Charlotte Naughton Makes History With Record Junior Orange Bowl Win

England's Charlotte Naughton kicked off 2026 in style with a record-breaking victory at the Junior Orange Bowl at Biltmore Golf Course in Florida, USA.

Naughton shot a mesmerising -10 across the four days to win by seven shots, adding to her World Junior Girls Championship (Canada) and German Girls' Amateur Championship victories in 2025.

Her final round of 69 was enough to see her become the first girl to finish at 10-under across four rounds at the event.

“I’m very pleased with myself,” said 17-year-old Charlotte, who had to execute a dicey chip-and-putt from the base of a greenside mound for birdie at the par-5 18th.

“I didn’t know it was for a tournament record when I had that putt, but it was a nice way to finish.”

The newly crowned female champion joins a roster of Junior Orange Bowl royalty such as Hall of Famer Inbee Park (2002), along with LPGA Major winners Lexi Thompson (2009) and Brooke Henderson (2013).

Naughton, a member of the 2025 Junior Ryder Cup team, played each of her final two rounds without a bogey, a streak that ran 37 holes in all to a bogey at No. 17 in Sunday’s second round. Go back a little farther, and she made just the one bogey over her final 47 holes.

“This course, you have to give it some respect because it’s so challenging,” she said. “I made sure I saved myself when I could and took birdie chances when I could, but I didn’t get too aggressive.”

Naughton hit all but two greens in regulation, managing par saves at both. Her toughest came at the par-4 16th hole, left with a fried-egg lie in a greenside bunker. But she blasted out to 20 feet, then drained the uphill putt to keep her streak going.

“That was quite big,” she said. “I just wanted to get it within the range so I could have a chance to make par.”

Nobody else could manage to keep up. Nina Choe, who held the lead until a disastrous closing hole on Monday, bounced back with a solid 72 to claim runner-up honours.

“I just didn’t have my strongest game today,” the New Yorker said. “I left a lot of putts out there all day, but she (Naughton) played great and she deserves the win.”

This year’s field featured entrants from 37 different nations, including Lithuania, Bermuda, Romania, Singapore, Paraguay, Iceland, Zimbabwe and Turkey.