FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Bailey Tardy’s 6-under 138 earned her medalist honors after Tuesday’s second round of stroke-play qualifying for the 2013 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club.
Tardy’s two rounds of 3-under 69 gave her a one-stroke advantage over Lilia Khatu Vu at 5-under 139. Defending Girls’ Junior champion Minjee Lee took third at 4-under 140. Tardy, Vu and Lee were the only three players to shoot two sub-par rounds on the 6,312-yard Jack Nicklaus layout.
The 2013 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship is open to female amateur golfers under the age of 18. It consists of 36 holes of stroke play followed by six rounds of match play, with the championship scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Saturday.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Tardy did not think that her 138 would stand up as the low championship score. The 16-year-old from Norcross, Ga., only gave it a small chance, citing the quality of the other 155 players in the championship field. But eleven birdies in two days, including playing the four par-5 holes in a combined four under par, gave Tardy the top seed in the 64-player draw.
(Today) was a little windier than I expected, said Tardy, who in June won the 2013 Georgia Girls’ Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, her home course. That made some shots difficult. But overall I had a good time.
Tardy’s round could have been even better, as she approached the final two holes at six under for the day. But a bogey at the par-4 eighth (her 17th hole), and a double at the par-4 ninth put a damper on her post-round excitement.
I didn't have a very good finish, but I played pretty good, said Tardy, who last year gave a verbal commitment to attend the University of Georgia in 2015, calling it a ‘lifelong dream.’ I made a lot of putts today, so that really helped me.
Tardy’s 138 is the lowest medalist score since Lisa McCloskey fired a 134 total at Hartford (Conn.) Golf Club in 2008. It’s quite an achievement for a young woman who has only been playing golf for four years.
I think when I started winning small junior tournaments, I realized that I could actually have a future in this and it's really fun, said Tardy, who was took up the game at age 12 when her soccer team disbanded. I love meeting new girls out here, so I think that's what sparked the energy to play golf.
To look at Vu’s scorecard, nine birdies in two days should be signs of two successful rounds. But the 15-year-old from Fountain Valley, Calif., is not at all enthused about her play at Sycamore Hills on Tuesday.
I felt like today I had to try to make par, said Vu, winner of the 2013 Los Angeles City Junior Championship. Every hole, I left myself with work for par.
Vu’s round began with a bogey after her drive found the water on the par-4 10th hole, her first hole of the day. That did not calm her already rattled nerves.
I was like, oh no, what am I going to do now, said Vu, who is competing in her third Girls’ Junior. I started to birdie and I was like, OK, I'm still in this. Then I just tried to do my best on the rest of the holes.
Lee, 17, has put her 2012 victory at Lake Merced Golf Club outside San Francisco behind her, focusing on Sycamore Hills and a new championship. Like Tardy, she pointed to the wind as a key factor in her round.
It was actually a lot (more) wind than I expected, said Lee, ranked No. 4 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking. I thought it was going to be calm, but when I got here it was so windy.
Some of the par 4s were playing really long. I was playing hybrid in and there's not a hole here I would need to hit hybrid for a second shot.
Tuesday’s steady winds certainly wreaked havoc with scores, with the field average at 79.19, up nearly two strokes from Monday’s 77.37. Only six players – Tardy, Vu, Lee, Jennifer Kupcho (70), Kristen Gillman (70) and Chandler Gallagher (70) – managed under-par rounds on Tuesday, as opposed to 16 on Monday.
Andrea Lee, who held the lead after Monday’s first round at 5-under 67, struggled Tuesday. A triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 18th sparked a 10-stroke swing for the 14-year-old, who still finished in a tie for ninth at 5-over 144. .
Casie Cathrea, the low amateur at last month’s U.S. Women’s Open, had eight bogeys and a double bogey on Tuesday en route to a 9-over 81. However, her two-day total of 9-over 153 put her into a tie for 46th and earned her a berth in the match-play bracket.
Nine players competed for the final match-play spot, with Abbey Carlson earning the 64th seed on the second playoff hole. She will face Tardy in Wednesday’s first round of match play.
Among those to miss the cut were 2012 Girls’ Junior quarterfinalist Kelli Murphy (13-over 157) and 2013 Women’s Amateur Public Links quarterfinalist Krystal Quihuis (15-over 159).
Christina Lance is the assistant manager of communications for the USGA. Email her at clance@usga.org.
