Kaitlyn Schroeder (University of North Florida Athletics)

The North Florida redshirt sophomore and Alabama transfer recorded four birdies and two bogeys en route to the opening-round lead at "The SALLY." She is 2-under and leads the talented field by one shot. 

Morgan Ketchum of Virginia Tech, Lyla Louderbaugh of Kansas, and 2024 SALLY champion Kary Hollenbaugh of Ohio State are all T2 at 1-under. Thanana Kotchasanmanee, Avery McCrery, Tavia Burgess, and Chloe Schiavone of Virginia are all T5 at even par. 

29 golfers are within five shots of the lead. Schroeder is currently ranked No. 208 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings.

Schroeder had a stellar junior career. She was ranked the No. 1 player in the class of 2023 and the top-ranked junior girl's golfer with the AJGA. She was invited to the ANWA in 2023 and made her LPGA debut as an amateur at the Evian Championship.

She was a three-time AJGA All-American (2020-22) and First Team All-American in 2022. She was also named AJGA Second Team All-America in 2020 and 2021 and was named 2022 AJGA Rolex Player of the Year.

In 2022, she won both the AJGA Rolex Girls Invitational and the Girls Junior PGA Championship and competed in the 2021 Team Junior Solheim Cup for Team USA.

She made the Round of 16 at the Women's Western Amateur and finished tied for fifth at the Sea Island Women's Amateur in 2024.

The Women’s South Atlantic Amateur Golf Championship (The SALLY) has been hosted by Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Florida, since its beginnings in 1926. The tournament field consists of top amateurs in the US, and the top finishers frequently represent the U.S. for the biennial Curtis Cup team. You will find many former SALLY players among the LPGA elite.