Monday, August 8, 2022

13-Year-Old Zhao Fires 67 at Chambers Bay to Lead U.S. Women’s Amateur

A common adage is that the golf ball doesn’t know the age of the person hitting it. That certainly applies to the first round of the 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay, where Alice Ziyi Zhao, the second-youngest player in the field at 13 years/6 months, shot a 6-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead.

This is the first USGA championship for Zhao, who was born in Shenyang, China, and now lives in Irvine, Calif. She showed no sign of nerves, however. Starting on No. 10, Zhao carded six birdies over her first nine holes to make the turn in 30. She cooled off a bit after that with an even-par score on her inward nine but still topped a field of 156 that includes USGA champions, Curtis Cup Team members and players who have competed at the highest levels of the game.

“Coming into today I didn’t really have any expectations,” said Zhao. “The course is really beautiful, and I just tried to enjoy my round and not think about shooting low.”

One stroke behind Zhao at 5-under-par 68 is another Chinese-born Irvine resident, Angela (Yilin) Liu, along with Laney Frye of Nicholasville, Ky., and Casey Weidenfeld of Pembroke Pines, Fla. Three more players are tied for fifth place at 4-under 69: Kelsey Bennett and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, both of Australia, and Brooke Seay, of San Diego, Calif.

Chambers Bay, a municipal course built on the site of a former gravel quarry overlooking Puget Sound, is known for its sloping fairways and challenging green complexes. Many players are seeing it for the first time, and they emphasized the importance of hitting to the proper sides of greens and staying out of the tall, wispy fescue rough.

“Everything went pretty well, including my putting,” said Liu. “I was pretty concerned about the greens because they are very sloped, but it worked out because my approach shots were really good, so I didn’t have to worry too much.”

Frye, a University of Kentucky teammate of defending champion Jensen Castle, put in some extra work leading into the championship.

“It’s amazing. I came out here Thursday so I could walk it on Friday,” she said. “I played 18 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. I might be dragging later for it, but I love the course. I could play it a million times.”

Castle began her title defense with an even-par 73, good for a tie for 29th. Other notable players who scored par or better today include a number of players who were on the 2021 and/or 2022 USA Curtis Cup Teams: Rachel Kuehn (70), Megha Ganne (71), Latanna Stone (71), Amari Avery (72) and Rachel Heck (73). World No. 6 Tsubasa Kajitani of Japan shot a 1-under 72.

Seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port, who at 60 is the second-oldest player in the field, birdied her last two holes to shoot a 1-over 74, good for a tie for 45th place.

What’s Next

Round 2 will take place on Tuesday, with tee times again beginning at 7 a.m. and continuing through 2:12 p.m. Pacific Time. The low 64 scorers after 36 holes will advance to match play. If a playoff is necessary to determine the last match play spots, it is scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening.

Notable

The 6-under 67 turned in by leader Alice Ziyi Zhou on Monday is a women’s course record at Chambers Bay. 

Warren Schutte, who became the first international champion of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship when he won in 1992, is serving as caddie for his daughter Abbey this week. The 50-year-old South African now runs his own instructional academy at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Ariz.

Laney Frye, one of the longest hitters in the field, took advantage of her distance to make two of the seven eagles recorded on Monday on Holes 1 and 13, both par fives that she reached in two shots. 

Three players led the field by making eight birdies in Round 1 (Zhou, Rachel Kuehn, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard). 

In the previous three U.S. Women’s Amateurs combined, 48 players have shot under par in Round 1 of stroke play; 47 of them advanced to match play. That bodes well for the 28 players who finished under par on Monday. 

The 424-yard, par-4 7th played as the most difficult hole in Round 1. There were more double bogeys and others (12 combined) than birdies (7).

