As it turns out, match play suits Abigail Leighton pretty well. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native had never played in that format before. In her match-play debut at the California Junior Girls’ Championship at Quail Lodge and Golf Course in Carmel, Calif., Leighton won the whole thing.
Leighton took the No. 18 seed on the match-play bracket after rounds of 77-78 at Quail Lodge. The beautiful thing about match play, however, is that with each new round, the slate is wiped clean.
Leighton drew No. 1 seed Jacqueline Lucena of Chico, Calif., in the final match. Leighton bogeyed her first two holes and immediately went 1 down. Birdies at Nos. 4, 5 and 6, however, gave her a 2-up lead.
She kept that lead through the turn, and ultimately that was the difference at the end of the match.
