Emily Hawkins (Photo submitted)
Emily Hawkins started the day with the Women’s Eastern Amateur lead, and she still had it by the end. The soon-to-be-sophomore at Campbell University had a closing 3-under 69 at Tanglewood Park’s Championship Course in Clemmons, N.C.
Her 6-under 210 total on the par-72 layout left her with a three-shot victory over Mercer’s Payton Schanen.
Schanen, a former Georgia Women’s Amateur champion, made a strong run at the leader. She finished with the low score of the final round, a 4-under 68. Schanen’s even-par 216 total for the week matched Sarah-Eve Rheaume’s effort. The Furman played had a final-round 71.
Lauren Greenlief, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, was fourth at 219.
ROUND TWO RECAP
As a junior golfer, Emily Hawkins left her mark in tournament golf at the Big I National Championship. She joined Tiger Woods and Christie Kerr as the only two-time winners of the event when she defended her title in 2018. Now, Hawkins is in position for another major amateur title.
Hawkins will be a sophomore at Campbell in the fall. Competing against fellow collegians and mid-amateurs at the Women’s Eastern Amateur, Hawkins is setting the pace. The Lexington, Ky., native opened the tournament with a 73 at Tanglewood Golf Park in Clemmons, N.C., but came back with a 68 on Wednesday.
It was good enough to give her a three-shot cushion at the top of the leaderboard.
Behind Hawkins, three women are tied at 144. First-round leader Ximena Gonzalez Garcia backed up an opening 68 with 74 for her 144 total. Lauren Greenlief, the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, and Ahra Ko are also on that number.
Sarah-Eve Rheaume, who plays for Furman, is solo fifth with her 145 total.
FIRST-ROUND RECAP
An Arkansas freshman found her way into the starting lineup for the Razorbacks as they hosted the NCAA Women’s Championship last month – and played their way to the match-play quarterfinals. That player, Ximena Gonzalez, is now charting her own off-season success. Gonzalez opened the Women’s Eastern Amateur with a 4-under 70 at Tanglewood Park’s Championship Course in Clemmons, N.C.
After her opening round, Garcia, of Queretaro, Mexico, leads by one shot. Linda Wang and Sarah-Eve Rheaume are behind her with rounds of 71. Wang is a junior on the St. John’s roster while Rheaume plays for Furman.
A group of four players are two shots back at 73, including Mercer’s Payton Schanen, a former Georgia State Women’s Amateur champion.
Lauren Greenlief, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, had 74. Greenlief, who is taking a break from her job as a management consultant to pursue golf, also played the Women’s Southern Amateur last week.
ABOUT THE Women's Eastern Amateur
The Womenfs Eastern Golf Championship has been
played since 1906 and is one of the oldest and most
prestigious womenfs amateur championships in the
United States.
Must belong to a WEGA member club or have
a school affiliation in one of the following Eastern
states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New
Jersey,
New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island,
South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and the District of
Columbia. 54 hole stroke play championship.
View Complete Tournament Information