Bandon, Oregon – On most days, the driving range at Bandon Dunes is not a place for performances.
This is a disability resort in the middle and high places where guests beat buckets, hoping to find the answer in the dirt.
Blade. Big chunk. piece. hook.
On Wednesday morning, though, practice reasons for the famous Oregon destination have different looks and sounds. The swing is pure and the shot is flush and hit by 64 of the world’s best female amateur golfers. The 125th American Women’s Amateurs Competition is in progress.
Kiara Romero, the newly cast first female amateur, in Kiara Romero in San Jose, California, under cool gray sky.
Romero, who became the All-American first team in his freshman and sophomore season at the University of Oregon, is on the 2025 glittering campaign. In April, she led the field on the final day of the Augusta National Women’s Amateurs before making it to the top ten. Less than two months later, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open in Erin Hills, Wisconsin, and her 67th Sunday was the lowest final round score ever for amateurs at the event. Along the way, she won the Top 10 Women’s Golf Championships and was named the Top 10 Women’s Golfer of 2025.
Romero shot under the observation of Oregon coach Derek Radley, who played for his star player this week during 64 games Wednesday for Caroline Smith of Inverness, Illinois.
“What I love about her game is that there isn’t a lot of thinking or skills in it,” Radley said. “When she gets back to school, she plays enough balls to loosen up, but most of the time she just likes to go out and play. She’s the most natural and talented ball I’ve ever encountered on the women’s golf course.”
Nevertheless, natural talent can only go too far without solid fundamentals, and Romero has it.
Did she do a good job? What else can the rest of us learn from her? For insights, we turned to Kellie Stenzel, a golf teacher.
On-site settings
At the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, Romero averaged 267.3 yards from Tee in the 16th place in the arena. Her long and accurate attitude to the driver started before she took the club back. “Her driver setup is great,” Stenzel said. “She moved the ball forward enough to tilt her shoulders to go up and grab the ball to the maximum extent.” Stenzel said her setup was also “very square” with her shoulders, hips and feet in line.
A huge twist
Part of Romero’s strength comes from the width she keeps on the back. But Stenzel said Romero also came from “extreme flexibility, which could be a longer swing.” Note that even with such a long defender, the lower body can remain very stable. ”All of this is enviable.
Key Points
When Romero pulled the club backward, her shoulders were much more spinning than her hips, and the difference in hips was correct at the top of her back. That coil combines a perfect plane club head, putting her in a huge position to release toward the impact.
She fell to death
As Romero fell off, her arms stretched down as her body was released, releasing her to spin the ball. Note, Stenzel said, her arm stretched out completely by the impact. She completed it with her high hands, perfect balance.
;)
