Tuesday is a busy day at The Kahkwa Club, with 32 players starting the day with the hope of earning a spot in Wednesday morning's quarterfinals. In order to do that, they'll have to survive two rounds of match play. Here is what some of the winners said following their Round-of-32 victories, as they prepare for the afternoon's Round-of-16 action.
Amanda Jacobs- Defeated Eleana Collins, 3 and 2; will face Dawn Woodard in the Round of 16
"You play all summer and you get out here and it finally fits together. It’s nice to see repetitive, consistent shots."
"I came up short on a lot of approach shots to the greens, and it’s the fourth day of the championship, so you know the pins are getting tougher. When that happens and you’re short, you’re going to have some wonky putts. I executed on really severe, uphill putts well."
Whitney Britton- Defeated Susan Wooster, 5 and 4; will face Julia Potter in the Round of 16
"It’s all about making pars out here. Whoever can stay consistent is going to win. Once I found my swing again, it was a lot better. I had a lot of pars in a row, which helped. I was a little inconsistent in the beginning, but I found my groove."
"It’s my second year being able to play in this. It’s fun. I love this tournament because I feel like it’s something I can compete in now that I work full time. There’s a lot of good golfers out here."
Kayla Eckelkamp- Defeated Kim Benedict, 3 and 2; will face Shannon Johnson in the Round of 16
"Survival is the key word. Anybody can win at this stage of the game. Everybody’s got the skills to do it. I think a key hole was hole 14 – I made a birdie to go 2 up. She made a great chip for birdie on 15 and then 16, neither one of us played the last hole too well, but sometimes that’s how it happens. You’ve just got to work through it. I got the match, so get some lunch, get some rest and be ready for later.
"You have to know when to put the gas down and then also have a break. You don’t have to go at every single pin and be in impossible spots, but you don’t want to be too safe and then leave the door open. Staying focused is the biggest thing."
Shannon Johnson- Defeated Katrin Wolfe, 5 and 4; will face Kayla Eckelcamp in the Round of 16
"[On the clinching hole, No. 14] I hit my drive into the rough and had to lay up. I had 90 yards to the green. I hit a good shot, and it rolled back to 8 or 9 feet, straight up the hill, and drained it. She had a putt for birdie as well and missed it."
"There’s bogeys out there, so pars are going to win a lot of holes out here. Just get on the green in the right spots and hopefully make the putt. But if not, two putts are just fine."
Julia Potter- Defeated Audrey Akins in 19 holes; will face Whitney Britton in the Round of 16
“I got through [on Monday] but it wasn’t pretty by any means, so you go back out and hit those shots and hit those putts and try to figure it out. I definitely played better than yesterday; I’m still not where I want to be. That’s the beauty of match play, you don’t have to be great, you just have to be good enough. I feel like in every match I’m getting a little bit better and getting more used to the course.”
