Julianne Alvarez, a rising junior on the University of Washington women’s golf team, shot a 4-under 68 to take the first round lead over a talent-rich field in the 24th Washington State Women’s Amateur, being held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash.
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Alvarez, a native of Wellington, New Zealand, had no bogeys in her round, and birdied 17 and 18 to leapfrog over Ashley Fitzgibbons of Sammamish, Wash. into the top spot. Fitzgibbons, who finished runner-up in the 2015 and 2016 high school state championship, just finished her freshman year playing golf for Georgetown University.
Just two shots back of Alvarez is Kelly Hooper of Spokane, Wash. Hooper won the 2015 Pacific Northwest Junior Girls’ Amateur, and is a sophomore at Montana State University.
Kendall Gray of Federal Way, Wash. and Sierra Kersten of Spokane both shot even-par on their round, four shots back of Alvarez. Gray, a junior at the University of Idaho, won the Pacific Northwest Junior Girls’ Amateur in 2013. And Kersten is a two-time WSGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year (2013, 2014).
Past champion Alivia Brown (2015) of Gig Harbor, Wash. is tied for sixth, while defending champion Marianne Li of Bellevue is currently tied for 10th.
Victoria Fallgren of Spokane holds a slim 1-stroke lead in the Women’s Mid-Amateur.
Lisa Smego of Oro Valley, Ariz. leads the Senior Women’s Amateur. She is looking to defend her title, and trying for her fifth victory in this championship.
Carol Dick of Lakewood, Wash. and Sun Douthit are tied in the Super Senior Women’s Amateur, both at 10-over par. Dick won the inaugural championship in 2014.
All four championships are being held concurrently and conducted by the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA). The Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur championships is being contested over 54 holes of stroke play on June 27-29, while the Senior and Super Senior championships consist of 36 holes of stroke play on June 27-28.
