Athletics

Romero Receives 2025 McCormack Medal

08/13/25 | Women's Golf

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By: Nate Krueger

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. - Oregon women's golf junior Kiara Romero was announced on Wednesday as the winner of the 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading female player in the 2025 World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Romero took over the No. 1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings on July 30, and as the winner of the McCormack Medal will receive exemptions into the 2026 U.S. Women's Open and the 2026 AIG Women's Open in England. 

"It's an incredible honor to win the McCormack Medal," Romero said. "This is a really nice reminder of how far I've already come in my golf career. I know how special winning this medal is, and I hope I can follow in the footsteps of the inspiring players who have won it before me."

Most recently, Romero tied for 10th in stroke play at the 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur before going on to reach the match play quarterfinals. 

"On behalf of the USGA, we congratulate Kiara on this prestigious honor," said John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer, USGA. "Kiara's commitment to the game is evident, with her first USGA championship victory already among her lengthy list of accolades. Her back-to-back starts in the U.S. Women's Open along with her display of consistent top performances in her collegiate career is an exceptional showcase of a player deserving of the McCormack medal."

The 2024 Big Ten Women's Golfer of the Year, Romero became the first Duck ever to be a two-time, first-team all-American while putting together a sensational sophomore season. She shattered her own UO single-season records for scoring average (69.91) and birdies (138) while leading the Ducks to the match play semifinals at the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row.

Romero became the third Duck ever to win an individual conference championship in 2024, capturing the Big Ten title with a 7-under 209. She followed that up with a 16-under 200 to earn individual medalist honors at the NCAA Gold Canyon Regional, posting the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history on the strength of the lowest round ever by a Duck with a 10-under 62 in round two. 

On the season, Romero recorded a pair of wins, four runner-up finishes, nine top-10 finishes and 11 top-20 showings in 11 tournaments. She was the top Duck on the leaderboard at the NCAA Championships in a tie for eighth at 5 under, breaking her own UO individual 72-hole scoring record from 2024. In 32 rounds of stroke play, Romero shot par-or-better 26 times with 16 sub-70 performances. 

Romero took the nation by storm as a true freshman in 2023-24, becoming the first Duck to be named the national freshman of the year and just the second to earn first-team all-America honors. She was an all-Pac-12 first-team selection while posting a 70.84 scoring average, 118 birdies, two wins and nine top-20 finishes in 10 stroke play tournaments. 

Through her first two seasons in Eugene, Romero has shot par-or-better in 50 of 63 rounds of stroke play with 24 sub-70 performances.

Romero also won the 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship and competed at the 2024 U.S. Women's Open, her first major championship appearance.