And so match play begins.
After two days of stroke-play qualifying in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, being held this week at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., the cut has been made, some dreams have been cut short, some dreams have come true, some go home, some march on.
There are 32 sides (or teams) that have been seeded into the match-play bracket, with the Round of 32 being held Monday.
Eight sides (or teams) from the Pacific Northwest started in the field, and four have advanced into match play.
Click here to see the leaderboard and to follow along with live scoring.
Click here for photos and complete information about this national championship.
A playoff finished early Monday morning for the final spots into the match-play bracket. Visit the live scoring link to see who makes it in, what the seeding is, and which teams will be squaring off in the Round of 32.
Who’s in:
Angela Zhang of Bellevue, Wash. & Alice Zhao of Irvine, Calif.
In combining to shoot 11-under in stroke-play qualifying over the past two days, Zhang and Zhao earned one of seven co-medalist honors in the field. (Yes, there are seven co-medalists in this championship – the most ever in the 128-year history of the USGA.)
They will face Malak Bouraeda and Morgan Miller in the Round of 32.
These two have a thing for The Home Course. Back on Sept 28, 2022, the duo combined for a 7-under 65 to earn medalist honors at a qualifier for this championship that was held on the course. Then last month, Zhang set the women’s course record at The Home Course, firing a 7-under 65 in the first round of the Washington Women’s Champion of Champions, on her way to winning that championship by 11 strokes.
Last summer, Zhang became the youngest player, at age 13, to win the Washington Women’s Amateur. She also won the 2022 WJGA State Championship, and was named the WJGA Player of the Year, earning more points than any player in WJGA history. She was also named the 2022 WA Golf Junior Girls’ Player of the Year. Earlier this week, Zhang won the second hole of a playoff to qualify for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open. Zhang and Zhao, at 14, are among this national championship’s youngest competitors, with Zhang just turning 14 on May 5.
Kyra Ly of Portland, Ore. & Emily Song of Portland, Ore.
Ly, a freshman on the Oregon State University women’s golf team, won the individual title last year in the Oregon High School championship, shooting a championship record 14-under over two days. While in high school Ly was named Oregon Junior Golfer of the Year three times. Song is a freshman at Weber State University. She was named to Team Oregon in the Girls’ Junior America’s Cup and qualified for the 2021 Junior World Championship. Ly and Song competed in last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, missing the cut, and Ly competed in last year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior.
They will face Lindsay McGrath and Alissa Xu in the Round of 32.
Anna Davis of Spring Valley, Calif., & Kiara Romero of San Jose, Calif.
Davis and Romero also finished at 11-under, and also earned co-medalist honors. Davis, a left-hander, came out of nowhere to win the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which granted her invitations to play in three women’s professional majors, including the U.S. Women’s Open, and four other LPGA Tour events. Davis spends her summers in Chewelah, Wash. and has won several Washington Junior Golf Association titles, including the state championship in 2020. In 2021, she captured the Girls Junior PGA Championship. Romero, who is headed to the University of Oregon this fall, defeated medalist Saki Baba in the Round of 32 of the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior. Baba would win the U.S. Women’s Amateur a few weeks later at Chambers Bay.
They will face Hadley Ashton and Brynn Kort in the Round of 32.
Anna Huang of Vancouver, B.C. & Leigh Chien of Irvine, Calif.
At age 14, Huang is one of the youngest competitors in this year’s field. Her notable results include a T4 finish at the Canadian Junior, a T22 finish at the Canadian Women’s Amateur, a victory at the Toyota Tour Cup and a T3 finish a the NextGen Selection Camp. She was selected to play on Team Canada in the 2022 World Junior Girls’ Championship.
They will face Frances Kim and Nikki Oh in the Round of 32.
This is the fourth USGA national championship conducted at The Home Course, which is cooperatively owned and operated by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association and Washington Golf. Set up at 6,487 yards, The Home Course will be played as the longest course in the history of this national championship.
Admission to the championship is free and spectators are encouraged. Come on out and watch some great golf.
