Advances to Quarterfinals
Roswell, Ga. Stroke-play medalist and reigning U.S. Girls' Junior champion In-Kyung Kim and defending champion Jane Park were among the winners during Thursday morning' s second round of match play at the 105th U.S. Women' s Amateur, being played at Ansley Golf Club' s 6,341-yard, par-72 Settindown Creek Course.
Kim, 17, of Korea, needed 19 holes to beat Canada' s Laura Matthews, 25, while Park, 18, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., had a much easier time in her 6-and-5 victory over Kimberly Donovan, 16, of Hopkinton, Mass.
Also advancing was 17-year-old Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla., who needed 19 holes to outlast Mina Harigae, 15, of Monterey, Calif. Pressel, the 2005 U.S. Women' s Open runner-up, avenged a loss in 19 holes to Harigae in the quarterfinals of the 2003 U.S. Girls' Junior.
The match was an amazing display of shot making. Through the first 18 holes, both players were five under par (with the usual match-play concessions).
"It was a lot of fun," said Pressel." We both played extremely
well. We were halving holes with birdies. I just hung in there."
All square as they played the par-4 18th hole, Harigae missed a 10-foot birdie putt that would have given her the match. On the 19th hole, the par-5 first hole, Harigae pushed her tee shot into the right rough and was only able to advance her ball 15 yards. Pressel, meanwhile, was safely on the green in three, with an 18-footer for birdie. When Harigae missed her 20-foot par putt, she conceded the hole, and the match, to Pressel.
"That' s probably the best I' ve played this summer," said Harigae."
She made the putts that she had to. She's a great putter. She knows when she
has to make it and she makes it. Not many players can pull that off."
Pressel will face Jane Rah, 14, of Torrance, Calif., in Thursday afternoon' s third round. Rah ousted 2002 Girls' Junior champion, In-Bee Park, 17, of Las Vegas, Nev. One other USGA champion was eliminated Thursday morning. Annie Thurman-Young of Highland, Utah, the 2002 U.S. Women' s Amateur Public Links champion, lost to Venezuela' s Maru Martinez, 4 and 3.
Amanda McCurdy, 21, of El Dorado, Ark., the runner-up to Park a year ago, easily advanced with a 6-and-5 win over Amy Schmucker, of Cold Spring, Minn. Virginia Grimes, 42, of Montgomery, Ala., the 1998 U.S. Women' s Mid-Amateur champion, as well as a two-time USA Curtis Cupper, also moved on to the afternoon' s third round, 3 and 2 over Christi Athas of Eldora, Iowa.
Play continues Thursday with the third round. Match play continues throughout the week and ends with the 36-hole final on Sunday.
The Women's Amateur is one of 13 conducted by the United States Golf Association.
Ten are strictly for amateurs.
Story written by Beth
Murrison of the USGA. E-mail her with questions at bmurrison@usga.org.
Roswell, Ga. Results from the second round of match play Thursday at the 2005
U.S. Women' s Amateur, being held at Ansley Golf Club's 6,341-yard, par-72 Settindown
Creek Course.
Round of 32
Upper Bracket
In-Kyung Kim, Korea (139) def. Laura Matthews, Canada (149), 19 holes
Jane Park, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (146) def. Kimberly Donovan, Hopkinton, Mass. (146), 6 and 5
Nannette Hill, Pelham Manor, N.Y. (150) def. Kristina Rothengatter, Germany (152), 5 and 4
Angela Park, Torrance, Calif. (144) def. Jennifer Ackerson, Allen, Texas (150), 9 and 8
Jennie Lee, Huntington Beach, Calif. (141) def. Eun Jung Lee, Murrieta, Calif. (149), 2 up
Amanda McCurdy, El Dorado, Ark. (145) def. Amy Schmucker, Cold Spring, Minn. (147), 6 and 5
Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla. (142) def. Mina Harigae, Monterey, Calif. (148), 19 holes
Jane Rah, Torrance, Calif. (152) def. In-Bee Park, Las Vegas, Nev. (147), 4 and 3
Lower Bracket
Maria Uribe, Colombia (149) def. Ashley Knoll, The Woodlands, Texas (141), 2 up
Ayaka Kaneko, Honolulu, Hawaii (146) def. Paige Mackenzie, Yakima, Wash. (146), 2 up
Ryann O'Toole, San Clemente, Calif. (153) def. Jenna Pearson, Wheaton, Ill. (148), 3 and 1
Alison Whitaker, Australia (151) def. Amanda Blumenherst, Scottsdale, Ariz. (145),19 holes
Maru Martinez, Venezuela (149) def. Annie Thurman-Young, Highland, Utah (141), 4 and 3
Virginia Grimes, Montgomery, Ala. (145) def. Christi Athas, Eldora, Iowa (147), 3 and 2
Lorraine Ballerano, Myrtle Beach, S.C. (149) def. Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (153), 2 and 1
Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va. (145) def. Tiffany Joh, San Diego, Calif. (147), 2 up
Roswell, Ga. Pairings for the third round of match play Thursday at the 2005 U.S. Women' s Amateur, being held at Ansley Golf Club' s 6,341-yard, par-72 Settindown Creek Course.
Round of 16
Upper Bracket
1:15 p.m. In-Kyung Kim, Korea (139) vs. Jane Park, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (146)
1:25 p.m. Nannette Hill, Pelham Manor, N.Y. (150) vs. Angela Park, Torrance, Calif. (144)
1:35 p.m. Jennie Lee, Huntington Beach, Calif. (141) vs. Amanda McCurdy, El Dorado, Ark. (145)
1:45 p.m. Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla. (142) vs. Jane Rah, Torrance, Calif. (152)
Lower Bracket
1:55 p.m. Maria Uribe, Colombia (149) vs. Ayaka Kaneko, Honolulu, Hawaii (146)
2:05 p.m. Ryann O'Toole, San Clemente, Calif. (153) vs. Alison Whitaker, Australia (151)
2:15 p.m. Maru Martinez, Venezuela (149) vs. Virginia Grimes, Montgomery, Ala. (145)
2:25 p.m. Lorraine Ballerano, Myrtle Beach, S.C. (149) vs. Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va. (145)