Zoe Campos Named to USGA’s First “Young Professional Program”

The USGA has announced the 2026 Young Professional Program roster, featuring Gianna Clemente and Zoe Antoinette Campos. The Young Professional Program, in its first year, is a key pillar of the U.S. National Development Program (USNDP), established in 2023 to create a unified pathway for developing and supporting America’s top golf talent.

“The transition from amateur to professional golf can determine the course of a young player’s career,” said Heather Daly‑Donofrio, USGA 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. By creating a clear, intentional pathway, one long championed by other leading golf nations, the USGA is investing in the potential of America’s rising stars and giving them the tools to compete, belong, and succeed at the professional level.”

The Young Professional Program will support players from the USNDP pathways. In 2025, the USGA piloted the program by supporting a handful of young professionals, including Neal Shipley, to provide resources as they pursue the highest levels of the game. The U.S. National Development Program currently has a National Junior Team, in its third year, and an Elite Amateur Program, in its second year.

“Having the support of the USNDP in my first years as a pro has been huge,” Shipley said. “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.”

2026 Young Professional Program

Gianna Clemente was a member 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, including winning the 2023 U.S. Women’s Four-Ball Championship (with partner Avery Zweig) at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash. The 18-year-old had ten starts on the LPGA Tour as an amateur, including earning low-amateur honors at the 2025 Chevron Championship. Clemente famously Monday-qualified for four-straight LPGA events at age 14 in 2022. The Estero, Fla., native was granted an age waiver by the LPGA to pursue a tour card in November of 2025 and is currently a rookie on the Epson Tour, making her first three cuts with one tied-for-12^th finish at the IOA Golf Classic.

Zoe Antoinette Campos is in her second year on the Epson Tour after an All-American career at UCLA, where she won six individual titles. Campos has played in 10 USGA championships, including qualifying for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. She has made 22 starts during her two years on the Epson Tour, highlighted by a top-10 at the Dream First Bank Charity Classic in 2025.

More athletes will be added to the program this year.