Quotable

“My four-ball partner and I, Jillian Bourdage, we’ve been the runners-up two years in a row, so having that experience in USGA championships really helps me in any long tournament.” – Casey Weidenfeld (68), on experience being an advantage

“The more experience, the better. These championships are built up pretty big with the welcome party and all that kind of stuff. This is what you want to win. So there’s extra motivation, extra nerves and extra preparation too.” – Laney Frye (68) on playing in her fourth USGA championship

“I know going into match play it is a whole different game. Even if you’re the 64 seed, you can still win. So I try not to think ahead too much.” – Alice Ziyi Zhao (67), on whether her score today changes her approach for tomorrow

“Even through the practice rounds I just really enjoyed the course and felt like it set up well for my game. I hit it well off the tee, which I think is key around here. I did slip up and make a double on #8 but I managed to get [the strokes] back.” – Kelsey Bennett (68), on her first-round performance

Results from Monday's first round of stroke play at the 2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, played at 6,541-yard, par-73 Chambers Bay

1  Alice Ziyi Zhao, People's Republic of China - 37-30--67

T2  Angela (Yilin) Liu, Irvine, Calif. - 34-34--68

T2  Laney Frye, Nicholasville, Ky. - 33-35--68

T2  Casey Weidenfeld, Pembroke Pines, Fla. - 34-34--68

T5  Kelsey Bennett, Australia - 36-33--69

T5  Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Australia - 34-35--69

T5  Brooke Seay, San Diego, Calif. - 34-35--69

T8  Taglao Jeeravivitaporn, Thailand - 35-35--70

T8  Rachel Kuehn, Asheville, N.C. - 37-33--70

T8  Lauren Gomez, Murrieta, Calif. - 35-35--70

T8  Cassie Kim, Yakima, Wash. - 33-37--70

T12  Han Hsuan Yu, Chinese Taipei - 36-35--71

T12  Kayla Smith, Burlington, N.C. - 37-34--71

T12  Lynn Lim, Gallatin, Tenn. - 36-35--71

T12  Megha Ganne, Holmdel, N.J. - 37-34--71

T12  Melanie Green, Medina, N.Y. - 38-33--71

T12  Latanna Stone, Riverview, Fla. - 38-33--71

T12  Brianna Navarrosa, San Diego, Calif. - 37-34--71

T12  Zoe Campos, Valencia, Calif. - 34-37--71

T12  Leigha Devine, Windsor, Colo. - 35-36--71

T21  Sera Hasegawa, Japan - 38-34--72

T21  Tsubasa Kajitani, Japan - 36-36--72

T21  Nicole Abelar, Philippines - 38-34--72

T21  Jennifer Rosenberg, Laurel Hollow, N.Y. - 36-36--72

T21  Mia Hammond, New Albany, Ohio - 35-37--72

T21  Amari Avery, Riverside, Calif. - 36-36--72

T21  Kaleiya Romero, San Jose, Calif. - 38-34--72

T21  Jennifer Cleary, Wilmington, Del. - 38-34--72

T29  Annabel Wilson, Republic of Ireland - 39-34--73

T29  Saki Baba, Japan - 39-34--73

T29  Katie Li, Basking Ridge, N.J. - 36-37--73

T29  Lilly Thomas, Bentonville, Ark. - 38-35--73

T29  Catherine Rao, Camarillo, Calif. - 36-37--73

T29  Jensen Castle, Columbia, S.C. - 37-36--73

T29  Sara Im, Duluth, Ga. - 36-37--73

