Morgan Pressel - Amateur Career

Amateur Career

In 2001, as a 12-year-old, she became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open. This record stood until 2007, when Lexi Thompson beat the record by several months.

At the age of 17, she was one of three co-leaders starting the final round of the 2005 U.S. Women's Open at Cherry Hills in suburban Denver. Pressel was tied for first on the 18th fairway when Birdie Kim holed out from the bunker just ahead to secure a one-stroke lead. Pressel then needed a birdie to tie, but made a bogey on the 18th to lose by two strokes. Her second-place finish gave her a share of the low amateur honors with Brittany Lang. Pressel played in a total of seven LPGA events in 2005 and made the cut in all of them, with an impressive scoring average of 70.96 in 28 rounds.

In 2005, Pressel won the North and South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst, and the most important amateur event, the U.S. Women's Amateur. Pressel also finished her amateur career as 2005 Girls American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Junior Player of the Year.

During her amateur career, she won 11 AJGA titles, including all five AJGA Invitationals: the "AJGA Slam".

• 2002 round of 16, U.S. Girls' Junior
• 2002 Junior Solheim Cup Team
• 2004 quarterfinalist, U.S. Women's Amateur
• 2004 quarterfinalist, round of 16, U.S. Girls' Junior
• 2004 Won – North and South Women's Amateur
• 2005 Won – U.S. Women's Amateur
• 2005 2nd place – North and South Amateur
• 2005 Girls AJGA Junior Player of the Year
• 2005 round of 16, U.S. Girls' Junior
• 2005 Junior Solheim Cup Team