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The USGA unveiled its first Young Professional Program under the U.S. National Development Program
The USGA has announced the inaugural roster for its new Young Professional Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative under the U.S. National Development Program (USNDP) designed to support elite American players as they transition from amateur golf to the professional ranks.
The first 2026 roster includes Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, and Zoe Antoinette Campos of Valencia, California. Both players are currently competing on the Epson Tour.
The Young Professional Program becomes the newest pillar of the USNDP, which was established in 2023 to create a more unified development pathway for top American golf talent. The program follows the launch of the National Junior Team and the Elite Amateur Program, expanding the USGA's support beyond amateur competition and into the early professional stage.
"The transition from amateur to professional golf can determine the course of a young player's career," said Heather Daly-Donofrio, the USGA's managing director of Player Relations and Development. "Far too often, that step is taken without a system designed to support it. We're changing that."
The USGA began testing the concept in 2025 by providing support to a small group of young professionals, including Neal Shipley. According to the organization, the program offers access to coaching, consultants, and performance resources aimed at helping players succeed at the highest levels of the game.
"Having the support of the USNDP in my first years as a pro has been huge," Shipley said in the release. "The resources that are available to me and access to the coaches and consultants -- from nutritional guidance to mental performance -- have given me the tools and the confidence to compete at this level."
Clemente, 18, has already built one of the most impressive young resumes in American golf. She was part of the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team in 2024 and the inaugural Elite Amateur Program in 2025.
She has played in 11 USGA championships and won the 2023 U.S. Women's Four-Ball Championship alongside Avery Zweig at The Home Course in DuPont, Washington. Clemente also earned low-amateur honors at the 2025 Chevron Championship and made national headlines in 2022 when she Monday-qualified for four straight LPGA events at age 14.
After being granted an LPGA age waiver in November 2025, Clemente turned her attention to the professional game and is now a rookie on the Epson Tour. She has made the cut in each of her first three starts, highlighted by a T-12 finish at the IOA Golf Classic.
Campos, 23, enters the program in her second season on the Epson Tour after a standout collegiate career at UCLA, where she won six individual titles and earned All-American honors.
She has competed in 10 USGA championships, including the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach, and has made 22 Epson Tour starts over the past two seasons. Her early pro highlights include a top-10 finish at the 2025 Dream First Bank Charity Classic.
The USGA said more athletes will be added to the Young Professional Program later this year, signaling that Clemente and Campos are just the first names in what is expected to become a broader support structure for rising American professionals.
According to the USGA, the mission of the USNDP is to foster future generations of American golf talent by providing competitive opportunities, education, mentorship, training, and financial support designed to reduce barriers and create a healthier pathway to the top of the sport.
With the Young Professional Program now officially in place, the USGA has added another key layer to that pathway -- one aimed squarely at helping promising young Americans turn elite amateur success into sustainable professional careers.
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