PREVIEW and TEE TIMES: U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball
Twins Sarah (left) and Jessica Spicer
The USGA championship season begins in earnest on Saturday with the playing of the 8th U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash.
A total of 64 teams (128 golfers) ranging from ages 13 to 64 and hailing from 28 states and 10 international countries make up this year's field, which includes former USGA champions, world-class juniors, sisters, former college teammates, leaders in the tech industry, an air-traffic controller and a dermatologic surgeon.
Georgians Thienna Huynh and Sara Im return to defend their title won last year in Puerto Rico, as do the team they beat for the championship, Kaitlyn Schroeder and Bailey Shoemaker.
Kelsey Chugg, 32, Salt Lake City, Utah and Julia Potter-Bobb, 35, Indianapolis, Ind., the two past U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champions, are making their third start as a side in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship after surviving a six-hole playoff at SunRiver Golf Club in St. George, Utah.
Shannon Aubert, 27, of France and Calli Ringsby, 27, of Denver, Colo., members of Stanford's 2015 national championship team, will reunite in an attempt to win a USGA title. They are one of 14 past, present of future college teammates in the field.
Molly and Morgan Smith of Westford, Mass. are one of six sister teams in the field. Molly, who is headed to the University of Central Florida this fall, nearly advanced out of U.S. Open local qualifying on May 3, shooting a 2-under 70 at LeBaron Hills Country Club, in Lakeville, Mass. She missed the cut by one stroke and failed to garner one of the two alternate spots in a playoff. Morgan, 19, is headed to Georgetown University. The two competed against the men in this year’s Massachusetts State Four-Ball.
Juniors Gianna Clemente, 15, of Estero, Fla., and Avery Zweig, 16, of McKinney, Texas reached the semifinals of the 2021 event at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, before falling to eventual champions Savannah Barber and Alexa Saldana. Clemente made news last summer by becoming the youngest player ever to Monday qualify for three consecutive LPGA events.
U.S. Curtis Cup captain Meghan Stasi, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Dawn Woodard, 48, of Greenville, S.C. are the only side to compete in all eight U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championships since the event’s inception in 2015.
The U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball consists of 18 holes of stroke play on May 13 and 14, after which the 64 sides (128 players) will be reduced to the low 32 sides (64 players) for match play. There will be five rounds of match play, starting May 15 with the first round. The round of 16 and quarterfinal matches are slated for May 16. The semifinals will be played the morning of May 17, with the 18-hole championship match scheduled to follow at 1 p.m. ET.
First and Second Round Tee Times
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Inside the Field (USGA)
Youngest Competitors: Erin Lee (13, born 12-31-09), Kara An (13, born 6-8-09), Anna Huang (14, born 10-30-08), Courtney Beerheide (14, born 5-30-08), Angela Zhang (14, born 5-5-09), Cece Lewis (14, born 2-16-09), Alice Ziyi Zhao (14, born 2-4-09), McKenna Nelson (14, born 12-11-08).
Oldest Competitors: Tina Barker (64, born 4-9-59), Mitzi Campbell (53, born 10-28-69), Dawn Woodard (48, born 8-19-74), Meghan Stasi (44, born 5-30-78).
Average Age of Field: 20.34
Field breakdown by age:
Age 12-15: 18 golfers
Age 16-19: 66 golfers
Age 20-29: 31 golfers
Age 30-39: 9 golfers
Age 40-64: 4 golfers
Youngest Teams: 13.5 average, Kara An (13) & Cece Lewis (14); 14.0, Courtney Beerheide (14) & McKenna Nelson (14); 14.0, Angela Zhang (14) & Alice Ziyi Zhao (14); 14.5, Erin Lee (13) & Kara Lee (16).
Oldest Teams: 51.0 average, Tina Barker (64) & Lauren Gebauer (38); 46.0, Dawn Woodard (48) & Meghan Stasi (44); 42.0, Mitzi Campbell (53) & Susy Thomas (31); 35.5, Gretchen Johnson (36) & Amanda Jacobs (35); 33.5, Julia Potter-Bobb (35) & Kelsey Chugg (32).
U.S. States Represented: There are 28 states and the District of Columbia represented in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball: California (22), Florida (14), Texas (12), Indiana (6), North Carolina (4), Oregon (4), Georgia (3), New Jersey (3), Ohio (3), Pennsylvania (3), South Carolina (3), Tennessee (3), Washington (3), Arizona (2), Colorado (2), Illinois (2), Maryland (2), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (2), Mississippi (2), Virginia (2), Arkansas (1), Delaware (1), Kentucky (1), Nevada (1), New York (1), Utah (1), Wisconsin (1), District of Columbia (1).
