McCrery recorded three birdies and one bogey in her round and is now 1-over for the championship after an opening round 3-over 75. The Duke commit leads the field by one shot.

Ava Bunker of Edinburgh, Ind., and Karoline Tuttle of Lake Mary, Fla., are T2 at 2-over, one shot back of McCrery. Five golfers are T4 at 3-over, and 17 golfers are within five shots of the lead.

McCrery will join Rianne Malixi at Duke this upcoming season, making up the country's top recruiting class. Malixi became just the second golfer to win two USGA Championships in the same calendar year, winning the U.S. Girls Junior and U.S. Women's Amateur this past summer.

In 2024, McCrery recorded two wins at the Girls' Junior PGA Championship and the Scott Robertson Memorial, along with a T9 finish at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and T10 at the Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford. 

Over her AJGA career, McCrery has seven victories and 21 top-five finishes. She also competed in the 2024 Junior Solheim Cup with the United States and was a member of the 2022 Junior All-Star Team.

The Dixie Amateur, which originated in 1924, was played at the old Miami Country Club. Florida has always been a golf destination, and the tournament attracts a strong field of talented amateur players.

Early winners of the Dixie Amateur included Frank Stafaci, Earl Christianson, Frank Perpich, Al Besselink, Bill Hyndman III, and future Masters Champion Doug Ford. With the closing of the Miami Golf Club in 1953, the Dixie was discontinued until 1962.

The Dixie Amateur has been played continuously since 1962 at various courses in South Florida, including The Links at Key Biscayne and the Golf Club of Miami. During this time, the tournament really began to attract the very best players in the United States, and several players won before graduating to the PGA Tour. Champions include Andy Bean, Bruce Fleisher, Lanny Wadkins, Nolan Henke, Len Mattice, and Jesper Parnevik.

In 1990, the Dixie Amateur was moved to the Bonaventure Resort. During this time period, the tournament was moved to December and held during the Christmas break. This move allowed a greater number of collegiate golfers to participate, and the strength of our field grew substantially.

In 1997, a senior division was created for players 55 years and older. This increased exposure and attracted an even stronger field of senior golfers. Steve Earsley of Stuart, Florida, won the inaugural event and repeated as Champion in 1998.

In 2002, the women's division was added and has consistently attracted the finest female amateurs in the world. The inaugural women's champion, Meaghan Francella, narrowly defeated Paula Creamer, now an LPGA superstar. The 2007 women's champion, Lexi Thompson, became the youngest winner of an LPGA tournament in 2011 at the age of 16.