Asterisk Talley holds off on signing with Stanford to chase an LPGA card

Asterisk Talley, the top-ranked girls junior in the Class of 2027, did not sign with Stanford when the early signing period opened Wednesday, according to Golf Channel and Golfweek. The 17-year-old from Chowchilla, California, has been verbally committed to the Cardinal for more than a year and still is, per Golf Channel, so she can sign at any point.

The reason is how close she is to the LPGA. Talley has 15 points in the tour's Elite Amateur Pathway, known as LEAP, and needs 20 to earn membership. The LPGA pointed that out on Tuesday.

"It's still definitely in conversation," Talley told Golf Channel about playing college golf. "It's definitely an undecided still, but I think it's something to think about over the next few months." "Getting out there early is always an advantage," she said, before adding that "there's always room to grow in college and get that extra experience with the team."

Her 2026 explains the points total. She won the U.S. Women's Amateur at The Honors Course in Tennessee, two years after finishing runner-up, and played on the winning U.S. Curtis Cup team, per Golfweek. At the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera she shot a Saturday 66, the best weekend round by an amateur in championship history, and tied for 22nd. She also won the Fortinet Stanford Invitational, the ANNIKA Invitational and the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. On Monday the AJGA named her its Rolex Junior Player of the Year for the first time. Golf Channel lists her fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

There are several ways to find the last five points. She is exempt into four majors in 2027, starting with the Chevron Championship in April, and made cuts and high finishes there earn points. So do strong finishes in regular LPGA events, a climb up the amateur ranking and a win at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. Golf Channel reports that if she gets to 20 before July 1, 2027, she would likely wait until that date to turn pro, which would give her about a season and a half of LPGA membership.

She would not be the first top recruit to skip signing. Yuka Saso was verbally committed to Georgia in the Class of 2020, never signed and turned pro that November, per Golf Channel. Stanford still plans to sign Anna Fang but drops to No. 4 in Golf Channel's class rankings.

Watch the Augusta National Women's Amateur and the Chevron next spring. A couple of big weeks there could settle the Stanford question.