Valery Plata

Last updated

Valery Plata
Personal information
Born (2001-06-02) 2 June 2001 (age 23)
Hialeah, Florida, U.S.
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Sporting nationalityFlag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
Residence Floridablanca, Colombia
Career
College Michigan State University
Turned professional2022
Current tour(s) LPGA Tour (joined 2023)
Professional wins1
Number of wins by tour
Epson Tour1
Best results in LPGA major championships
Chevron Championship DNP
Women's PGA C'ship DNP
U.S. Women's Open DNP
Women's British Open CUT: 2022
Evian Championship CUT: 2022
Achievements and awards
Big Ten Player of the Year2020
Big Ten Mary Fossum Award2021
Medal record
Representing Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
Women's Golf
Event1st2nd3rd
Bolivarian Games 101
South American Youth Games 110
Total211
Bolivarian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Valledupar Mixed team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2022 ValleduparIndividual
South American Youth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Santiago Individual
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2017 SantiagoMixed team

Valery Plata (born 2 June 2001) [1] is a Colombian professional golfer and LPGA Tour player. [2]

Contents

Early life and amateur career

Although born in Florida, United States, [1] Plata is a Colombian citizen who grew up in Bucaramanga, Colombia, as a neighbor to Mariajo Uribe, winner of the 2007 U.S. Amateur. [2]

Plata qualified for the 2015 and 2016 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship and represented Colombia at the 2017 Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. She won gold at the 2017 Youth South American Games in Chile. With the Colombia team she won the South American U-15 Team Championship in 2015 and 2016, and the South American U-18 Team Championship in 2017 and 2018. [3]

She attended Michigan State University between 2018 and 2022. Playing with the Michigan State Spartans women's golf team, Plata was a three-time All-Big Ten First Team selection, and named Big Ten Player of the Year in 2020 as a sophomore. In 2021, she won the Big Ten's Mary Fossum Award, an honor given to the Big Ten Conference player with the season's lowest stroke average to par. [3]

Plata played in the Meijer LPGA Classic twice as an amateur, in 2021 and 2022, and made the cut in her first LPGA Tour start. She won the 2021 Women's Amateur Latin America in Argentina, which gave her a place in the field at the 2022 Evian Championship and the 2022 Women's British Open. [4]

Plata represented Colombia at the 2022 Espirito Santo Trophy. At the 2022 Bolivarian Games in Valledupar, Colombia, she won the individual bronze and the mixed team gold, together with Camilo Aguado, Santiago Gomez and Mariajo Uribe, who is also her mentor. [2]

Professional career

Plata turned professional in November 2022. She finished tied 3rd at LPGA Tour Q-School to earn an LPGA Tour card for 2023. [4] [5]

Amateur wins

Source: [3] [6]

Professional wins (1)

Epson Tour wins (1)

Results in LPGA majors

! Tournament2022
Chevron Championship
U.S. Women's Open
Women's PGA Championship
The Evian Championship CUT
Women's British Open CUT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut

Team appearances

Amateur

Source: [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Flyntz, Joey (17 June 2022). "Meet the 2018 U.S. Girls' Junior Quaterfinalists, Valery Plata". USGA. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Valery Plata, Elevating South American Golf". LPGA Tour. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Women's Golf Roster". Michigan State Spartan Athletics. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  4. 1 2 "2023 LPGA Tour Rookies". LPGA Tour. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  5. "Valery Plata Ties for Third at Q-Series, Earns Full LPGA Tour Status". WILX. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  6. "Valery Plata". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 12 December 2023.