In one of the most anticipated matchups of the Round of 64, two past champions squared off Monday at Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Dunes Course, each hoping to add another chapter to her U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur legacy. When it was over, 2019 champion Ina Kim-Schadd, of Jupiter, Fla., had outlasted 2017 champion and two-time runner-up Kelsey Chugg, of Salt Lake City, Utah, for a 1-up victory.
“I knew it was going to be a good match, obviously, Kelsey is such a good player,” said Kim-Schaad, who works as a mental performance coach for Fearless Golf. “We were both joking before we were playing that it sucks to have to play your friend so early on, but at least we’re going to have a good time. And true to form, she rattled off four birdies on the front nine. I knew there was going to be no giving up. We were both going to keep grinding.”