Day one of the 23rd Northern Junior Championship presented by the Golf Performance Center concluded on Tuesday afternoon at New Haven Country Club, with Yasmina Oralkhan of Brooklyn, New York and Isaac Ahn of Rochester, Minnesota setting the early pace. The 36-hole stroke play championship is being contested August 4-6 and features players from nearly 30 different states and countries.
In the Girls Championship, Oralkhan fired a round of five under-par 67 to open up a sizable five-stroke advantage over Angela Liang (Bridgewater, N.J.) and Lillian Guleserian (Westwood, Mass.). Her round of 67 was a clean card and featured five birdies and no bogies over the 6,013 yard par-72 layout.
Speaking about her the keys to her round, Oralkhan said “My ball-striking, especially my approach shots onto the green – I put them pretty close and that allowed me to make some birdies”, said Oralkhan. Her five birdies were the most of any player in the field. “My mindset for tomorrow is to keep to my game and if I can make a putt, that’s great but if not, have it be close enough to knock it in for par”.
In the Boys Championship, Ahn’s opening round of 64 (-6) featured five birdies and a hole-out eagle on the par-4 15th hole. He currently leads by two over Enze Miao of Shanghai, China, who shot an opening round of 66. While Ahn’s opening round set the pace, there are fourteen players who are within 6 strokes of the lead heading into Wednesday’s final round.
Today was a really fun day, I felt like I went out there and played my game,” said Ahn. His hole-out eagle on the 382 par-4 15th hole catapulted him into the lead and his two-shot advantage. “Going into tomorrow, I’m going to take it one shot at a time and enjoy the opportunity to play this amazing course.”
The low Connecticut players in the Boys Championship are Will Lord of Suffield and North Chery of East Haven, both of whom shot an even par round of 70 to sit in 7th place. In the Girls Championship, Xinyu Cao of Watertown and Juyeon Paek of Cheshire of Cheshire shot an opening round of five over-par 77.
The final round of the 2025 Northern Junior Championship begins tomorrow at 7:30am, with the leaders teeing off at 9:20 AM and 9:40 AM, respectively. Live hole-by-hole scoring will be available at NorthernJunior.com with frequent updates on Instagram (@NorthernJunior).
About the Tournament: The Northern Junior Championship is a nationally ranked junior golf tournament that was created in order to provide the highest level of competition for top junior players. The 36-hole stroke play event is contested over two days at New Haven Country Club in Hamden, Connecticut and is open to amateur boys and girls under the age of 19. The field of 84 players consists of 54 Boys Competitors and 30 Girls Competitors, and 27 states and countries are being represented.
Schedule of Events:
Wednesday, August 6 – Final Round of Stroke Play
7:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. – Starting Times (Players paired by score, with leaders going off last)
3:30 p.m. – Awards Ceremony and Trophy Presentation
Social Media: In addition to full championship coverage on our website at NorthernJunior.com, players and spectators can join the conversation using the hashtag #NorthernJunior.
– Like Us on Facebook at Facebook.com/NorthernJunior
– Follow us on Instagram @NorthernJunior