Results
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Results from Tuesday’s second round of stroke-play qualifying at the 2013 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, conducted at the 6,312-yard, par-72 Sycamore Hills Golf Club (* = in a playoff):
Bailey Tardy, Norcross, Ga. - 69-69–138
Lilia Khatu Vu, Fountain Valley, Calif. - 68-71–139
Minjee Lee, Australia - 71-69–140
Yueer Feng, Orlando, Fla. - 69-72–141
Kelsey Ulep, Rocklin, Calif. - 69-73–142
Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla. - 69-73–142
Kathleen Scavo, Benicia, Calif. - 68-74–142
Hannah O'Sullivan, Paradise Valley, Ariz. - 69-74–143
Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif. - 67-77–144
Mai Dechathipat, Oakton, Va. - 70-74–144
Nicole Morales, South Salem, N.Y. - 69-76–145
Princess Superal, Philippines - 72-73–145
Sarah Cho, San Diego, Calif. - 70-75–145
Jennifer Kupcho, Westminster, Colo. - 75-70–145
Taylor Tomlinson, Gainesville, Fla. - 72-73–145
Kristen Gillman, Austin, Texas - 75-70–145
Allisen Corpuz, Honolulu, Hawaii - 70-76–146
Lakareber Abe, Angleton, Texas - 74-72–146
Lyberty Anderson, Chesterfield, Va. - 73-73–146
Angella Then, Upland, Calif. - 73-73–146
Gabrielle Barker, Caldwell, Idaho - 72-75–147
Bethany Wu, Diamond Bar, Calif. - 69-79–148
Courtney Dow, Frisco, Texas - 75-73–148
Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Texas - 73-75–148
Alice Chen, Princeton, N.J. - 71-77–148
Gigi Stoll, Beaverton, Ore. - 72-76–148
Hana Ku, Basking Ridge, N.J. - 75-74–149
Danielle Lee, La Mirada, Calif. - 72-77–149
Emily Campbell, Carrollton, Texas - 75-74–149
Jennifer Peng, San Diego, Calif. - 73-76–149
Chandler Gallagher, Kansas City, Mo. - 79-70–149
Sabrina Bonanno, Norridge, Ill. - 74-75–149
Aliea Clark, Carlsbad, Calif. - 72-77–149
Marijosse Navarro, San Antonio, Texas - 71-79–150
Anina Ku, Basking Ridge, N.J. - 77-73–150
Amy Lee, Brea, Calif. - 72-78–150
Cheyenne Knight, Aledo, Texas - 77-74–151
Anneliese Newell, Tampa, Fla. - 76-75–151
Elizabeth Wang, San Marino, Calif. - 73-78–151
Megan Khang, Rockland, Mass. - 73-78–151
Chakansim Khamborn, Thailand - 76-75–151
Alexandra Farnsworth, Nashville, Tenn. - 72-79–151
Kelly Whaley, Farmington, Conn. - 77-75–152
Gabriella Then, Upland, Calif. - 72-80–152
Hannah Green, Australia - 75-77–152
Casie Cathrea, Livermore, Calif. - 72-81–153
Lou Daniella Uy, Philippines - 72-81–153
Maria Fassi, Mexico - 75-78–153
Sierra Kersten, Spokane, Wash. - 75-78–153
Isabella DiLisio, Hatfield, Pa. - 78-75–153
Rinko Mitsunaga, Roswell, Ga. - 78-75—153
Christina Foster, Canada - 80-73–153
Youngin Chun, Austin, Texas - 75-78–153
Isabelle Kane, Winnetka, Ill. - 77-76–153
Elsa Diaz, San Antonio, Texas - 75-78–153
Sarah Burnham, Maple Grove, Minn. - 76-78–154
Emily Mahar, Scottsdale, Ariz. - 80-74–154
Lauren Gros, Windermere, Fla. - 78-76–154
Laura Hoskin, New Zealand - 74-80–154
Pauline Del Rosario, Philippines - 75-79–154
Dana Gattone, Addison, Ill. - 78-76–154
Kaitlyn Papp, Austin, Texas - 77-77–154
Alexis Monet Flores, Litchfield Park, Ariz. - 79-75–154
*Abbey Carlson, Lake Mary, Fla. - 77-78–155
Failed to Qualify
*Rebecca Klongland, Stoughton, Wis. - 74-81–155
*Nikolette Schroeder, Avon Lake, Ohio - 73-82–155
*Hannah Pietila, Brightin, Mich. - 74-81–155
*Patricia Wong, Walnut, Calif. - 80-75–155
*Alivia Brown, Gig Harbor, Wash. - 74-81–155
*Kuriko Tsukiyama, West New York, N.J. - 75-80–155
*Pitsinee Winyarat, Thailand - 77-78–155
