Kiara Romero has officially turned professional after earning an LPGA Tour card through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway.
The Oregon standout reached the program’s required 20 point threshold after winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal for the second consecutive year as the top ranked women’s amateur golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Because she achieved the milestone after July 1, Romero can either accept LPGA membership for the remainder of the 2026 season and all of 2027 or begin her rookie season in 2027.
Romero capped another standout amateur season by becoming the first player since Rose Zhang to win the McCormack Medal in consecutive years. She finished ahead of Spain’s Paula Martín Sampedro in the final World Amateur Golf Ranking standings. The medal also includes exemptions into the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open and 2027 AIG Women’s Open for players who remain amateurs, though Romero’s decision to turn professional changes her competitive status.
The 20 year old from San Jose, California, continued to add to an already accomplished collegiate career at Oregon. She became the first three time WGCA First Team All American in program history and set Oregon’s single season scoring record for the third consecutive year with a 69.23 average. Romero also holds the school record with six career individual victories.
Her 2026 season included low amateur honors with a tie for sixth at the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera, a tie for fourth at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, her Curtis Cup debut for the United States, a third appearance in the Arnold Palmer Cup, and a start in the AIG Women’s Open.
Romero now begins the next chapter of her career after establishing herself as one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in the world.
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