Anna Jane Hannant of Pikeville needed only 15 holes to win her Round of 32 match in the morning. But she needed 22 holes to win her Sweet 16 match after forcing extra holes with a birdie on the 18th hole.
In the Round of 32, Hannant beat Keya Naik of Ashburn, Virginia, 4 and 3, winning five of the last six holes.
The 16-year-old Hannant later advanced to the quarterfinals with the thrilling 22-hole victory over No. 3 seed Anna Iwanaga of Japan in a back-and-forth match that didn’t conclude until almost 7 p.m.
Starting the playoff at No. 1, Hannant and Iwanaga each parred the first three extra holes. Hannant won the fourth with a birdie.
Hannant will play Anna Bell of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, at 8 a.m. Friday. Bell advanced with a 4 and 3 victory over Maria Isabella Errichetto of Colombia, who plays out of Southern Pines. The winner advances to Saturday’s semifinals, which will air on Golf Channel, against either Kacey Ly of Temple City, California, or Amelie Zalsman of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Ella June Hannant plays her second shot from a fairway bunker at the 19th hole during the round of 16 of the 2026 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C. on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Logan Whitton/USGA)