*Maddie Rose Hamilton, Louisville, Ky. - 76-79–155
Cindy Ha, Demarest, N.J. - 77-79–156
Celia Kuenster, Mendota Heights, Minn. - 76-80–156
Elsa Moberly, Science Hill, Ky. - 78-78–156
Riley Rennell, Columbia, Tenn. - 80-76–156
Erin Choi, Torrance, Calif. - 77-79–156
Haylee Harford, Leavittsburg, Ohio - 76-80–156
Giovana Maymon, Mexico - 80-76–156
Eunice Yi, Evans, Ga. - 76-81–157
Kelli Murphy, Elgin, S.C. - 80-77–157
Amanjoty Sangha, San Mateo, Calif. - 78-79–157
Mika Liu, Beverly Hills, Calif. - 77-80–157
Cecily Overbey, High Point, N.C. - 80-77–157
Michaela Owen, Suwanee, Ga. - 81-76–157
Qinxin Guo, New Zealand - 76-82–158
Karen Arimoto, Japan - 79-79–158
Lauren Stephenson, Lexington, S.C. - 76-82–158
Janet Zhang, Canada - 75-83–158
Kelsey Badmaev, Blythewood, S.C. - 77-81–158
Kenzie Wright, Frisco, Texas - 80-78–158
Alana Uriell, Carlsbad, Calif. - 78-80–158
Jocelyn Chia, La Crescenta, Calif. - 75-83–158
Jessica Sloot, Fruit Heights, Utah - 78-80–158
Lauryn Keating, Elma, Wash. - 77-82–159
Krystal Quihuis, Tucson, Ariz. - 79-80–159
Maria Vesga, Colombia - 80-79–159
Kristine Odaiyar, Ocala, Fla. - 76-83–159
Katie Story, Dickson, Tenn. - 79-80–159
Molly Skapik, Miamisburg, Ohio - 76-83–159
Brigitte Dunne, Camarillo, Calif. - 77-82–159
Bree Wanderscheid, Goldendale, Wash. - 81-78–159
Haley Kluth, Noblesville, Ind. - 81-79–160
Maddy Rayner, Southlake, Texas - 81-79–160
McKenzie Neisen, New Prague, Minn. - 81-79–160
Lauren Johnson, Signal Mountain, Tenn. - 82-78–160
Sarah Archuleta, West Linn, Ore. - 79-81–160
Sophia Chen, Newbury Park, Calif. - 81-79–160
Jamie Binns, San Diego, Calif. - 78-82–160
Dree Fausnaugh, Lake Mary, Fla. - 80-81–161
Julia Calbi, South Barrington, Ill. - 78-83–161
Thamonpat Siriko, Thailand - 83-78–161
Samantha Spencer, Canada - 83-78–161
Kaho Monica Matsubara, San Diego, Calif. - 76-85–161
Nicolette Donovan, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. - 78-83–161
Haleigh Krause, Eugene, Ore. - 83-78–161
Alanis Sakuma, Kapolei, Hawaii - 84-77–161
Shannon Oh, Oceanside, Calif. - 77-85–162
Jamie Freedman, Miami, Fla. - 82-80–162
Annie Swords, Newnan, Ga. - 77-85–162
Annika Haynes, Canada - 79-83–162
Ana Paula Valdes, Hilton Head, S.C. - 79-84–163
Cherokee Kim, Dupont, Wash. - 81-82–163
Jayshree Sarathy, Palo Alto, Calif. - 79-84–163
Rylee Pedigo, Fort Worth, Texas - 81-82–163
Kristin Le, Aiea, Hawaii - 84-80–164
Payton Schanen, Alpharetta, Ga. - 81-83–164
Audrey Judd, Olathe, Kan. - 78-86–164
Eden Howard, Lamar, S.C. - 84-81–165
Virginia Green, Point Clear, Ala. - 84-81–165
Megan Carter, Blackshear, Ga. - 77-88–165
Jordy Labarbera, Allen, Texas - 78-87–165
Emily Laskin, Elk Grove, Calif. - 81-85–166
Isabella Salant, Carlsbad, Calif. - 79-87–166
Diane Lim, Norcross, Ga. - 84-82–166
Christine Kim, San Jose, Calif. - 83-83–166
Abigail Gleixner, Greenwood, Ind. - 81-86–167
Allie Andersen, The Woodlands, Texas - 79-88–167
Megan Conder, Brentwood, Calif. - 78-89–167
Jessica Spicer, Bahama, N.C. - 84-83–167
Shania Berger, Socorro, N.M. - 85-83–168
Siyun Liu, People's Republic of China - 84-84–168
Cobair Collinsworth, Sandy, Utah - 80-89–169
Haeley Wotnosky, Wake Forest, N.C. - 86-83–169
Claire Cameron, Martinsville, Ind. - 84-86–170
Jaclyn Lee, Canada - 88-83–171
Emily Gillman, Austin, Texas - 87-85–172
Luiza Altmann, Brazil - 79-93–172
Alexis Hios, Rye, N.Y. - 89-86–175
Hannabeth Owens, Crab Orchard, Ky. - 90-85–175
Keilyn Ing, Honolulu, Hawaii - 88-88–176
