Migliaccio among four remaining players at North & South

Pinehurst can test even a seasoned match-play player like Emilia Migliaccio. The Wake Forest junior only had to play 13 holes in getting past Aneka Seumanutafa in the second round of match play Thursday morning at the Women’s North & South Amateur.

Then she met Allisen Corpuz in the quarterfinals.

Migliaccio had built an advantage, only to lose it when Corpuz, the Southern Cal senior who was stroke-play medalist this week, rallied with an eagle on the par-5 10th and a birdie on the 11th. Corpuz then led, 1 up.

Corpuz won the 12th hole without even having to finish when it was ruled Migliaccio had moved sand when she tried to brush away pinestraw. The penalty resulted in a lost hole for Migliaccio, and a 2-down deficit with six to play.

“I just thought it was pinestraw,” Migliaccio said. “But when the official said it was sand that moved, I thought, ‘Oh yes, of course. That makes sense.’ I mean, it’s a rule.”

As she often does, Migliaccio had her mom Ulrika on the bag. The two recited a saying they often use on the golf course – one that might lend an explanation for Migliaccio’s toughness in match play. She went 3-0 for Wake Forest at the NCAA Championship.

“My mom and I always say, ‘We’re playing the course. We’re playing the course, not the opponent.’ And No. 2 is just so difficult that I think it just got me even more focused on playing the course,” MIgliaccio said. “I just got into a zone and started playing the course a little harder. I think it put me in a better spot.

Migliaccio eventually won, 1 up, when Corpuz fumbled two touchy chips at No. 18.

“This felt like a championship match. We just kept going back and forth at each other,” said Migliaccio, a Cary, N.C., native.

Two matches stand between Migliaccio and the coveted putter boy trophy, and the road certainly doesn’t get any easier. She’ll face USC player Gabriela Ruffels, runner-up here last year, in the semifinals.

Ruffels survived a difficult quarterfinal match against Dylan Kim, the recent Arkansas graduate. Kim was 2 up through five, but Ruffels took control from there. She has succeeded by knowing where she absolutely can’t hit the ball, and avoiding those spots.

“Before every shot, I ask my caddie, ‘Where’s the best spot to miss?’ and I think that’s really helping me get around No. 2 and to be patient,” Ruffels said. “Because, if you find yourself in the wrong places on this course? You’re done.”

Christine Wang, an incoming USC player from Houston, defeated future teammate Jennifer Chang to reach the quarterfinals. She’ll now meet Australian Doey Choi.

Quotes and information from Pinehurst Resort used in this report