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Bella Simões is only nine years old and has already tried to qualify for the LPGA U.S. Women's Open. It happened just on Tuesday when she teed off in the U.S. Women's Open qualifier at Pebble Beach, Florida. As life would have it, she hit the first ball of the entire tournament.
Simões was unable to advance this time, posting a 23-over-par card to finish T59. There were 67 players in the competition, of which only two advanced. However, Bella Simões showed excellent swing technique, truly remarkable for someone of her age. She even birdied the 7th hole of the first round.
With Brazilian origins, Bella Simões already has an important path in golf. She started playing at the age of two and competing at the age of five. She is currently the world junior champion and has been for three consecutive years. Her coach is Don Law, a former professional golfer who currently owns a golf academy in Boca Raton, Florida.
There are still 24 U.S. Women's Open qualifying tournaments to go, two of them in the state of Florida. Who knows, maybe Bella Simões will enter one of them and we could see her once again in the near future.
LPGA: Youth prevails no matter what
It is no secret that in golf, especially in women's golf, the appearance of extremely young players is becoming more and more common. And not just participating, but winning tournaments and being protagonists.
The top prodigy so far is the current number two in the Rolex Ranking, Lydia Ko. The Kiwi is the youngest golfer to have won an LPGA Tour tournament, at the age of 15 years, 4 months, 3 days (2012 Canadian Women's Open). She was also the youngest to reach number one on the world ranking (18 years, 4 months, and 20 days) in 2015.
As if this was not enough, Lydia Ko is the youngest player to win an LPGA Tour Major (2015 The Evian Championship) and the youngest player to surpass $2 million in earnings (2015).
Other players have impressed in the recent past with their early development. Lexi Thompson, currently ranked No. 7 in the world, is still the youngest golfer to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open, at the age of 12 (2007). Prior to Lydia Ko, she held the record as the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour, having won at 16 years, 7 months, and 8 days (Navistar LPGA Classic).
Brooke Henderson (8) won her first LPGA Tour tournament when she was only 17 years, 11 months, and 6 days (2015 Cambia Portland Classic). Shortly after, at the age of 18, she became the youngest winner of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, winning her first major in the process.
It is crystal clear that youth is the dominant force in women's golf. Let's see how far Bella Simões can raise the bar and if she becomes, as everything seems to indicate, the next great star of this sport.
