Just went through the round-by-round scorecards of our four semifinalists and there are some very interesting statistics. Jennifer Kirby of Canada, the 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Alabama, has played the least amount of holes (63), while 17-year-old Danielle Kang of Thousand Oaks, Calif., who is entering her sophomore season at Pepperdine University (she graduated high school a semester early), has played the most amount of holes at 69. Those two golfers square off in match one.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old high school senior Jessica Korda of Bradenton, Fla., and 23-year-old Stephanie Sherlock of Canada each have played 67 holes.
But the differences lie in how the golfers have performed in their four previous matches to reach the final four.
Statistically speaking, Korda is clearly playing the best golf. She is the equivalent of 12 under par (with match-play concessions). Her worst round came in her 4-and-2 second-round victory over Candace Schepperle when she was two under over 16 holes. She was four under in her first-round 3-and-2 win over 2010 USA Curtis Cup teammate Stephanie Kono.
Sherlock's numbers are the worst among the four semifinalists. She is the equivalent of three over par. While she was one under par in beating Junthima Gulyanamitta in the quarterfinals on Friday, she was five over in a 19-hole win over 2010 NCAA Division I individual champion Caroline Hedwall of Sweden. She also was two over in her third-round win over Kelly Shon. Her best effort came in round one against 12-year-old Hannah O'Sullivan, where she was three under.
Kirby has also been impressive in match play, posting an 8-under total. She was four under on Friday when she eliminated 2007 U.S. Girls' Junior champion Kristen Park in the day's most lopsided match, 6 and 4. She also was three under in a second-round 3-and-2 win over 2010 U.S. Girls' Junior champion Doris Chen.
Kang has been quite consistent in all four matches. She either has been one under or one over par. She was one over in her 19-hole quarterfinal win over fellow Southern Californian Sydnee Michaels on Friday. She was one under in both Thursday matches against Juliana Murcia Ortiz (third round) and Gabriella Then (second round).
But as most people know, in match play you can shoot five under and lose or shoot five over and win. It all depends on the day and the opponent.
Which is why it's impossible to predict who will win on Saturday. -- David Shefter