Nine-Year-Old Attempts To Qualify For US Women's Open
Brazilian Bella Simoes is hoping to become the youngest-ever qualifier for the Major


Qualifying for the US Women’s Open has begun at The Club at Mediterra in Florida as players compete for the chance to tee it up with the world’s best at Pebble Beach in July.
Among the competitors is a player aiming to become the youngest in history to qualify for the Major. Brazilian Bella Simoes only turned nine last August, but she got qualifying under way with the first shot, which immediately demonstrated her assured swing and ability to hold her nerve under pressure.
Qualifying for the 2023 #USWomensOpen has officially begun! Nine-year-old Bella Simoes hit the first shot. Follow along @FSGA ➡️ https://t.co/622czXdhXk pic.twitter.com/4aYolLLL21May 9, 2023
The record is currently held by Lucy Li, who qualified for the 2014 tournament, which she competed in aged 11, but Simoes will beat that by some distance if she achieves her aim this week.
Simoes began playing golf aged just two and, by the time she was five, she had begun competing in tournaments. Per her Instagram account, she is now sponsored by TaylorMade and has even played with World No.7 Lexi Thompson, who qualified for the US Women's Open when she was just 12.
It didn’t take long before Simoes' ability began translating into trophies, either, and she has won the US Kids Golf World Championship three years in a row, most recently last August.
While Simoes' achievements in the game are impressive, qualifying for one of the women’s game’s most prestigious tournaments at one of the world’s most iconic courses would surely surpass all of them to date.
In an interview with The Tee Times magazine last year, her coach Don Law described her qualities. He said: “Bella is the real deal and if somebody from over here is going to play on the LPGA Tour it’s probably this one right here. She works out five days a week and mentally she is extremely strong, which makes her very hard to beat and not afraid of competition.”
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Whether or not Simoes qualifies for this year’s Major, it will certainly be interesting to see how she progresses in the game in the coming years.

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
-
Tommy Fleetwood Makes Putter Change At RBC Heritage
The Englishman has switched from a blade putter to a custom mallet-style TaylorMade Spider Tour putter for the Harbour Town event
By Mike Hall
-
Perfect Your Putting Stroke With An Item Every Golfer Can Find in The Clubhouse Bar
Improving with the putter should be on the priority list of every amateur golfer in 2025 – and you can achieve huge gains by using this simple clubhouse item
By Barry Plummer
-
JM Eagle LA Championship Prize Money Payout 2025
The LPGA Tour heads to California for the JM Eagle LA Championship, where the largest prize money payout of the season so far is on the table
By Mike Hall
-
Callaway REVA Rise: New Women's Clubs Unleashed!
Callaway has released REVA Rise, the latest evolution of the Reva line of clubs designed specifically for women
By Alison Root
-
Carla Bernat Escuder Narrowly Beats Asterisk Talley To Augusta National Women's Amateur Title
Carla Bernat Escuder became the first Spaniard to win the Augusta National Women's Amateur
By Mike Hall
-
Augusta National Women's Amateur Final Round Tee Times 2025
Defending champion Lottie Woad and USA's Kiara Romero will start as co-leaders in the final group of the Augusta National Women's Amateur on Saturday
By Jonny Leighfield
-
Defending Champion Lottie Woad In Prime Position For ANWA Title Defence As Several Big Names Miss The Cut
Heading into the final round at Augusta National Golf Club, England's Lottie Woad co-leads the field 12 months on from her dramatic comeback victory
By Jonny Leighfield
-
Augusta National Women’s Amateur Winners: Where Are They Now?
The Augusta National Women's Amateur was first played in 2019 and, since then, a number of the tournament's winners have gone on to forge superb careers
By Matt Cradock
-
Augusta National Women's Amateur 2025 Tee Times - Round One
Lottie Woad returns to defend her Augusta National Women's Amateur title, with the Amateur World No.1 getting her first round underway alongside Amateur World No.2 Jasmine Koo
By Matt Cradock
-
Rianne Malixi Withdraws From Augusta National Women's Amateur With Back Injury
Rianne Malixi had been among the favorites going into the Augusta National Women's Amateur, but the US Women’s Amateur champion has been forced to withdraw due to injury
By Matt Cradock