Olympia Fields, Ill – Stroke-play medalist Ariya Jutanugarn and Mariah Stackhouse, who played in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, advanced through Thursday morning’s second round of match play, conducted on the 6,403-yard, par-72 South Course at Olympia Fields Country Club.
The heat and humidity continue to be major stories, though a steady wind has helped alleviate the oppressive conditions.
Jutanugarn, 15, seemingly played with ease again, following Wednesday’s 6-and-4 victory with a steady 4-and-3 win over Sarah Schmelzel. Jutanugarn took an early 1-up lead when Schmelzel bogeyed the par-4 second hole and cruised from there to a four-hole victory.
However, after Wednesday’s six-birdie performance, Jutanugarn certainly found some flaws in her game.
I have to (practice) putting because today I putted so bad, and I have to shape my swing because today my approach shots and my drivers were not so good, said Jutanugarn, the winner of the 2011 Rolex Girls Junior Championship.
She will face Canadian Jisoo Keel in Thursday afternoon’s round of 16. Keel, 15, who needed 19 holes to advance through the first round, eliminated last year’s runner-up Katelyn Dambaugh, 16, of Goose Creek, S.C., 3 and 1.
Keel opened with a birdie on the par-4 first hole and led for much of the early portions of the match. Dambaugh fought back to all square at the midway point, and even took a brief 1-up lead after birdieing the par-4 11th.
I just kept my momentum going strong, kept my confidence up, didn’t go too hard on myself like yesterday, said Keel, who credited her caddie, Tim Michaels from Olympia Fields, with helping her keep her cool through that rough patch.
Dambaugh’s bogey on the par-5 13th gave the lead back to Keel, a lead that she never relinquished.
We fought hard, said Keel, who lost in the first round last year to eventual champion Doris Chen. It was like even, all square, 1 down, 1 up. We fought hard. She’s a good player.
Mariah Stackhouse, 17, of Riverdale, Ga., started off on the wrong foot, bogeying the first hole to quickly go 1 down to New York’s Annie Park. While she was able to turn things around and build a four-hole lead, Stackhouse’s game faltered at the turn, and Park was able chip away to only a one-hole deficit going to 12.
I told my caddie, ‘We’ve got to kill that momentum,’ said Stackhouse, who competed at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open. I pretty much stayed calm and didn’t get too anxious.
Her tactics worked, as Stackhouse took back the momentum from Park and regained her four-hole lead to take a 4-and-3 victory.
Stackhouse’s fellow Women’s Open competitor Gabriella Then also advanced to Thursday afternoon’s action. The 15-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., defeated Maria Fernanda Torres of Puerto Rico, 3 and 2.
I did hit a few bad shots, but then I recovered from them and I still made pars, said Then, who has yet to trail in any match. I didn’t lose a shot.
Karen Chung, the runner-up in 2008, never trailed en route to a 5-and-3 victory over Paige Lee. The 16-year-old from Livingston, N.J., will face Ashlan Ramsey, 15, of Milledgeville, Ga., who eliminated Cathrea, 2 and 1.
Anne Cheng, 16, of Torrance, Calif., survived a marathon 21-hole match with Megan Khang. Cheng, who admitted to feeling a bit tired after playing the extra three holes, lost a dormie-2 lead, but ultimately took the win when Khang bogeyed the 21st hole.
Casie Cathrea and Eimi Koga, who finished second and third, respectively, in stroke-play qualifying, were both eliminated from the championship, as was 2011 Women’s Open competitor Emma Talley.
The 2011 U.S. Girls’ Junior will continue with the second and third rounds on Thursday. The quarterfinal and semifinal matches are on Friday, and the 36-hole championship final will be played Saturday.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior 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.
Olympia Fields, Ill. – Results from Thursday’s
second round of match play at the 2011 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, being
conducted at the 6,403-yard, par-72 South Course at Olympia Fields Country Club
(All times CDT):
Upper Bracket
Ariya Jutanugarn, Thailand (140) def. Sarah Schmelzel, Phoenix, Ariz. (150), 4
and 3
Jisoo Keel, Canada (148) def. Katelyn Dambaugh, Goose Creek, S.C. (152), 3 and
1
Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (147) def. Maria
Fernanda Torres, Puerto Rico (151), 3 and 2
Caroline Araskog, Locust Valley, N.Y. (151) def. Janie Jackson, Huntsville,
Ala. (153), 19 holes
Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif. (151) def. Bryana Nguyen, Columbia, Md. (153), 1
up
Amy Lee, Brea, Calif. (149) def. Isabel Southard, Sharon, Mass. (153), 4 and 3
Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale, Ga. (146) def. Annie Park, Levittown, N.Y. (151),
4 and 3
Talia Campbell, Dallas, Texas (153) def. Lilia Khatu Vu, Fountain Valley,
Calif. (152), 1 up
Lower Bracket
Ashlan Ramsey, Milledgeville, Ga. (150) def. Casie Cathrea, Livermore, Calif.
(144), 2 and 1
Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J. (148) def. Paige Lee, Folsom, Calif. (148), 5 and
3
Yu Liu, People's Republic of China (147) def. Kristine Odaiyar, Ocala, Fla.
(151), 5 and 3
Anne Cheng, Torrance, Calif. (152) def. Megan Khang, Rockland, Mass. (147), 21
holes
Aurora Kan, Boothwyn, Pa. (151) def. Eimi Koga, Honolulu, Hawaii (145), 2 and 1
Summar Roachell, Conway, Ark. (148) def. Manuela Carbajo Re, Argentina (148), 6
and 5
Dottie Ardina, Philippines (151) def. Emma Talley, Princeton, Ky. (146), 2 up
Yueer Cindy Feng, Orlando, Fla. (153) def. Hee Wook Choi, Korea (152), 6 and
5
Pairings
Olympia Fields, Ill. – Pairings for Thursday’s third round of match play at the 2011 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, being conducted at the 6,403-yard, par-72 South Course at Olympia Fields Country Club (All times CDT):
Upper Bracket
12:45 p.m.: Ariya Jutanugarn, Thailand (140) v. Jisoo Keel, Canada
(148)
12:55 p.m.: Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (147) v.
Caroline Araskog, Locust Valley, N.Y. (151)
1:05 p.m.: Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif. (151) v. Amy Lee, Brea, Calif. (149)
1:15 p.m.: Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale, Ga. (146) v. Talia Campbell, Dallas,
Texas (153)
Lower Bracket
1:25 p.m.: Ashlan Ramsey, Milledgeville, Ga. (150) v. Karen Chung, Livingston,
N.J. (148)
2:05 p.m.: Yu Liu, People's Republic of China (147) v. Anne Cheng, Torrance,
Calif. (152)
1:45 p.m.: Aurora Kan, Boothwyn, Pa. (151) v. Summar Roachell, Conway, Ark.
(148
1:55 p.m.: Dottie Ardina, Philippines (151) v. Yueer Cindy Feng, Orlando, Fla.
(153)