well.”

She said the anticipation of playing on the big stage of a national event is both exciting…and a little terrifying.

“One of my goals is going to be to stay calm knowing there are more holes ahead,” she said. “It’s just going to be a great experience.”

Jang, who also birdied her last hole, said she was ready to make the most of this tournament.

“This was my second time trying to qualify,” she said. “I tried last year but didn’t make it.”

She added that experience boosted her confidence the second time around.

“I’m more confident in my game,” said the high school junior from LaCanada, CA. “Having qualifier experience I knew what I was going to get and that helped with my confidence.”

Now it’s on to the national finale.

“I’m excited just because it’s a national event,” she said. “It’s a dream come true. The nerves will definitely come out but I’m excited to get the chance to play.”

Kim started out strong but struggled coming in as she bogeyed two of her final three holes.

“I was worried about the bogeys,” she said. “I was just trying to stay positive and hit good shots.”

Kim, who is 12 and is being home schooled in Simi Valley, CA., said this event opened her eyes.

“It was a great tournament experience,” she said. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would qualify. I’m so happy right now…this is such a huge reward.”

She credited her work on the greens with her qualifying.

“My putting was working real well,” she said. “My coach read a lot of my putts and I made a lot of them.”

Now it’s on to the national spotlight.

“This will be my first time ever,” she said. “I’m just so excited for this chance.”

Girls

Medalists

Jessica Jang, 70

Hailey Kim, 70

Ariya Soldwisch, 70

Alternates

Haram Lee, 71 (first alternate)

Amy Cho, 71 (second alternate)

Four Boys, Three Girls Earn Spots In 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur -