TAMPA, Fla. – Gianna Clemente and Sampson Zheng, who both captured a USGA championship this year, have been chosen by the Florida State Golf Association as recipients of the President’s Award.
This is just the fourth time in FSGA history that the President’s Award has been awarded to a player. The honor is awarded to a player who has had a standout season or won a national championship.
Lexi Thompson was the first recipient of this award, after winning the U.S. Girls' Junior Amateur Championship in 2008. Ben An received the honor a year later, after his win at the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship, and Ina Kim-Schaad was the recipient in 2019, after capturing a victory at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
Clemente got the 2023 season off to a strong start with a victory at The Sally, one of the nation's longest-running amateur tournaments. In April, the 15-year-old made her first appearance at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finishing in a tie for 14th.
The highlight of Clemente’s season came in May at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, where she and her partner Avery Zweig, took home the victory. She continued her successful season with a Semifinal run at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and a Round of 32 appearance at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.
The Estero resident added a win at the Junior PGA Championship, earning her a spot on the Junior Ryder Cup team. She represented the United States in the Junior Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, where she was the youngest female golfer participating in the event.
Clemente, a three-time junior All-American, has an impressive record with the Florida Junior Tour as well capturing four wins over her career. In 2019, she competed in five events and never finished outside of the top three.
A member of the 2026 class, Clemente is currently ranked 25th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and first in the Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings
After finishing his junior year at University of California-Berkley, where he picked up his first collegiate win, Zheng got the summer off to a great start at the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. He and his partner and Cal teammate, Aaron Du, earned medalist honors on their way to capturing the U.S. Four-Ball victory.
Currently ranked 31st in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Zheng earned Medalist honors at the U.S. Amateur Championship in August, advancing to the Round of 32, and finished runner-up at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in October.
Zheng was also a member of the International Team at the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup.
A Florida Junior Tour Alum, Zheng captured the win at the 2021 Florida Four-Ball Championship with his partner, Grant Drogosch, surviving a playoff to capture the victory at Bradenton Country Club.
Clemente and Zheng are both standout players in the world of amateur golf, and the Florida State Golf Association would like to congratulate them both on an outstanding season and USGA championship victories.