T29  Gianna Clemente, Estero, Fla. - 36-37--73

T29  Zoe Slaughter, Houston, Texas - 38-35--73

T29  Leigh Chien, Irvine, Calif. - 36-37--73

T29  Thienna Huynh, Lilburn, Ga. - 39-34--73

T29  Rachel Heck, Memphis, Tenn. - 36-37--73

T29  Taylor Ledwein, New Prague, Minn. - 35-38--73

T29  Amanda Sambach, Pinehurst, N.C. - 38-35--73

T29  Emma Abramson, Sandwich, Mass. - 36-37--73

T29  Annabelle Pancake, Zionsville, Ind. - 38-35--73

T45  Vanessa Borovilos, Canada - 39-35--74

T45  Savannah Grewal, Canada - 37-37--74

T45  Coco Pei, Canada - 40-34--74

T45  Lauren Zaretsky, Canada - 38-36--74

T45  Victoria Zheng, Canada - 40-34--74

T45  Jasmine Youn, Guatemala - 39-35--74

T45  Nika Ito, Japan - 37-37--74

T45  Isabel Amezcua, Mexico - 38-36--74

T45  Julia Gregg, Farmers Branch, Texas - 37-37--74

T45  Grace Curran, New Lenox, Ill. - 39-35--74

T45  Ina Kim-Schaad, New York, N.Y. - 38-36--74

T45  Sarah Lydic, Ocean View, Del. - 38-36--74

T45  Jaclyn LaHa, Pleasanton, Calif. - 39-35--74

T45  Camryn Carreon, San Antonio, Texas - 36-38--74

T45  Sabrina Iqbal, San Jose, Calif. - 39-35--74

T45  Kate Barber, Savannah, Ga. - 38-36--74

T45  Ellen Port, St. Louis, Mo. - 38-36--74

T45  Ami Gianchandani, Watchung, N.J. - 39-35--74

T63  Euna Han, Canada - 38-37--75

T63  Hsin Tai Lin, Chinese Taipei - 38-37--75

T63  Britta Snyder, Ames, Iowa - 37-38--75

T63  Helen Yeung, Clarksville, Md. - 38-37--75

T63  Hannah Levi, D'Iberville, Miss. - 38-37--75

T63  Aneka Seumanutafa, Emmitsburg, Md. - 36-39--75

T63  Catherine Park, Irvine, Calif. - 39-36--75

T63  Kaitlyn Schroeder, Jacksonville, Fla. - 39-36--75

T63  Megan Schofill, Monticello, Fla. - 36-39--75

T63  Kynadie Adams, Nashville, Tenn. - 38-37--75

T63  Aliea Clark, New York, N.Y. - 37-38--75

T63  Julia Misemer, Overland Park, Kan. - 37-38--75

T63  Isabel Sy, San Gabriel, Calif. - 38-37--75

T63  Megan Yang, San Jose, Calif. - 37-38--75

T63  Anika Dy, Traverse City, Mich. - 38-37--75

T78  Justice Bosio, Australia - 38-38--76

T78  Angela Arora, Canada - 39-37--76

T78  Monet Chun, Canada - 40-36--76

T78  Jennifer Gu, Canada - 39-37--76

T78  Jieni Li, People's Republic of China - 38-38--76

T78  Bohyun Park, Republic of Korea - 38-38--76

T78  Fiona Xu, New Zealand - 40-36--76

T78  Tomi Arejola, Philippines - 41-35--76

T78  Morgan Miller, Austin, Texas - 41-35--76

T78  Sophia Burnett, Bluffton, S.C. - 40-36--76

T78  Megan Whittaker, Elkhorn, Neb. - 39-37--76

T78  Elina Kuang, Murrieta, Calif. - 40-36--76

T78  Izzy Pellot, Orlando, Fla. - 37-39--76

T78  Ellie Roth, Plano, Texas - 40-36--76

T78  Meagan Winans, Richardson, Texas - 37-39--76

T78  Anna Fang, San Diego, Calif. - 38-38--76

T78  Gracie McGovern, Scottsdale, Ariz. - 38-38--76

T78  Brooke Biermann, Wildwood, Mo. - 38-38--76

T96  Valentina Rossi, Argentina - 37-40--77

T96  Brooke Rivers, Canada - 40-37--77

