Big East Champs Welch and Xavier to Play in NCAA Las Vegas Regional
April 30, 2024
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. -- Alice Ziyi Zhao, the 13-year-old from China who led the U.S. Women's Amateur on Monday after a first-round 67, followed it with a 4-under-par 69 on Tuesday, and her 36-hole total of 136 put her in a tie with two other players for medalist honors at Chambers Bay.
Latanna Stone, a senior at LSU, shot the best round of the stroke-play portion of the tournament, a bogey-free 65 on Tuesday, which gave her a 136, and Kentucky junior Laney Frey arrived at the same number with a pair of 68's.
They finished stroke play three shots clear of the threesome that tied for fourth -- Kelsey Bennett (69-70--139), Megha Ganne (71-68) and Amari Avery (72-67).
On Wednesday morning, the tournament will switch over to match play. But first, the field will have to be trimmed to the top 64 players. There was a tie for 61st place, at 150, and as a result, an 8-for-4 playoff began late Tuesday. Jien Li, Jennifer Rosenberg and Camryn Carreon all parred the first extra hole (No. 10, 383 yards, par 4), and they are in.
Julia Misemer, a University of Arizona recruit who qualified for Chambers Bay in the Twin Cities, at Victoria Links, shot 75 in each of the two medal-play rounds, and she was one of four players who bogeyed the first playoff hole. Those four played one more hole before darkness forced an end to play for the day. Misemer and two others, Victoria Zhang and Anika Dy, parred the second extra hole (No. 17, 165, par 3), and they will continue the playoff -- for the one remaining spot -- Wednesday morning.
Emma Abramson bogeyed the second playoff hole and was eliminated.
Taylor Ledwein, who is still an amateur but might not be for long, shot even-par 73 for the second day in a row, and her 146 aggregate put her in a tie for 26th. The former two-time Minnesota state high school champion from New Prague -- and 2020 MGA co-Player of the Year, along with Kate Smith -- is scheduled to play Lauren Zaretsky (74-72--147) in the Round of 64.
Starting the day on the 10th tee, Smith didn't exactly get off to a flying start Tuesday. She bogeyed the 372-yard, par-4 10th hole and the 424-yard, par-4 11th. But then she made 10 pars in a row. She snapped the string of pars with a birdie at the third (141 yards, par 3) and made another birdie at the fifth (418, par 4), which got her back to even par for the qualifying, and that's where she remained.
Ledwein will go from here to LPGA Q-School, although she can do that and remain an amateur if she doesn't make it through Q-School to the 2023 LPGA Tour, or to the Epson Tour, the LPGA's equivalent of the Korn Ferry Tour.
Two other U.S. Am competitors who qualified at Victory Links -- Julia Gregg and Vanessa Borovilos -- made it to match play at Chambers Bay, albeit barely. They both shot 149 and escaped the playoff by a single shot. Gregg will be a senior at Arkansas this fall. Borvilos is a former World Junior lchampion from Canada who won't graduate from high school until 2024.
The medalist at Victory Links, Grace Curran, the former Minnesota Women's Match Play winner, was in a good position after a first-round 74, and she was 1 under after four holes on Tuesday. But two bogeys and a double in the next five holes sent her in the wrong direction. She ended up with an 81 and a 36-hole total of 155.
U.S. Women's Amateur
At Chambers Bay
Par 73, 6,561 yards
University Place, Wash.
Stroke play (the top 64 advance to match play Wednesday morning)
T1. Alice Ziyi Zhao 67-69--136 (-10)
T1. Laney Frye 68-68--136
T1. Latanna Stone 71-65--136
T4. Kelsey Bennett 69-70--139
T4. Amari Avery 72-67--139
T7. Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 69-71--140
T7. Taglao Jeeravivitaporn 70-70--140
T7. Catherine Rao 73-67--140
T7. Casey Weidenfeld 68-72--140
T26. Taylor Ledwein 73-73--146
T53. Julia Gregg 74-75--149
T53. Vanessa Borovilos 74-75--149
T61. Julia Misemer 75-75--150 (in 8-for-4 playoff)
Did not advance
Grace Curran 74-81--155
April 29, 2024
April 29, 2024
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