Canadian teen Anna Huang driving scorching hand into U.S. Women’s Open

Canadian teen Anna Huang says she’s dwelling life within the quick lane as of late. But no matter approach she’s going about her day-to-day as a teenage skilled golfer, success is following simply as shortly. 

The 17-year-old has catapulted herself to No. 53 within the Rolex Rankings, and with the U.S. Women’s Open on faucet this week, there’s a case that she’s been this nation’s greatest golfer, male or feminine, this 12 months. 

“Me winning three times in 18 months — things are going pretty quickly,” Huang instructed Sportsnet by telephone final week from her residence base in Sarasota, Fla. “Sometimes it’s hard to get a break, but when you do, it’s all happening at once and you just take it all in.” 

Huang skipped school and turned professional at 16, making a right away influence on the Ladies European Tour after incomes standing by way of qualifying faculty. She gained in September — the youngest to tilt a trophy on that circuit final 12 months — however that wasn’t all. 

She gained the very subsequent week, too. 

With her preliminary triumph, she joined simply three others — together with previous world No. 1s Jeeno Thitikul and Lydia Ko, now a Hall of Famer — as teenagers to win on the LET. 

Two weeks in the past, Huang captured the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco earlier than returning to North America for a brief break earlier than this week’s main. The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open shall be contested at Riviera Country Club simply outdoors Los Angeles, the host membership of a PGA Tour occasion (The Genesis Invitational) for 62 years and the house of the 2028 Olympic golf competitors. It’s hosted three males’s majors, however that is the primary time the ladies get to tee it up. 

Huang, who has been a part of Golf Canada’s nationwide workforce program for 3 years, gained her U.S. Women’s Open qualifier to earn her second straight begin on the main. She additionally performed the AIG Women’s Open final summer time. 

Sitting fourth within the LET order of advantage, Huang has shortly earned her spot on the sport’s largest phases, however none of her massive selections to get there got here simply, she mentioned. Her household is massive into sports activities, and he or she grew up taking part in tennis and golf, swinging a membership for the primary time at simply 4 years previous. Golf caught together with her, she mentioned, and he or she’d go together with her father to the driving vary nearly every single day as her age hit double digits. 

“I knew this is what I wanted to do,” Huang mentioned. 

Alas, regardless of discovering average ranges of success as a younger novice, she confronted a troublesome choice whether or not she would flip skilled straight away or head off to school. 

“It was not easy. I was honestly really scared because (skipping school) is not something you do normally,” Huang mentioned. “Most of my friends had committed to college and it was nice to see (them) find their own passions.” 

Huang entered qualifying faculty principally on a whim, however when she obtained ok standing to start out within the skilled ranks straight away, she made the massive leap because of her mother and father, after all, but additionally Golf Canada coach Jeff MacDonald. 

She’ll be one in all 4 Canadians within the subject on the U.S. Women’s Open, additionally together with amateurs Lauren Kim and Aphrodite Deng together with Canada’s top-ranked feminine golfer, Brooke Henderson. 

Henderson admitted final week her 12 months has been “a bit slow” since her third-place end on the first occasion of the 12 months. That was the lone occasion she had her sister, Brittany, as caddie earlier than the elder Henderson retreated to the sidelines as she is anticipating her first baby in just some weeks. Brooke used a veteran LPGA Tour caddie for a brief trial earlier than pivoting to her cousin, Ryan Henderson, who has caddied for each Brooke and Brittany up to now. 

“It’s a lot different. It’s really been a big adjustment all year, but I’m really grateful to have my cousin on my bag,” mentioned Henderson, who continues to be getting used to the brand new inside-the-ropes effort as she’s missed the reduce and completed tied for fortieth in her final two tournaments. 

Henderson has missed the reduce the final two years on the U.S. Women’s Open and hasn’t had a prime 10 on the main in 5 years. She’s hoping the tide will flip because it’s as soon as once more a household affair on the LPGA Tour. 

“He’s just a lot of fun and a really great guy,” Henderson mentioned of her cousin Ryan. “(It’s) been a blast, and I’m actually excited for what the summer time will maintain for the 2 of us working collectively now.”

Meanwhile, the 2 amateurs are trying ahead to testing their video games on the largest stage in ladies’s golf. 

Kim — like Huang — earned her spot as medallist of a qualifier, whereas Deng obtained in by way of her win on the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship in 2025 (the primary Canadian to ever win that title). Both additionally made the reduce on the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April. 

“Playing at Augusta and the U.S. Women’s Open are very neat opportunities. Augusta is such a special place since once you turn pro, you can’t go back. It’s really cool. The U.S. Open is another opportunity to showcase my skills and compete against the best,” Kim instructed A-Z Eventz. 

“Playing in front of the big crowds at Augusta on a big stage and taking it all in — that was a good experience,” added Deng. “Definitely, I’ve matured and my game has matured too. My long game is more consistent and I’m getting more accurate. I don’t feel as nervous and I’m more comfortable to play in front of big crowds.” 

The Canadian contingent teeing it up on the iconic Riviera — the place Maja Stark will defend her title after profitable her maiden main in 2025 — are all coming in with totally different views. Kim and Deng wish to study as a lot as they will on a giant stage. Henderson, lengthy the nation’s greatest, is eager for a summertime spark. 

But Huang has a particular alternative forward as she seems to be to strike whereas the iron is scorching. 

“I think this time (at the U.S. Women’s Open) I definitely have a lot more confidence, especially coming off a win. It helps,” Huang mentioned. “I realized rather a lot this previous 12 months to develop as an individual and a participant. 

“In general, my game is pretty solid right now. I’m pretty confident with everything.” 

With that confidence and momentum from the season, Huang could possibly be taking the quick lane all the way in which into competition on the largest occasion on the LPGA Tour.