Asterisk Talley is going to wait a bit longer to decide whether she'll play college golf.
Talley, the 17-year-old phenom from Chowchilla, California, will not sign an athlete grant-in-aid agreement Wednesday with Stanford, where she has been committed for more than a year. Talley has been arguably the best amateur in the women's game the last two-and-a-half years, putting together an impressive list of accomplishments as a junior golfer. However, with 15 points in the LPGA's Elite Amateur Pathway program, needing 20 for an LPGA card, Talley has decided to hold off on signing with Stanford – for now.
"It’s still definitely in conversation," Talley told Golf Channel. "It’s definitely an undecided still, but I think it’s something to think about
over the next few months, and it’s definitely going to be an interesting path to kind of take. Both have their upsides and their cons, too. It’s definitely going to be a go-with-the-flow kind of thing and see what happens in these coming months."
The Cardinal still plan to sign Anna Song on National Signing Day, the No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2027. Talley, the 2026 U.S. Women's Amateur champion, is the No. 1 overall prospect.
This year, Talley successfully defended her titles at The Fortinet Stanford Invitational and Hilton Grand Vacations Annika Invitational. Talley also won Junior Invitational at Sage Valley for a second time. A couple weeks later, she finished tied for fourth after an emotional final round that her her hopes dashed with a 7 on the par-3 12th hole in Amen Corner.
That didn't prevent her from bouncing back in a big way. She represented the winning U.S. side at the Curtis Cup in June and then won the U.S. Women's Amateur at The Honors Course in Tennessee, two years after finishing runner-up. It was her second USGA title in addition to her U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball victory in 2024. She also was on the Junior Solheim Cup team, and at the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera Country Club, she signed for 5-under 66 on Saturday, posting the best weekend round by an amateur in championship history. Talley went on to finish in a tie for 22nd.
On Monday, Talley was named the AJGA Rolex Player of the Year, her first time winning the title.
Talley has multiple ways to earn the final five points needed to earn an LPGA card. She can do so by moving to first in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (additional two points) or second or third (one point). If she can win the Augusta National Women's Amateur next spring, that's another point. Talley is also exempt into four majors in 2027, and a made cut comes with another point in each of those events. A high finish does, too. She can also earn points at LPGA events; one for a top 40 or two for a top 10.
But as of now, her journey to Stanford is on hold.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 'Little star' Asterisk Talley not signing with Stanford on signing day. Here's why