International: There are 10 countries represented in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball: United States (107), Canada (6), Mexico (5), Hong Kong China (2), People’s Republic of China (2), Thailand (2), France (1), Republic of Korea (1), Morocco (1), Spain (1).
USGA Champions (7): Savannah Barber (2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), Kelsey Chugg (2017 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Thienna Huynh (2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), Sara Im (2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), Julia Potter-Bobb (2013, 2016 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Alexa Saldana (2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), Meghan Stasi (2006, 2007, 2010, 2012 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur).
USGA Runners-Up (5): Kelsey Chugg (2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Gianna Clemente (2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior), Julia Potter-Bobb (2014 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Kaitlyn Schroeder (2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), Bailey Shoemaker (2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball).
Curtis Cup Match competitors (1): Meghan Stasi (2008, captain 2024)
Drive, Chip & Putt National Champions (4): Emerson Blair (2016), Vanessa Borovilos (2018), Sara Im (2018), Angela Zhang (2019)
Most U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Starts (2023 included): Meghan Stasi (8), Dawn Woodard (8), Kendall Griffin (5), Avery Zweig (5), Camry Tardy (5), Thienna Huynh (4), Sara Im (4), Sophie Linder (4), Elle Nachmann (4), Alexa Saldana (4), Kaitlyn Schroeder (4).
Teams Who Played in 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (19): Hadley Ashton & Brynn Kort (MC), Shannon Aubert & Calli Ringsby (MC), Savannah Barber & Alexa Saldana (MC), Vanessa Borovilos & Cara Heisterkamp (Round 32), Leigh Chien & Anna Huang (Round 16), Kelsey Chugg & Julia Potter-Bobb (Round 16), Gianna Clemente & Avery Zweig (Round 16), Kendall Griffin & Elle Nachmann (quarterfinals), Amelia Guo & Grace Jin (semifinals), Sydney Hackett & Melanie Walker (quarterfinals), Kate Hauptman & Jayden Jevnick (MC), Kary Hollenbaugh & Anna Ritter (semifinals), Thienna Huynh & Sara Im (champions), Kyra Ly & Emily Song (MC), Megan Meng & Angelina Tolentino (Round 32), Kaitlyn Schroeder & Bailey Shoemaker (runners-up), Rachel Smith & Camry Tardy (MC), Jessica Spicer & Sarah Spicer (Round 16), Meghan Stasi & Dawn Woodard (Round 16).
Individuals Who Played in 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (44): Hadley Ashton, Shannon Aubert, Savannah Barber, Vanessa Borovilos, Leigh Chien, Kelsey Chugg, Gianna Clemente, Haley Davis, Kendall Griffin, Amelia Guo, Sydney Hackett, Kate Hauptman, Cara Heisterkamp, Kary Hollenbaugh, Thienna Huynh, Sara Im, Jayden Jevnick, Grace Jin, Brynn Kort, Sophie Linder, Michelle Liu, Yilin (Angela) Liu, Kyra Ly, Megan Meng, Morgan Miller, Elle Nachmann, Julia Potter-Bobb, Calli Ringsby, Anna Ritter, Georgia Ruffolo, Alexa Saldana, Kaitlyn Schroeder, Bailey Shoemaker, Caroline Smith, Rachel Smith, Jessica Spicer, Sarah Spicer, Emily Song, Meghan Stasi, Camry Tardy, Angelina Tolentino, Melanie Walker, Dawn Woodard, Avery Zweig.
Played in 2022 U.S. Women’s Open (5): Anna Davis, Ami Gianchandani, Sara Im, Emma McMyler, Bailey Shoemaker.
Played in 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur (17): Vanessa Borovilos, Sophia Burnett, Leigh Chien, Gianna Clemente, Ami Gianchandani, Cara Heisterkamp, Thienna Huynh, Sara Im, Grace Lee, Sophie Linder, Yilin (Angela) Liu, Morgan Miller, Kaitlyn Schroeder, Bailey Shoemaker, Molly Smith, Avery Weed, Alice Ziyi Zhao.
Played in 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior (27): Hadley Ashton, Emerson Blair, Camila Burnett, Gianna Clemente, Sydney Hackett, Cara Heisterkamp, Kary Hollenbaugh, Thienna Huynh, Sara Im, Brynn Kort, Michelle Liu, Kyra Ly, Isabella McCauley, Reese McCauley, Lindsay McGrath, Megan Meng, Taylor Mularski, Layla Pedrique, Anna Ritter, Kiara Romero, Kaitlyn Schroeder, Bailey Shoemaker, Morgan Smith, Angelina Tolentino, Melanie Walker, Siuue Wu, Avery Zweig.
