Ashley Menne (Zach Pessagno Photo)
Pinehurst No. 2 was not a fun track on day two for a lot of the players in the North & South Women's Amateur.
“It was a little bit brutal at times,” Anna Morgan told Alex Podlogar of Pinehurst. “Honestly, I am pretty proud of myself to hang in there. I normally wouldn’t say that after shooting 76. Morgan was the 2021 runner-up in this championship.”
Above it all, Arizona State’s Ashley Menne managed a staggering five birdies to go with a totally normal – on this day – four bogeys for a 1-under 71 to come in at 5 under for the championship, good enough to clip Duke’s Anne Chen by a shot and win medalist honors heading into the Round of 32 match play.
“It means a lot to be medalist,” Menne told Podlogar, who missed the cut at the North & South last summer. “I had a rough time at this tournament last year. I’m so honored to win medalist, especially to win it here on Pinehurst No. 2, an iconic spot and the U.S. Open is going to be here. Even cooler.”
Menne’s under par round was just one of four total for the day, a stark contrast to the play featured on Pinehurst No. 4 in Tuesday’s first round. There, 31 players finished the day under par. By the end of play Wednesday, just eight golfers remained under par through stroke play. In all, 38 players – a staggering third of the entire field – shot in the 80s on No. 2.
“It was definitely a grind,” Menne told Podlogar. “The course, especially coming down the stretch on the last few holes with the heat, was really difficult. The greens are really challenging, they’re drying out a little bit more, getting firmer, quicker. Obviously, the scores speak volumes for how hard it’s played.”
Annabelle Pancake, a rising Clemson junior who shot a 2-over 74 on No. 4, began her day in the most inauspicious of ways.
Tied for 54th, she found herself in the first tee time at 7 a.m. and off the 10th tee. But through the 4th hole – the 13th for her – she was 2 under for the day. Then came the double bogey on the 7th, her 16th, sending her back to even for the round.
“My caddie just said, let’s just try to knock it in and not have to putt and deal with the greens,” Pancake told Podlogar.
Pancake finished with the round of the day, posting 3 under 69.
Now, one of the elite amateur events of the game moves on to match play. The Round of 32 will be played on Thursday, with Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches set for Friday. The Semifinals and Championship match are scheduled for Sunday.
All matches, of course, will be played on Pinehurst No. 2.
“It’s just me against the other person playing,” Menne told Podlogar. “I’m not really going to focus much on the stroke play part of it. That’s over.”
ROUND ONE RECAP
The North & South Women's Amateur got underway today in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
With a full field of talented ladies competing, nothing is assured at the early stage of the game, with just half of the two rounds of stroke play qualifying completed. We do know one thing, the tournament will have a new champion since 2022 winner Emilia Migliaccio chose to get some rest after qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach (where she sadly was just a single shot over the cut line).
It's also likely that scores might be lower today on Pinehurst No. 4 than on No. 2, where play moves tomorrow. But you never know.
Katie Li of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, posted a 5-under 67 to take the early qualifying lead over four women that posted 4-under.: Sabrina Iqbal (San Jose, Calif.); Casey Weidenfeld (Pembroke Pines, Florida); Megan Schofill (Monticello, Florida); Ashley Menne (Suprise, Ariz.) and Justice Bosio of Australia.
Li, who will attend Duke this fall, is a proven match play competitor, having advanced to the final 16 at last year's U.S. Women's Amateur.
Use the scoring links to follow along as the tournament moves to 2024 U.S. Open host course Pinehurst No. 2 on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE North & South Women's Amateur
The Women's North & South has drawn the top
amateur women from around the country. Three
rounds of stroke play followed by four rounds of
match play will determine the Champion.
The 96 player field will be cut to a 16 player
match play field and medalist honors. All stroke
&
match play rounds will be contested on Pinehurst
No. 2. The top 16 players who qualify for match
play will play two rounds a day until our
champion
is determined.
Nine of the last 12 North & South Women’s
Amateur champions have drawn paychecks as
members of the LPGA Tour. The equation is near
perfect. Win the North & South Am, go on to
professional success at the highest level.
North & South champions are among the legends
of the game: Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs,
Peggy
Kirk Bell, Hollis Stacey, Brandie Burton, Brittany
Lang, Morgan Pressel and Yani Tseng.
Along with the Women's North & South,
Pinehurst
Resort & Country Club annually plays host to the
Men's North & South, the Junior North & South,
and Senior Men's and Senior Women's North &
South.
View Complete Tournament Information