2025 U.S. Elite Amateur National Program team member Gianna Clemente has turned professional.

Gianna Clemente had just turned 5 when she played in her first tournament, a nine-hole U.S. Kids event. She had no idea at the time she was the only player in the 7-and-under division and was over the moon about the first-place medal.

A dozen years and more than 130 titles later, 17-year-old Clemente has decided it’s time to make a living doing what she loves. Next month, she’ll compete as a professional in the final stage of LPGA Qualifying in Mobile, Alabama, where the top 25 and ties earn a tour card. As Golf Channel’s Grant Boone first reported, Clemente has received a waiver to compete on the tour before she turns 18.

“I just love every aspect of it,” said Clemente. “I love the grind, the prep before the tournament and I love the competition … I feel like I really thrive under pressure and under tension. It might seem a little stressful to some people, but to me, it’s really fun, and that’s where I’m really the happiest, even if I have a very stern look on my face.”

Clemente, who turns 18 on March 28, took her time when deciding whether to following the traditional path of college golf or turn professional. Homeschooled since elementary school, Clemente sacrificed much to get to this fork, though she never really thought of it like that. She dabbled in other sports along the way, such as gymnastics and softball, but every practice ended the same: “Just take me to the golf course.”

Growing up one mile from Avalon Golf and Country Club in Warren, Ohio, the Clementes made a decision after Gianna finished the third grade to split their time between south Florida and Ohio and switch to online school. Two key decisions that allowed her to practice year-round and keep a flexible schedule for competition.

At age 11, Clemente became the third-youngest players to ever qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Lexi Thompson and Ryann O’Toole were her role models back then, and her dream was “be one of the best of all time.”

That drive and intensity never wavered as she continued up the ranks, becoming the youngest player to Monday-qualify for three consecutive LPGA events in 2022 at age 14.

By the end of the year, Clemente had signed with WME for NIL representation, eventually landing deals with Amundi, ShopRite, The Gate, Transcend Capital and Titleist/FootJoy.

In 2023, Clemente won the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with partner Avery Zweig and represented the U.S. at the Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup in Spain and Italy, respectively. The next year, she was named to the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team and joined an elite list as AJGA Player of the Year.

“She’s an unapologetic competitor,” said former LPGA pro Tiffany Joh, who now works as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Development Program. “There are certain things that she’s so self-assured about that I don’t even have as a woman in her 30s.”

Last fall, Clemente visited three schools last – Oregon, Arizona State and Auburn – before ultimately deciding to skip college golf. Her father Patrick, who played collegiate golf at Youngstown State, said that a T-30 at the Honda LPGA Thailand back in February helped push her toward turning pro early.

“I remember how scared I was to be around those girls,” said Clemente of her early LPGA starts, “and now that I have a little bit more experience, I feel a lot more confident walking into those events.”

Clemente was enjoying a seafood boil in Naples, Florida, in early October when she received word that the LPGA had granted her age waiver.

“It was the one time I opened my email and looked at it myself,” she said. “I immediately threw my phone at my dad and said, you’ve got to read this.”

While several big names – Aree Song, Morgan Pressel, Jessica Korda – have been granted permission to compete in the final stage of LPGA Qualifying before the age of 18, many others have been forced to wait, like LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park and Yani Tseng, who have a dozen major titles between them.

The most recent players to get the green light from an LPGA commissioner to compete in Final Qualifying at age 17 were Chiara Noja and Liqi Zeng in 2023. Zeng was the only one who made it through.

LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler said the following in a statement to Golfweek: “With 10 starts on the LPGA Tour over the past three years, Gianna is a great example of a young player who continues to push herself to compete at the highest level, and we’re excited to see what she accomplishes as she works to earn her spot on the LPGA Tour. We congratulate Gianna on her tremendous success as an amateur and wish her all the best in Final Qualifying as she pursues her dreams in professional golf.”

Clemente will stick with WME as a professional for representation and will be managed by Brian Poe, Vice President, Golf Clients at WME Sports.

After making the cut on the number in the second stage last month, Clemente will once again have her father on the bag Dec. 4-8 at Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama. Should she not qualify for the LPGA, she’ll have full status on the Epson Tour, where she posted a runner-up finish at the 2025 Guardian Championship. No matter what tour she plays next year, her dad will caddie.

“I’m honored to be able to compete for my LPGA tour card,” said Clemente. “I would be happy to play on the Epson Tour next season. I think that would be good for me. Whatever happens, I’m just super grateful for the opportunity.”

Clemente was in elementary school when LPGA player Ryann O’Toole invited her to tag along during a practice round at the CME Group Tour Championship. That’s when the Clementes first met Jorge Parada, who became her coach in 2023.

Already a strong ball-striker, Parada introduced how to use a launch monitor and ways to simplify practice with distance control games that help dial in her yardages. They’ve worked on increasing clubhead speed to add more height to her irons and spin with her wedges.

At this year’s CME in Naples, Parada will split his time between Carlota Ciganda and Clemente as she preps for Q-School. They’ll work on specific shots for Bermuda grass and controlling varying driver trajectories to combat wind.

As Parada helps to build trust and a road map, conversations have begun about how work on her game – both for maintenance and progression – with a more packed tournament schedule.

“It’s a holistic, overall mix of things,” said Parada, director of performance at Liberty National Golf Club. “With somebody at that level, that elite, it’s never as simple as come for a lesson, work on this, go. You’ve got to look at it from every area, understanding the dynamic of her family, things that motivate her, things that bother her … as the relationship grows and flourishes, it’s easier then to make suggestions.”

When Joh was 17, she hadn’t yet played in any LPGA events. Clemente has now played in more than a dozen professional tournaments, including two majors. Joh’s message the next time they talk, she said, will focus more outside the ropes.

“It was really hard to build those relationships,” said Joh, “but they’re kind of what saved me when I was out there. Make a little extra effort to always be open to starting relationships out there. I think when you play college golf you have the benefit of built-in teammates. It’s a little tougher when you’re going straight from high school.”

Going into the 72nd hole of the Bobcat Course at Plantation Golf and Country Club, Patrick could feel the weight of the moment rest on his young daughter’s frame. With water on the right and wind coming out of the left, she cut a 7-iron to a right hole location to 12 feet. Two putts later, she secured her chance to compete for an LPGA card.

“It could’ve gone South,” said Patrick, “and she just went into a good routine mode and made it look easy.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Gianna Clemente turns pro after LPGA grants waiver to pursue tour card at 17

Reporting by Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek / Golfweek

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