For a girl who’s name means little star in Greek, Asterisk Talley shined bright like the sun in the Arizona desert at the Ford Championship on Friday.
Talley, the nation’s top-ranked amateur, came into Whirlwind Golf Club as a name to watch this week. She very much lived up to the hype with a 7-under 65 second round where she finished with four straight birdies and went into the clubhouse inside the top 10 of the leaderboard. The round also included an eagle and a double bogey in the middle of her front nine.
“I tried to just keep it out of my mind,” Talley said of the double bogey on the par-4 14th hole. “Had some birdies and then had that eagle. It was a nice confidence booster going into the back nine there.”
Amateur Asterisk Talley bringing the heat 🔥
— LPGA (@LPGA) March 27, 2026
Not only is she in the top 10 here @ford_champ_, but her 36 hole score is tied for the lowest by an am in the last five years. pic.twitter.com/8lALN171wh
Talley, who is set to play in next week’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, went on to hit every green following the double bogey.
She said the mistake helped her mentally reset and really focus on taking the course hole by hole.
“I knew my game was in the right place coming in,” Talley added. “Just really nice to know that I have the game for these upcoming weeks.”