Asterisk Talley, 15, can’t win the celebrity division at LPGA TOC, but she leads anyway

ORLANDO, Fla. — Asterisk Talley is playing a tournament within two tournaments at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. The 15-year-old amateur is playing from the same tees as the LPGA players at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, but she can’t win their division. She can’t win the celebrity division either, though she’s playing from the same tees as most of the men in the field.

What she can win, however, is the amateur division, which she leads by seven with 37 points in the modified Stableford format. That score would also lead the celebrity division, where former MLB pitcher Mark Mulder tops the list with 36 points.

Talley, whose name means “little star” in Greek, opened with a 1-under 71, which would put her in the top half of the field in the LPGA division, led by A Lim Kim’s 7-under 65. Talley’s name doesn’t appear on either of the leaderboards on the LPGA’s website, but her score is being posted here.

Talley knew actor Michael Pena from “Ant Man” and was excited to spend time with him inside the ropes this week. She played the opening round alongside major champion Ashleigh Buhai and professional surfer Evan Geiselman.

Currently 16th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Talley earned her spot in the field by winning the Hilton Grand Vacations Annika Invitational earlier this month. Her coach, Elliot Busichio, is on the bag this week.

“I’ve been kind of like off with my irons, so we’re kind of getting that dialed in,” said Talley. “You know, getting the putting right, because it’s really what matters here.”

Annika Sorenstam, a Lake Nona resident, is once again in the field this week and opened with 32 points, good for a share of 10^th. While Sorenstam was aware of Talley’s record, the Annika Invitational was her first close-up experience with the youngster, and she was impressed with Talley’s focused demeanor.

Last year, Talley was runner-up at both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur and partnered with Sarah Lim to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball. She also contended early at the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club.

“The only way for them to get better is to play these type of events,” said Sorenstam, “so that’s why, you know, for them to earn it in here, I think it’s a perfect way, right? I mean, she’s not taking a spot from an LPGA pro, but she is the next generation.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Asterisk Talley tops amateur, celebrity field at LPGA TOC 2025