T96  Yixian Guo, People's Republic of China - 40-37--77

T96  Rianne Mikhaela Malixi, Philippines - 37-40--77

T96  Ching-Tzu Chen, Chinese Taipei - 38-39--77

T96  Grace Lee, Bellevue, Wash. - 41-36--77

T96  Emilia Migliaccio, Cary, N.C. - 42-35--77

T96  Abbey Daniel, Covington, La. - 37-40--77

T96  Bailey Shoemaker, Dade City, Fla. - 37-40--77

T96  Carly Carter, Eagle, Idaho - 43-34--77

T96  Kelly Sim, Edgewater, N.J. - 38-39--77

T96  Charlotte Hillary, Englewood, Colo. - 38-39--77

T96  Emily Dunlap, Greenville, S.C. - 41-36--77

T96  Danielle Suh, Herndon, Va. - 39-38--77

T96  Ty Akabane, Honolulu, Hawaii - 38-39--77

T96  Alice Hodge, Larchmont, N.Y. - 41-36--77

T96  Lauren Lehigh, Loveland, Colo. - 39-38--77

T96  Tatum Walsh, Midlothian, Va. - 39-38--77

T96  Caroline Patterson, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. - 40-37--77

T96  Ashley Kim, Redondo Beach, Calif. - 40-37--77

T96  Molly Smith, Westford, Mass. - 36-41--77

T96  Faith Kilgore, Wimberley, Texas - 37-40--77

T96  Sarah Kahn, Windermere, Fla. - 38-39--77

T119  Sofia Benavides, Mexico - 41-37--78

T119  Amber Park, Allen, Texas - 42-36--78

T119  Allison Bray, Cape Girardeau, Mo. - 40-38--78

T119  Kendall Prince, Lake Oswego, Ore. - 37-41--78

T119  Martha Leach, Hebron, Ky. - 39-39--78

T119  Shannyn Vogler, Moline, Ill. - 41-37--78

T119  Alexandra Gazzoli, Palm Coast, Fla. - 39-39--78

T119  Adithi Anand, Redmond, Wash. - 39-39--78

T119  Leia Chung, Wahiawa, Hawaii - 41-37--78

T128  Tillie Claggett, Canada - 40-39--79

T128  Alessandra Nagayo, Canada - 37-42--79

T128  Audrey Tan, Malaysia - 42-37--79

T128  Andie Smith, Bluffton, S.C. - 39-40--79

T128  Sophie Linder, Carthage, Tenn. - 40-39--79

T128  Abbey Schutte, Goodyear, Ariz. - 44-35--79

T128  Mason Lewis, Granbury, Texas - 38-41--79

T128  Reagan Zibilski, Springfield, Mo. - 44-35--79

T128  Ryan Flynn, Truckee, Calif. - 42-37--79

T137  Brooklyn Millard, Aurora, Ohio - 40-40--80

T137  Blakesly Brock, Chattanooga, Tenn. - 41-39--80

T137  Claire Wright, Chowchilla, Calif. - 39-41--80

T137  Crystal Wang, Diamond Bar, Calif. - 42-38--80

T137  Yana Wilson, Henderson, Nev. - 41-39--80

T137  Avery Weed, Ocean Springs, Miss. - 41-39--80

T137  Kaitlyn Lee, Scarsdale, N.Y. - 43-37--80

T144  Tiffany Kong, Canada - 42-39--81

T144  Kate Nakaoka, Mililani, Hawaii - 41-40--81

T144  Lara Tennant, Portland, Ore. - 41-40--81

T147  Tunrada Piddon, Thailand - 40-42--82

T147  Ailis Tribolet, Chandler, Ariz. - 44-38--82

T147  Michelle Woo, Fremont, Calif. - 45-37--82

T147  Alison Takamiya, Honolulu, Hawaii - 39-43--82

T147  Faith Belmear, Owasso, Okla. - 44-38--82

T147  Cara Heisterkamp, Westlake, Ohio - 40-42--82

T153  Hunter Nugent, Canada - 45-38--83

T153  Emma Tang, Chino Hills, Calif. - 42-41--83

155  Alise Knudson, Dallas, Texas - 39-45--84

156  Adie Maki, Canton, Mich. - 43-46--89

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