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LOS ANGELES — Meghan Stasi was quick to light up when asked about Asterisk Talley and how much she has changed since the last Curtis Cup.
The 17-year-old, who at the time was 15 and took down then-world No. 1 Lottie Woad in Sunday Singles at Sunningdale, has gotten a bit taller, hits the ball a bit further, is more mature and has since committed to Stanford as the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2027. She is, however, still in high school but also still the best junior in the world.
"It's just fun to have been able to watch her play the last couple years," the Team USA Curtis Cup captain said of her star pupil. "She's just gotten to be a more all around better player. Not that she wasn't a couple years ago, but it's just been an incredible experience to watch her play."
Even as the youngest player for the Americans (by 3 years!), Talley returns as one of the veterans of the squad looking to reclaim the Curtis Cup at Bel-Air Country Club. During the 2024 match at Sunningdale, Talley became the second-youngest player in USA history behind Michelle Wie West, who was 14 in the 2004 Match at Formby. Now, Talley is back for her second time representing the red, white and blue, even if she still feels like the newcomer, and she's going to be looked upon for a big performance to help the USA win back the Curtis Cup as one of the leaders.
"I think I don't really see myself as a veteran because I'm so young," Talley said. "I'm just trying to take from my own experience, and I guess we all kind of have some experience playing in team play, so we all know what we're doing. Just trying to soak it all in for ourselves and kind of push each other and have some fun."
Stasi joked you could go on and on about Talley's growth – literally and figuratively – in the 20 months since Sunningdale. While it was a stellar debut for Talley that week, it was not a strong outing for the American side, losing for the first time since 2016 in Ireland.
Talley went 2-1-1 for the USA, though Great Britain & Ireland reclaimed the Curtis Cup in an upset, winning 10½-9½. The week was a learning experience for Talley but also one that proved her worth. Since then, she has continued her tear as one of the best amateurs in the world.
Talley and the Americans carry plenty of motivation into the Curtis Cup, and they come in on a bit of a hot streak, too. World No. 1 Kiara Romero tied for sixth at the U.S. Women's Open last week while Talley placed T-22. She shot a record round of 66 on Saturday. Farah O'Keefe, who won the NCAA individual title two weeks ago a couple hours down the road in Carlsbad, also played the weekend at Riviera.
Come Friday at Bel-Air, it's all about winning back the Curtis Cup.
"I think just being back on home soil kind of gives us that little extra edge, especially because the Europeans haven't won on American soil in 40 years," Talley said. "So we don't want it to be the first time that they do that. It's going to give us that little extra motivation to be playing for something bigger than ourself and be playing for our teammates and not just for us."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Curtis Cup 2026: Asterisk Talley, 17, veteran of USA team at Bel-Air
Continue reading...
The 17-year-old, who at the time was 15 and took down then-world No. 1 Lottie Woad in Sunday Singles at Sunningdale, has gotten a bit taller, hits the ball a bit further, is more mature and has since committed to Stanford as the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2027. She is, however, still in high school but also still the best junior in the world.
"It's just fun to have been able to watch her play the last couple years," the Team USA Curtis Cup captain said of her star pupil. "She's just gotten to be a more all around better player. Not that she wasn't a couple years ago, but it's just been an incredible experience to watch her play."
Even as the youngest player for the Americans (by 3 years!), Talley returns as one of the veterans of the squad looking to reclaim the Curtis Cup at Bel-Air Country Club. During the 2024 match at Sunningdale, Talley became the second-youngest player in USA history behind Michelle Wie West, who was 14 in the 2004 Match at Formby. Now, Talley is back for her second time representing the red, white and blue, even if she still feels like the newcomer, and she's going to be looked upon for a big performance to help the USA win back the Curtis Cup as one of the leaders.
"I think I don't really see myself as a veteran because I'm so young," Talley said. "I'm just trying to take from my own experience, and I guess we all kind of have some experience playing in team play, so we all know what we're doing. Just trying to soak it all in for ourselves and kind of push each other and have some fun."
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Stasi joked you could go on and on about Talley's growth – literally and figuratively – in the 20 months since Sunningdale. While it was a stellar debut for Talley that week, it was not a strong outing for the American side, losing for the first time since 2016 in Ireland.
Talley went 2-1-1 for the USA, though Great Britain & Ireland reclaimed the Curtis Cup in an upset, winning 10½-9½. The week was a learning experience for Talley but also one that proved her worth. Since then, she has continued her tear as one of the best amateurs in the world.
Talley and the Americans carry plenty of motivation into the Curtis Cup, and they come in on a bit of a hot streak, too. World No. 1 Kiara Romero tied for sixth at the U.S. Women's Open last week while Talley placed T-22. She shot a record round of 66 on Saturday. Farah O'Keefe, who won the NCAA individual title two weeks ago a couple hours down the road in Carlsbad, also played the weekend at Riviera.
Come Friday at Bel-Air, it's all about winning back the Curtis Cup.
"I think just being back on home soil kind of gives us that little extra edge, especially because the Europeans haven't won on American soil in 40 years," Talley said. "So we don't want it to be the first time that they do that. It's going to give us that little extra motivation to be playing for something bigger than ourself and be playing for our teammates and not just for us."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Curtis Cup 2026: Asterisk Talley, 17, veteran of USA team at Bel-Air
Continue reading...
