Bandon, Ore. – Stroke-play medalist Cheyenne Woods of Phoenix, Ariz., won her second-round match Thursday morning at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. Today’s second- and third-round matches are being conducted at the 6.095-yard, par-71 Bandon Trails course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
The 20-year-old Woods had seemingly had her way with the Bandon Dunes links so far in the championship, cruising through 36 holes of stroke play and her first-round match. However, Bethany Wu, her second-round opponent from Diamond Bar, Calif., certainly did not make Woods’ move into the third round an easy one, as Woods prevailed, 2 up.
Wu, just 14 years old, birdied the par-4 first hole to immediately take a 1-up lead, a lead that she stretched to 2-up and held through the turn. Woods, however, started her comeback on the 11th hole, which she won despite sending her second shot into a water hazard and having to take a drop. Her bogey won when Wu made double bogey.
I started hitting it better after that, said Woods, the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference champion. I had a good birdie [on No. 13] and then just played really well coming in.
Woods, the niece of nine-time USGA champion Tiger Woods, will meet Alex Stewart, 19, of Peoria, Ariz., in the afternoon’s third-round matches.
Julie Yang, 15, of Mesa, Ariz., dispatched 13-year-old Mariel Galdiano by a 6-and-5 margin. Also advancing was defending champion Emily Tubert of Burbank, Calif., who lost a three-hole lead to 18-year-old Harin Lee and needed the full 18 holes for a 1-up victory.
Perhaps the most exciting match of the morning was between Grace Na, of Oakland, Calif., and Catherine Dolan, of Ballwin, Mo. Na, an 18-year-old Pepperdine University student, built a 4-up lead through the first eight holes. Dolan, however, fought back to square the match with a birdie at the par-4 15th and went on to win by a 2-and-1 margin.
I just tried to hit it closer and make my putts closer so they would be gimmees, said Dolan, a junior at Missouri State University. I just tried hard. I was going to do anything I could.
All three past Curtis Cup Match participants are still alive in the match-play bracket. 2010 USA teammates Stephanie Kono and Tiffany Lua both won their matches, as did two-time GB&I representative Sally Watson. Also advancing was 12-year-old Angel Yin, the youngest championship competitor, who defeated Somin Lee in 19 holes.
The 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links continues Thursday afternoon with the third round of match play, to be played at Bandon Trails. The quarterfinal and semifinal matches are on Friday, and the 36-hole championship final will be played Saturday. The final three rounds will all be conducted at Old Macdonald.
The U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Christina Lance is a coordinator of championship communications for the USGA. Email questions or comments to clance@usga.org.
Bandon, Ore. – Results following Thursday’s second round of match play at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, conducted at the 6,095-yard, par-71 Bandon Trails course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort:
Round of 32
Upper Bracket
Cheyenne Woods, Phoenix, Ariz. (141) def. Bethany Wu, Diamond Bar, Calif. (154), 2 up
Alex Stewart, Peoria, Ariz. (150) def. Tiffany Lim, San Jose, Calif. (150), 3 and 1
Julie Yang, Mesa, Ariz. (149) def. Mariel Galdiano, Pearl City, Hawaii (152), 6 and 5
Annie Park, Levittown, N.Y. (158) def. Brittany Mai, Poway, Calif. (155), 1 up
Brianna Do, Viet Nam (155) def. Kelsey Chugg, Ogden, Utah (158), 2 and 1
Emily Tubert, Burbank, Calif. (150) def. Harin Lee, Bayside, N.Y. (152), 1 up
Catherine Dolan, Ballwin, Mo. (158) def. Grace Na, Oakland, Calif. (153), 2 and 1
Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, Hawaii (152) def. Hanule Seo, St. Louis, Mo. (150), 3 and 2
Lower Bracket
Marissa Dodd, Allen, Texas (154) def. Emilie Burger, Hoschton, Ga. (145), 1 up
Prima Thammaraks, Ames, Iowa (151) def. Joanne Lee, San Carlos, Calif. (150), 1 up
Sally Watson, Scotland (148) def. Katie-Rose Higgins, Charleston, S.C. (155), 1 up
Angel Yin, Arcadia, Calif. (149) def. Somin Lee, Denver, Colo. (152), 19 holes
Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (154) def. Christine Wolf, Chattanooga, Tenn. (147), 5 and 4
Lauren Cate, St. Augustine, Fla. (157) def. Wanasa Zhou, People's Republic of China (152), 1 up
Brittany Altomare, Shrewsbury, Mass. (148) def. Ellen Mueller, Bartlesville, Okla. (155), 1 up
Kelsey Vines, San Antonio, Texas (149) def. Ket Preamchuen, Kennesaw, Ga. (152), 2 and 1
Bandon, Ore. – Pairings for Thursday’s third round of match play at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, conducted at the 6,095-yard, par-71 Bandon Trails course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort:
Upper Bracket
1 p.m.: Cheyenne Woods, Phoenix, Ariz. (141) vs. Alex Stewart, Peoria, Ariz. (150)
1:10 p.m.: Julie Yang, Mesa, Ariz. (149) vs. Annie Park, Levittown, N.Y. (158)
1:20 p.m.: Brianna Do, Viet Nam (155) vs. Emily Tubert, Burbank, Calif. (150)
1:30 p.m.: Catherine Dolan, Ballwin, Mo. (158) vs. Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, Hawaii (152)
Lower Bracket
1:50 p.m.: Marissa Dodd, Allen, Texas (154) vs. Prima Thammaraks, Ames, Iowa (151)
2:30 p.m.: Sally Watson, Scotland (148) vs. Angel Yin, Arcadia, Calif. (149)
2:15 p.m.: Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (154) vs. Lauren Cate, St. Augustine, Fla. (157)
2:40 p.m.: Brittany Altomare, Shrewsbury, Mass. (148) vs. Kelsey Vines, San Antonio, Texas (149)