INDIANAPOLIS – Alexandra Snyder wasted little time making a statement at the 99th Women’s Western Junior Championship.
The AJGA's No. 30-ranked player fired a 6-under-par 66 on Tuesday at Meridian Hills Country Club, using a flurry of birdies and a hot putter to build a three-shot lead after the opening round of stroke-play qualifying.
Snyder, of Orlando, Florida, carded eight birdies on the day — including five on her opening nine — to post the lowest round of the championship and position herself atop a leaderboard packed with some of the nation's top junior golfers.
Snyder's 66 marks the lowest stroke-play qualifying round since Brooke Biermann shot 68 in 2019 and is believed to match or surpass the lowest stroke-play round in Women's Western Junior history.
"I felt good out there," Snyder said. "I played the par 5s really well, and any time I had a wedge in my hand, I stuck it close to the flag. I was making all the short putts that I needed to."
On a warm and humid day in Indianapolis, Snyder leaned on local knowledge from her Meridian Hills caddie Caleb Elser, an Evans Scholar at Indiana, who helped guide her around a golf course hosting its first Women's Western Golf Association championship.
"My caddie works at this course, and he helped me select my clubs, also telling me whether to be short of the pin or long of the pin," Snyder said. "He helped me make a lot of putts because I was always in the right spot. You have to hit the fairway out here."
With one round of qualifying remaining before the field is cut to the low 16 players for match play, Snyder carries momentum — and a three-shot cushion — into Wednesday's second round.
Three players are tied for second at 3-under par: Athena Singh of Morehead, Kentucky; Iris Lee of Orlando, Florida; and Alexa Takai of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Singh pieced together a steady opening-round 69 with four birdies and just one bogey. Lee appeared poised to challenge for the lead after reaching 5-under through 17 holes before a double bogey on the final hole dropped her back into a tie for second. Takai rebounded impressively after opening with three consecutive bogeys, responding with six birdies the rest of the way to also post a 69.
Four players are tied for fifth at 2-under par, while another five players share ninth place at 1-under. Among them is Grace Carter, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 11 in the AJGA rankings. Carter’s bogey-free round included one birdie and 17 pars.
Several local Indiana players are in the mix heading into the final round of stroke-play qualifying. Taylor Larkins of Fort Wayne led the group with an even-par 72, while Taylor Snively of Zionsville and Ava Bunker of Edinburgh each carded 1-over 73s. Josie Kelley of Noblesville and Janelle Garcia of Fishers opened with matching 3-over 75s.
With 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying remaining, the race for the 16 match-play spots will take center stage Wednesday. The low 16 players will advance to match play beginning Thursday.
"I'm just going to keep playing the way I'm playing," Snyder said. "I think if I can keep hitting them close, I can shoot another good score out here. It's been a great week overall so far, and I'm having a lot of fun."
First conducted in 1920, the Women's Western Junior is one of the oldest and most prestigious junior golf championships in the United States. The championship has long served as a proving ground for future stars of the game, with past champions including Candie Kung, Cristie Kerr, Grace Park and Nancy Lopez.
Attendance and parking for the Women's Western Junior are free.
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