DUPONT, Wash. – There’s a feeling of déjà vu at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.
Thursday afternoon’s round of 16 at The Home Course will feature a rematch of the 2013 WAPL final.
Lauren Diaz-Yi, 19, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., never trailed en route to a 1-up victory over Harley Dubsky, 18, of Valparaiso, Ind. Doris Chen, 19, of Bradenton, Fla., who fell to Diaz-Yi in the 2013 final, birdied the par-5 16th to eliminate Rose Huang, 16, of Honolulu, 3 and 2.
Diaz-Yi won the 2013 championship with a commanding 10-and-9 victory over Chen at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Okla. Later that summer, Chen avenged the loss with a 4-and-3 quarterfinal victory over Diaz-Yi at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, conducted at the Country Club of Charleston (S.C.).
Medalist Eun Jeong Seong, 14, of the Republic of Korea, notched another victory on Thursday morning, eliminating Grace Na, 21, of Alameda, Calif. Like she did in her first-round match, Seong trailed early, falling 1 down with a double bogey at the par-4 fourth. But Seong quickly regained her composure, squaring the match with a birdie at the par-5 fifth. Another birdie at the par-5 10th gave Seong the lead, and she ultimately cruised to a 4-and-3 victory.
Seong will next face Eimi Koga, 18, of Honolulu. The rising sophomore at the University of Washington notched a 1-up victory over Monica Vaughn, 19, of Reedsport, Ore.
Local favorite Katie Lee’s Cinderella story ended on Thursday, when she fell, 3 and 1, to Stani Schiavone, 22, of Bangor, Pa. Lee, 17, of Silverdale, Wash., upset 2014 USA Curtis Cup Team member Annie Park in Wednesday’s first round.
In a battle of past USGA teammates, Cindy Ha, 17, of Demarest, N.J., defeated Alice Chen, 18, of Princeton, N.J., 2 and 1. Chen and Ha were members of New Jersey’s winning team at the 2013 USGA Women’s State Team Championship. Ha’s next opponent will be 20-year-old Jennifer Yang, of the Republic of Korea, who advanced with a 3-and-2 win over Kaci Masuda, 18, of Honolulu.
Robynn Ree, 17, of Redondo Beach, Calif., survived the longest match thus far in the championship. She needed 21 holes to advance over Angel Yin, 15, of Arcadia, Calif. Ree holed a 3-foot putt at the 340-yard, par-4 third after Yin, whose drive ended up on the fringe of the green, three-putted from 70 feet.
Christina Lance is the assistant manager of championship communications for the USGA. Email her at clance@usga.org.
Results
DUPONT, Wash. – Results from Thursday morning’s second round of match play at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, being conducted at The Home Course (6,169 yards, par 72):
Upper Bracket
Eun Jeong Seong, Republic of Korea (134) def. Grace Na, Alameda, Calif. (145), 4 and 3
Eimi Koga, Honolulu, Hawaii (141) def. Monica Vaughn, Reedsport, Ore. (142), 1 up
Doris Chen, Bradenton, Fla. (145) def. Rose Huang, Honolulu, Hawaii (147), 3 and 2
Lauren Diaz-Yi, Thousand Oaks, Calif. (143) def. Harley Dubsky, Valparaiso, Ind. (147), 1 up
Alana Uriell, Carlsbad, Calif. (138) def. Leilanie Kim, Canada (145), 1 up
Robynn Ree, Redondo Beach, Calif. (142) def. Angel Yin, Arcadia, Calif. (141), 21 holes
Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (138) def. Raychelle Santos, La Quinta, Calif. (144), 2 up
Stani Schiavone, Bangor, Pa. (146) def. Katie Lee, Silverdale, Wash. (147), 3 and 1
Lower Bracket
Soobin Kim, Republic of Korea (138) def. Dana Finkelstein, Chandler, Ariz. (145), 2 and 1
Sirene Blair, South Jordan, Utah (142) def. Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Texas (141), 3 and 1
Cindy Ha, Demarest, N.J. (139) def. Alice Chen, Princeton, N.J. (145), 2 and 1
Jennifer Yang, Republic of Korea (142) def. Kaci Masuda, Honolulu, Hawaii (140), 3 and 2
Dominique Galloway, Rio Rancho, N.M. (138) def. Sarah Cho, San Diego, Calif. (145), 3 and 2
Ji Eun Baik, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (146) def. Katharine Patrick, West University Place, Texas (141), 2 and 1
Fumie (Alice) Jo, People's Republic of China (144) def. Caroline Inglis, Eugene, Ore. (138), 4 and 2
Cassy Isagawa, Wailuku, Hawaii (142) def. T.J. Kliebphipat, Panorama City, Calif. (141), 20 holes
Pairings
DUPONT, Wash. – Pairings for Thursday afternoon’s third round of match play at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, being conducted at The Home Course (All times PDT):
Upper Bracket
1 p.m. – Eun Jeong Seong, Republic of Korea (134) vs. Eimi Koga, Honolulu, Hawaii (141)
1:10 p.m. – Doris Chen, Bradenton, Fla. (145) vs. Lauren Diaz-Yi, Thousand Oaks, Calif. (143)
1:40 p.m. – Alana Uriell, Carlsbad, Calif. (138) vs. Robynn Ree, Redondo Beach, Calif. (142)
1:30 p.m. – Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (138) vs. Stani Schiavone, Bangor, Pa. (146)
Lower Bracket
1:50 p.m. – Soobin Kim, Republic of Korea (138) vs. Sirene Blair, South Jordan, Utah (142)
2 p.m. – Cindy Ha, Demarest, N.J. (139) vs. Jennifer Yang, Republic of Korea (142)
2:10 p.m. – Dominique Galloway, Rio Rancho, N.M. (138) vs. Ji Eun Baik, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (146)
3 p.m. – Fumie (Alice) Jo, People's Republic of China (144) vs. Cassy Isagawa, Wailuku, Hawaii (142) winner