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14-year-old comes up just short on LPGA's Symetra Tour

March 11, 2019
2018 Junior Ryder Cup - Day One

Aurelien Meunier

Alexa Pano missed out on history on Sunday. Luckily, it sounds like she won't be short on opportunities for a second chance.

At 14 years old, Pano was in the final group at the SKYiGOLF Championship, the season opener on the LPGA's developmental Symetra Tour. Playing on a sponsor's exemption, the amateur was looking to become the youngest winner in the tour's history, besting Hannah O'Sullivan's mark by over two years.

Unfortunately, Pano didn't take advantage of easy scoring conditions at Charlotte Harbor National Golf Club, her one-over 73 five shorts short of a playoff. She ultimately finished T-8.

"It was tough, but not the worst,” Pano told Golfweek.

Pano, who played on last year's Junior Ryder Cup U.S. team, actually played well, hitting 16 greens on the day. Alas, in just her second career start on the circuit, she couldn't get anything to drop, racking up a whopping 35 putts on the afternoon.

"Yeah, I’m pretty happy with it,” Pano said. "Definitely have lot of shots that I wish I had back, but nothing to dwell on I guess.”

Fans won't have to wait much longer to see Pano, who's already won three amateur titles this year, in action. The South Florida phenom will play next month in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur.