Aussies on song at North and South

BY Liz White | US Womens Amateur Tour | 2008 North and South Women's Amateur | Matchplay Round One | 17 Jul 2008

It’s an Aussie invasion at the American North and South tournament with Kristie Smith, Stephanie Na and Stacey Keating all making it through to the second round of the Match Play championship.

Smith’s game is in fine form, with the number four seed scoring a resounding 4 & 3 win over California’s Kim Joy at North Carolina’s Pinehurst No 2 course.

“I started with a birdie to go one up which was great,” she said.

“I actually went birdie, par, birdie, so I felt really good out there. I feel like I am striking it really well and this week I have had three consecutive rounds of one under.”

Smith said she was hitting her driver well early but it started to go right again late in the match.

“I think I just got a little bit tired, so it was back to the driving range to sort it out,” she said.

Smith also spent some time on the phone with her dad, former pro Wayne, to sort out the problem.

“He just gave me a few technical tips and also told me how to handle things late in the match,” she said.

“Basically what I need to do is take the time over my shots and give it 100 per cent each shot, you won’t make any mistakes if you do that.”

Also finding form at the right time is 19 year-old Stephanie Na who had a solid 3 & 2 win over 39th seed Whitney Neuhauser from Virginia.

“I feel a bit better about my game,” she said.

“Today I made two birdies but my main problem is that I am not hitting them very close which are making birdie chances hard to come by.

“I didn’t chip very well but I made some great putts to save par. I actually like the greens, I like the pace and today I didn’t leave as many in the heart of the hole as I did yesterday.”

Na rated her match with the Virginian a high standard.

“I finished the match par which was good to do,” she said.

“We squared one of our holes with birdies, we were both playing well, but I think when I made a couple of mistakes they didn’t cost me too much.”

Victoria’s Stacey Keating is also through to the round of 32 courtesy of a 2 & 1 win over California’s Sara Ovadia.

“I didn’t play that well actually, so I am pretty happy to be through to the next round,” she said.

“I didn’t hit it that well, I made a few good putts that I needed to because I haven’t been putting that well.

“I hooked my drive on the first which was very annoying but I had a couple of birdies in the middle of the match which got me to one up but then she got it back to square through a mistake from me.

“I just kept going and then made a birdie to go back to one up and then on the 17th I won with another birdie.”

Keating feels she needs to do a lot of improving if she wants to advance to the quarters and is frustrated that her flat stick keeps letting her down.

“I am still finding the greens quite slow, I keep expecting them to be so much faster than they are,” she said.

“I lost a bit of confidence and I was hitting it way off, so hopefully tomorrow I will hit it a lot better, because I need to.”

Keating takes on the 48th seed, Mary Chamberlain from Massachusetts tomorrow and if she advances she will play her quarter final later in the day.

Adelaide’s Na will meet the seventh seed, Florida’s Cindy LaCrosse who had tight win, one up, in her first round.

“Obviously I don’t know her at all but I will be just concentrating on my own game and hopefully have one more birdie than I did today.”

Kristie Smith will meet California’s 29th seed, Jennifer Osborne in tomorrow’s round of 32 match.

“I don’t know her but today I think she had a 6 & 5 win so she is obviously hitting it well,” she said.

“I think our match will be good but here at Pinehurst, if you just concentrate on hitting it to the centre of the green you are going to make some birdies so that is what I will need to keep focussing on if I want to be here at the end of the week.”

Of the top seeds, the first to falter was Jennie Lee, the seventh ranked amateur in the country. She lost to the 59th seed Virginia Grimes on the 18th, while the niece of Tiger Woods, Cheyenne, showed her pedigree with a convincing 4 & 3 win over South Carolina’s Dawn Woodward.

The North and South is one of America’s most prestigious amateur events. It will conclude with a 36 hole final on Sunday.