- ousted Angela Park, 16 of California
Roswell, Ga (August 6, 2005) -- Morgan Pressel, 17, of Boca Raton, Fla., and Maru Martinez,
21, an incoming Auburn senior from Venezuela, advanced to the final of the 2005
U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the 6,341-yard, par-72 Settindown Creek
Course of Ansley Golf Club.
Pressel used four birdies and an eagle to defeat Brazilian-born Angela Park, 16,
of Torrance, Calif., 3 and 1, in Saturday’s match-play semifinal. Martinez
had four birdies of her own in her 4 and 3 victory over Alison Whitaker, 19, of
Australia.
Pressel’s putting continues to astound her opponents. She rolled in birdie
putts of 12 feet, 15 feet, five feet and 15 feet in the victory. But it was
her eagle on the 554-yard par-5 10th hole, a perfect 92-yard wedge shot that
nearly undid Park, whose ball was sitting just two feet from the hole for a
potential birdie.
“After that, I thought, ‘I’m going to have to work really
hard on this nine,’” said Park.
It was the first time in the match that Pressel took the lead. She birdied
the par-5 16th and went 2 up with two holes to play when Park missed a three-foot
birdie putt.
“That was big,” said Pressel. “She took a lot of time over
that putt. It almost looked like she was doubting herself and I almost had a
feeling she might miss it.”
The match ended on the par-3 17th when Pressel holed a 15-foot birdie putt
after Park missed from 25 feet.
Martinez was relentless in her match with Whitaker.
“She didn’t make any mistakes,” said Whitaker. “She
just kept burning the flag all day and holing a lot of putts. Every time I tried
to force the play or make something happen, it turned bad on me.”
Martinez went up in the match for the first time at the sixth hole when she
sank a 12-foot birdie putt. A birdie the par-4 ninth hole gave her a 2-up lead.
Another birdie at the par-4 13th created a three-hole margin and Martinez closed
out the match on the 15th hole with a par to Whitaker’s bogey.
“I’ve been working very hard, especially on my putting,”
Martinez said.
While Pressel is the better-known of the two players, Martinez was a semifinalist
in the 2002 Women’s Amateur and upset heralded junior player Michelle
Wie in the 2004 championship. Pressel was second in this year’s U.S. Women’s
Open and won the 2004 North & South Women’s Amateur, becoming at 16,
the youngest champion of that prestigious competition held annually at the Pinehurst
(N.C.) Resort.
Sunday’s 36-hole final will be the first encounter between Pressel and
Martinez. Both wear their hearts on their sleeves on the golf course with frequent
fist-pumps, exclamations and leaps.
“I’m a very emotive player and I’ve had to learn that balance
between being patient and not getting ahead of yourself,” said Martinez,
“and being too patient and actually not doing anything about the situation.”
“It would mean a lot (to win) obviously,” Pressel said. “It’s
the most prestigious amateur event and I’ve played really well this week.
Hopefully I can close the deal tomorrow.”
The Women’s Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted by
the United States Golf Association. Ten are strictly for amateurs.
Story written by Rhonda Glenn of the USGA. E-mail her with questions and comments
at rglenn@usga.org.
* * * * *
Roswell, Ga. – Results from the semifinal round of match play in the
2005 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the 6,341-yard, par-72 Settindown
Creek Course of Ansley Golf Club.
Semfinals
Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla. (142) def. Angela Park, Torrance,
Calif. (144), 3 and 1
Maru Martinez, Venezuela (149) def. Alison Whitaker, Australia (151), 4 and
3
Roswell, Ga. – Pairings and starting times for the 36-hole final of the
2005 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the 6,341-yard, par-72 Settindown
Creek Course of Ansley Golf Club.
Championship
8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla. (142) vs. Maru Martinez,
Venezuela (149)
To view a complete match play bracket and hole-by-hole match scores, please click on the tournament name at the top of the page (amateurgolf.com membership requested)
ABOUT THE U.S. Women's Amateur
The U.S. Women's Amateur, the third
oldest of
the USGA championships, was first played
in 1895
at Meadowbrook Club in Hempstead, N.Y.
The
event is open to any female amateur who
has a
USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 5.4.
The
Women's Amateur is one of 14 national
championships conducted annually by the
USGA,
10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
View Complete Tournament Information