Sabrina Iqbal, San Jose, Calif. - 82-94–176
Annie Collom, Davidson, N.C. - 91-86–177
Kendra Dalton, Wake Forest, N.C. - 93-85–178
Brooke McDougald, The Woodlands, Texas - 75-WD–WD
Hanna Lee, Cincinnati, Ohio - 87-WD–WD
Pairings
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Pairings and starting times for the first round of match play at the 2013 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, conducted at the 6,312-yard, par-72 Sycamore Hills Golf Club (All times EDT):
Upper Bracket
9:45 a.m. Bailey Tardy, Norcross, Ga. (138) vs. Abbey Carlson, Lake Mary, Fla. (155)
7:30 a.m. Sabrina Bonanno, Norridge, Ill. (149) vs. Aliea Clark, Carlsbad, Calif. (149)
7:39 a.m. Kristen Gillman, Austin, Texas (145) vs. Sierra Kersten, Spokane, Wash. (153)
7:48 a.m. Allisen Corpuz, Honolulu, Hawaii (146) vs. Maria Fassi, Mexico (153)
7:57 a.m. Hannah O'Sullivan, Paradise Valley, Ariz. (143) vs. Emily Mahar, Scottsdale, Ariz. (154)
8:06 a.m. Alice Chen, Princeton, N.J. (148) vs. Megan Khang, Rockland, Mass. (151)
8:15 a.m. Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif. (144) vs. Sarah Burnham, Maple Grove, Minn. (154)
8:24 a.m. Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Texas (148) vs. Chakansim Khamborn, Thailand (151)
8:33 a.m. Yueer Feng, Orlando, Fla. (141) vs. Dana Gattone, Addison, Ill. (154)
8:42 a.m. Emily Campbell, Carrollton, Texas (149) vs. Amy Lee, Brea, Calif. (150)
8:51 a.m. Sarah Cho, San Diego, Calif. (145) vs. Christina Foster, Canada (153)
9 a.m. Angella Then, Upland, Calif. (146) vs. Hannah Green, Australia (152)
9:09 a.m. Kelsey Ulep, Rocklin, Calif. (142) vs. Pauline Del Rosario, Philippines (154)
9:18 a.m. Danielle Lee, La Mirada, Calif. (149) vs. Cheyenne Knight, Aledo, Texas (151)
9:27 a.m. Princess Superal, Philippines (145) vs. Youngin Chun, Austin, Texas (153)
9:36 a.m. Gabrielle Barker, Caldwell, Idaho (147) vs. Gabriella Then, Upland, Calif. (152)
Lower Bracket
9:54 a.m. Lilia Khatu Vu, Fountain Valley, Calif. (139) vs. Alexis Monet Flores, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (154)
10:03 a.m. Chandler Gallagher, Kansas City, Mo. (149) vs. Marijosse Navarro, San Antonio, Texas (150)
10:12 a.m. Taylor Tomlinson, Gainesville, Fla. (145) vs. Isabella DiLisio, Hatfield, Pa. (153)
10:21 a.m. Lakareber Abe, Angleton, Texas (146) vs. Lou Daniella Uy, Philippines (153)
10:30 a.m. Kathleen Scavo, Benicia, Calif. (142) vs. Lauren Gros, Windermere, Fla. (154)
10:39 a.m. Gigi Stoll, Beaverton, Ore. (148) vs. Elizabeth Wang, San Marino, Calif. (151)
10:48 a.m. Mai Dechathipat, Oakton, Va. (144) vs. Elsa Diaz, San Antonio, Texas (153)
10:57 a.m. Courtney Dow, Frisco, Texas (148) vs. Alexandra Farnsworth, Nashville, Tenn. (151)
11:06 a.m. Minjee Lee, Australia (140) vs. Kaitlyn Papp, Austin, Texas (154)
11:15 a.m. Jennifer Peng, San Diego, Calif. (149) vs. Anina Ku, Basking Ridge, N.J. (150)
11:24 a.m. Jennifer Kupcho, Westminster, Colo. (145) vs. Rinko Mitsunaga, Roswell, Ga. (153)
11:33 a.m. Lyberty Anderson, Chesterfield, Va. (146) vs. Casie Cathrea, Livermore, Calif. (153)
11:42 a.m. Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla. (142) vs. Laura Hoskin, New Zealand (154)
11:51 a.m. Hana Ku, Basking Ridge, N.J. (149) vs. Anneliese Newell, Tampa, Fla. (151)
12 p.m. Nicole Morales, South Salem, N.Y. (145) vs. Isabelle Kane, Winnetka, Ill. (153)
12:09 p.m. Bethany Wu, Diamond Bar, Calif. (148) vs. Kelly Whaley, Farmington, Conn. (152)