Estero’s Gianna Clemente, at the age when most teens are getting their driver’s licenses, took a trip down memory lane during her speech accepting the 2024 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Award earlier this month in San Antonio, Texas.
She thanked her family and the American Junior Golf Association and then talked about her journey through her junior golf career.
“So, it was really cool to kind of take a trip down memory lane and talk about all of it,” the 16-year-old said.
Clemente is an “old-timer” playing AJGA events. She started playing AJGA tournaments when she was 12. She can play AJGA events for two more years.
Being named the best junior female golfer in the world was one of her final junior goals.
“I’ve been thinking about that award for the last couple of years, and I’ve been close a couple of times, but it feels really good finally to get it done,” she said. “That was not the last thing, but it was one of the last things I wanted to accomplish in junior golf before I felt like I could move on to more of the amateur stage.”
Being honored as the top junior golfer is only one of her end-of-the-year highlights. Clemente is featured in the first episode of “The Future Is Now: The Journey Begins,” a three-part YouTube series about the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team that she was named to this year.
Clemente said she and her parents are working on plans and goals for 2025, now that her season is over. She will continue to play in some AJGA tournaments next year, especially those closer to home, but she wants to play in more international tournaments and LPGA events.
Clemente, a high school junior, must decide if she will go to college or turn pro when she graduates.
“I think that’s definitely the decision I have to make first,” she said.
She has visited the University of Oregon and Arizona State. She said she might visit a few more schools.
“I don’t want to make any rushed decisions,” she said. “So, I’m taking my time.”
Clemente will continue as a member of the U.S. National Junior Team while she decides her future. The team is made up of 10 girls and eight boys. The team is part of a development program to help the U.S. compete against the rest of the world.
The YouTube series documents the team’s three-day introduction in early May.
Clemente is one of the most experienced players on the team.
“That was one of the things that I realized when I was at the Rolex banquet is just how long she’s been playing at a really high level of junior golf. Five years of accolades,” said Chris Zambri, coach of the junior team.
A big reason the show highlighted Clemente is because she is a United State Golf Association champion, according to the USGA.
She has a great relationship with the USGA, and the organization believes she has a bright future, said Julia Pine with the USGA.
The show’s production crew visited Clemente last April in the middle of a rainstorm.
“It happened to be probably the worst weather that I’ve had since we’ve lived here. So, we just tried to make light of it,” she said. “We were laughing through hitting balls in the rain.”
The seven-minute segment also showed her working out at the gym and at home with her trophy case and a room filled with suitcases already packed for upcoming tournaments.
So far, Clemente has enjoyed the team experience.
“The coaches get that we’re kids and they want to push us a little bit,” she said. “But overall, it’s just been really fun for all of us to play on the team together and represent our country.”
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