Smith in final eight at North And South

BY Liz White | US Womens Amateur Tour | 2008 North and South Women's Amateur | Matchplay Round Three | 18 Jul 2008

Kristie Smith continues to go from strength to strength at the American North and South Amateur, winning both her matches today in stunning form.

In the morning match, Smith had a convincing 4 & 3 win over California’s Jennifer Osborn and in the afternoon showed no mercy against Florida’s Courtney Harter, wiping her off the course 6 & 5.

But while Smith keeps on keeping on, Stacey Keating was knocked out in her third round match in agonising fashion while Stephanie Na was beaten in the second round.

Smith, from Western Australia, has been playing same amazing golf and in both matches today, shot one under par.

“In the morning match my opponent got off to a bad start, where she bogeyed and I parred to win the hole,” she said.

“Then I birdied the second hole and was two up straight away which was a nice start.”

Smith maintained the advantage throughout the game, never letting her opponent into the match.

“She let it slip on the back nine, I won holes 10 and 11 and pretty much closed it out on the 13th and 14th.”

Smith was then forced to wait over two hours to play her next match as her opponent, Courtney Harter, was still battling her first round match which went to 19 holes.

“It was pretty annoying having to wait so long, I had to go and warm up again, but when I went out to play, I just kept it solid,” she said.

“My opponent didn’t play that well, basically I made lots of birdies and she made lots of bogeys.”

While Smith’s game was on a roll today, Keating was left to wonder how much better she had to play to win.

Despite five birdies and an eagle, Keating lost in agonising fashion on the 20th to North Carolina’s Blain Lamb.

“I won my morning match 3 and 1 and played okay but in the afternoon it was a really great game where we just kept swapping the lead, shooting birdies to win holes,” she said.

Keating was two up with two to play but then Lamb birdied 17 and 18 to get it back to square.

The game remained square on the 19th with both girls parring and as the girls stood on the 20th green it was Keating who had the ascendancy.

A nice putt onto the green had Keating to within four feet, while Lamb’s nervous chip left her 20 feet from the pin.

“I was thinking ‘okay this is looking pretty good,’” Keating said.

But then the unthinkable happened.

Lamb, who earlier knocked out the number one seed and defending champ, Alison Walshe, sank her bomb and Keating missed her putt to lose the match.

“I am just really devastated.”

Keating said she will take a lot away from the loss and has learnt a valuable lesson.

“Don’t miss a four footer.”

While Keating is a shattered girl at the moment, so too is Adelaide’s Stephanie Na who had no answer against Virginia’s Cind LaCrosse, losing 5 & 4.

“I had a bad day, I think I got out of the wrong side of the bed,” she said.

“I got a couple of unlucky breaks and I wasn’t playing well. I am not blaming it on bad luck but it certainly added to my bad golf.

“I was a couple down early and I thought I could get it back but my opponent just played solid.”

19-year-old Smith is relishing her time at North Carolina’s Pinehurst No 2 and believes the course is well set up for her style of game.

“The fairways are so wide it is literally like a paddock,” she said.

“Even if you bomb it long and end up in the rough, it is usually a short iron into the green, so it’s pretty manageable.”

While her confidence is brimming, Smith will need to use all her skills tomorrow as she takes on a girl with plenty of sporting ability, Marika Lendl, daughter of tennis great, Ivan.

“I know both she and her sister are really good players, obviously with her Dad who he is, I think it will be a very good match.”

While it is disappointing that both Keating and Na are out, there is a bright side. Keating will now carry Smith’s bag for her match tomorrow. At Pinehurst, pull carts do not exist and caddies, at $100 a pop, are an expensive luxury for an amateur. As a result all three girls have been carrying their own bags this week.

“I had Steph on my bag this afternoon and tomorrow I think Stace is going to help me, which will be good,” Smith said.

Smith remains the highest seed in the tournament with both the number two seed, Jennie Arsenault and third seed, Ryann O’Toole losing in the third round.

Only quarter final matches will be played tomorrow, with the semi finals on Saturday and the 36 hole final on Sunday.