Four years ago, Amari Avery teed it up in her first U.S. Women’s Open at The Olympic Club. She was 17 years old and, while committed to USC, also signed up for LPGA Q-School. Avery, a former prodigy and Netflix star, wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted.
Fast forward to the 80th U.S. Women’s Open on May 29-June 1 at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, Avery’s first major championship appearance as a professional. She now calls her three years at USC the best decision she could’ve made. The experience made her more responsible and taught her how to balance life – without her parents – and gave her the realization that there’s so much more to life than golf.
Avery became part of the national conversation as early as elementary school, when she starred in the 2013 Netflix documentary “The Short Game.” Her dad nicknamed her “Tigress,” and her personal website lists all the ways she’s like her hero, Tiger Woods. Both were born on Dec. 30 in Orange County, California. Both are African-American and Asian (Avery’s mother is Filipino). Both recorded their first ace at Heart Well Golf Course and notched their first big title at the Junior World Championship. (Avery was 6; Tiger was 8.)
Now a card-carrying member of the Epson Tour, 21-year-old Avery didn’t know what to expect about that either but has been pleasantly surprised. USGA CEO Mike Whan, the former LPGA commissioner, likes to tout that 40 percent of golf’s newcomers are female. Should Avery live up to her vast potential, she’s the rare kind of player who could captivate the masses.
But first, she’s paying her dues.
“No one dreams about playing on the Epson Tour,” said Avery, “and no one really know what it’s like. At least from my perspective, the way I viewed Epson was more of a negative light. Oh, it’s just those girls that can’t make it to the LPGA. Then you get out here and you realize that it almost feels more competitive than being on the LPGA.”
Avery turned professional after last year’s NCAA Championship and said that half season last year taught her to view the developmental tour as a stepping stone rather than a detour.
The top 15 players on the Race for the Card list at season’s end earn LPGA status for 2026. Avery sits in the 15th spot on the strength of two top-4 finishes, including one at the recent Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic, where she had longtime LPGA looper James Longman on the bag. Longman, a family friend who is engaged to Carlota Ciganda, will also be on the bag at Erin Hills.
Another big plus from her time at USC: NIL money. Avery said the money she was able to put away while in school while representing brands such as Nike and TaylorMade has taken a lot of weight off her shoulders. Her father, Andre, now travels with her full-time on the Epson Tour and caddies most weeks.
“I think I got lucky in that way,” said Avery. “Obviously I think I earned it, but a lot of girls out here who might have just missed that NIL mark … it’s definitely a grind. It’s hard for some of these girls to break even each week.”
Cheyenne Woods said a teenage Avery, who went on to win four times in college, had the “it” factor before she even stepped foot on campus. Longtime LPGA player Tiffany Joh coached Avery at USC and once said that while most attention is paid to Avery’s ballstriking – marked by power and a high ball flight – not enough people talk about her touch around the greens.
She’ll need it all at Erin Hills, where the best women in the world will compete for the first time on the biggest course they’ll see all year. Now playing in her third Women’s Open, a more mature Avery is primed for the occasion.
“I feel like my game is in a really good spot,” she said of her expectations for the week. “(I’m) not being shy, not backing down from the moment of the U.S. Open.”
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