With an American flag displayed on her shirt and American flags prevalent in her cheering section, Sierra Brooks’ quarterfinal win over Bronte Law felt like a scene that could play out again next summer.
Brooks, 17, of Sorrento, Fla., defeated Law, 20, of England, 5 and 3, in Friday’s quarterfinals of the 115th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Portland Golf Club. Law, No. 2 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking™, is a two-time competitor in the Curtis Cup Match for the Great Britain & Ireland Team who hopes to play for a third time. Brooks, No. 5 in the WAGR, is aiming to make her Curtis Cup debut next summer for the USA.
“That's on the top of my list. One of my biggest goals is to play in that,” said Brooks. “I knew going into this week that I had a feeling, maybe – just depending on how I could play here – I have a chance at playing on that team. It's definitely a goal, and I would be so honored to be a part of that team. But there are a lot of great players in the U.S., so we'll see.”
Brooks also wore an American flag on her shirt on Thursday, which drew the attention of some spectators and the course staff.
“They really loved how I was supporting the red, white and blue, so they told me that they wanted to root for me, and they're going to be out there today and tomorrow and try to cheer me on because they have an American flag on their cart, too,” she said. “So, they told me they'll be out there and be my little cheering crowd.”
Having advanced through a match with potential Curtis Cup implications, Brooks’ semifinal match on Saturday will have a lot of history attached. Brooks will face Bethany Wu, one of her best friends.
Brooks and Wu are two of the more outgoing players around, but will the friendship hit the pause button for a few hours on Saturday?
“Probably not,” said Brooks. “But I'm sure parts of the match will get intense and we'll get our game faces on for the most part, but there will definitely be some laughing and having fun out there for sure.”
Wu agreed that it will be friendly. But the best buds have faced off in the semis of a prestigious golf tournament before, with Brooks ousting Wu in the 2014 Polo Junior Classic.
“I just want to see if I can get my revenge on her,” said Wu. “I mean, we're best friends, so it'll be a friendly match.”
Brooks and Wu are staying a few extra days in Portland following the Women’s Amateur to visit Mt. Hood, among other sites. So no matter what happens on Saturday, the friendship only figures to grow stronger.
“Bethany is one of the funniest girls I know,” said Brooks. “She'll say it how it is. There's no messing around with Bethany. You get the honest opinion every single time, and she's just a goofball. We always have so much fun together. She stayed at my house after the SALLY (South Atlantic Women’s Amateur), and we had sleepovers and went to Universal Studios, and we try to play together in every single practice round. I always have fun when I'm with her, and I always enjoy that time I get to spend with her.”
Joey Flyntz is an associate writer for the USGA. Email him at jflyntz@usga.org.
