Early Life

Yana Malani Wilson was born on August 21, 2006, in Henderson, Nevada. Yana’s career in golf began around the time she could walk. Her parents, Jim and Olga built a putting green in the back yard when Yana was 2 years old. This was her earliest memories of golf. “I can remember putting in the backyard with my mom and dad when I was 2 years old. My dad would dress me up in Dallas Cowboys uniform on Sundays and we would spend half the day in the backyard putting and chipping.”

It wasn’t until 2 or 3 years later that Yana would take her first swing with a Driver on the driving range. “I used to constantly bug my dad to take me with him to the driving range. He finally gave in and I was hooked!” Yana began playing in USKids Local Tour events in Las Vegas at age 7. “My dad would only teach me the driver swing so we showed up to my first tournament only knowing how to hit the driver. I didn’t do so well.” Yana worked hard on her game and eventually won her first tournament at age 8. By age 10, Yana has won over 31 junior golf tournaments in Las Vegas, California and Arizona. She has won Player of the Year twice on the USKids Las Vegas Tour.

At Age 9 She finished T1 in her first USKids World Championship coming up just short in a playoff. “that was an amazing experience. We went there with a Top 20 goal. Together with my parents, we came up with a plan on how we should play Long Leaf Golf Course. We charted every hole. Our plan was to layup on the par 5’s every day. Being 2 shots back, I made the decision to go for it on 2 on the last day. It was a gamble but it payed off. I shot -2 on the last day. Our game plan worked”

In 2017, Yana won the  Girls Nevada State Championship Age 10-11 shooting a personal best -9 for a 36 hole event.  She has also won the Futures Champion IMG World Qualifier at Primm shooting -3 for the 27 hole event.  She will be playing in her first IMG World Championship, as well as her first Callaway Junior World Championship in July 2017. In August, Yana will be playing in her second USKids World Championship Event.

A fierce competitor, she also enjoys training in the gym including (MMA and yoga), She loves the water and jumping on a surfboard on her trips to Hawaii – where she conquers the surf at Waikiki Beach. She plays tennis and has a wicked ping pong game.

When she’s not competing or playing sports, she spends much of her time studying and loves to draw. She has a passion for art and has won a few art competitions at her school.