Played in 2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (10): Kelsey Chugg, Clare Connolly, Isabella DiLisio, Amanda Jacobs, Gretchen Johnson, Julia Potter-Bobb, Calli Ringsby, Jackie Rogowicz, Meghan Stasi, Dawn Woodard.
Played in 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur (1): Tina Barker.
Sisters in the Field (6):
Camila (18) and Sophia (20) Burnett, of Bluffton, S.C.
Erin (13) and Kara (16) Lee, of San Ramon, Calif.
Isabella (19) and Reese (17) McCauley, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
Molly (18) and Morgan (19) Smith, of Westford, Mass.
Jessica (25) and Sarah (25) Spicer, of Bahama, N.C.
Siuue (16) and Tsamue (16) Wu, of Hong Kong, China
College Teammates; Current, Past or Future (14):
Shannon Aubert & Calli Ringsby (Stanford)
Regan Barton & Caroline Wales (Cal State San Marcos)
Malak Bouraeda & Morgan Miller (Colorado)
Camila Burnett & Sophia Burnett (South Carolina)
Maria Caparros Levin & Anita Saechueng (New Mexico)
Kara Carter & Nathaly Munnicha (Xavier)
Ami Gianchandani & Kaitlyn Lee (Yale)
Alexis Kim & Sophie Simon (Yale)
Grace Lee & Taylor Mularski (Gonzaga)
Emma McMyler & Abby Whittington (Xavier)
Georgia Ruffolo & Caroline Smith (Wake Forest)
Jessica Spicer & Sarah Spicer (Virginia Tech)
Katherine Sung & Samantha Yao (Dartmouth)
• • • • •
What the Champions Receive
• A gold medal
• Custody of the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Trophy for one year
• 10-year exemption from qualifying for U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball
• Exemption for each player to 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club
• Exemptions into 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior, U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, U.S. Senior Women's Amateur, if age eligible
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Exempt Sides
• Thienna Huynh/Sara Im (2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball champions)
• Savannah Barber/Alexa Saldana (2021 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball champions)
• Gianna Clemente/Avery Zweig (2021 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball semifinalists; Both players among top 400 points leaders in Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking)
• Kendall Griffin/Elle Nachmann (2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball quarterfinalist)
• Amelia Guo/Grace Jin (2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball semifinalists)
• Sydney Hackett/Melanie Walker (2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball quarterfinalist)
• Kary Hollenbaugh/Anna Ritter (2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball semifinalists)
• Kaitlyn Schroeder/Bailey Shoemaker (2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball runners-up, Both players among top 400 points leaders in Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking)
• Kiara Romero/Anna Davis (Both players among top 400 points leaders in Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking)
• Chloe Schiavone/Taylor Roberts (Both players among top 400 points leaders in Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking)
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About The Home Course
This will be the second USGA championship to be held at The Home Course, which hosted the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. The course also served as the stroke-play co-host for the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, each of which was contested at Chambers Bay. The U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship returns to the Pacific Northwest for the first time since the inaugural event was played in 2015 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, in Bandon, Ore.
A public course cooperatively owned by Washington Golf and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA), The Home Course was designed by Mike Asmundson and opened for play in 2007. The site will eventually house the offices of both associations.
The land on which The Home Course was built was occupied by several Native American tribes known collectively as the Salish people. Following the arrival of European settlers, it housed a trading and supply center for the Hudson’s Bay Company. The PNGA’s historical research indicates that the company’s traders created a crude six-hole layout around a fort that may have been the first golf course in the Northwest.
The DuPont Company acquired the land in 1906 and constructed a plant that manufactured explosives. The plant ceased production in the late 1970s when the property was acquired by the Weyerhaeuser Company as part of an industrial development plan for the DuPont area.
The Home Course hosted the final U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in 2014. Fumie (Alice) Jo defeated Eun Jeong Seong, 3 and 2, in the 36-hole final and at age 15 became the first USGA champion from the People’s Republic of China. It was also the first all-international match in the 38-year history of the championship.
Thanks to David Shefter, Julia Pine and Brian DePasquale of the USGA for their contributions to this report.
ABOUT THE U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball
The U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball, the
newest USGA championship, was played for
the first time in 2015 at Bandon Dunes Golf
Resort in Bandon, Oregon. It immediately became
one
of the USGA's most popular tournaments. The event,
which
has
no age restriction, is open to those women
with
a Handicap Index of 14.4 or lower. It is one
of
14 national championships conducted annually
by
the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for
amateurs.
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