Na moves into second round at US Amateur
IN: News | US Womens Amateur | US Women's Amateur (2008) | Matchplay Round One | by Liz White | 07 Aug 2008
South Australian Stephanie Na has moved into the second round of the US Amateur championships with a comfortable 3 & 1 win over Texan Kelly Louth.
The US Amateur co-medallist’s day started perfectly with a birdie at the par four first hole and after parring the third, she was in the box seat with a 2 up advantage.
“I started really well which was good for me but I know in match play it is never over until it is over,” she said.
“It’s not hard for someone to go on a birdie blitz and then all of a sudden it’s a new game.”
While Na shot one over for the front nine at the Eugene Country Club in Oregon, her game dropped off in the middle of the match.
“I started to pull my drives and when you end up in the rough here it makes it very difficult,” she said.
“Some of the times I just had to hit back out on to the fairway and try and make up and down. I think maybe I was just a bit too quick with my tempo. It took me a few holes to get back to hitting it back down the middle.”
Despite the battles with her driver, Na was never headed in the match. A birdie by Louth on the par five 8th got the match back to 3 down for the Texan, but Na held it together well.
Another birdie by Louth on the tenth had the match back to 2 up Na with 8 to play but the 19-year-old pushed the match back out to 3 up after parring the 12th.
Louth still kept trying and birdied her third par five of the day to give Na something to think about. But critical errors by Louth gave some breathing space to Na who won the 14th with a bogey. An errant drive by Na gave Louth the 15th but she was unable to keep up the chase bogeying the 17th to lose 3 & 1.
Today’s match was always going to be a difficult task for the Texan who was earlier involved in a gruelling 10-way playoff for the final six positions in the match play.
After finishing yesterday on 8 over, Louth and nine others headed back out on the course at 8pm to determine the lucky six qualifiers.
After a knockout, five positions had been decided but Louth and three other girls were forced to return to Eugene at 7:30am today to battle it out for the 64th spot.
It was Louth who put the issue beyond doubt with a birdie on the par three 12th.
Three hours later she was back out on course facing a mentally fresh Na.
“She would have been out here at about 6am today so it was a long day for her,” Na said.
“But it was a good match, she got one hole back with a birdie and then another hole she won was because I three putted. I played okay but need to hit my drives a bit better.”
After her round today, Na was out practicing and knows a win will come down to the flat stick.
“My putting wasn’t great I didn’t really hole anything,” she said.
“I need to hole some more to do well.”
The co-medallist at this week’s Amateur, Amanda Blumenhurst was made to work a bit harder for her win today.
After just four holes, the 22-year-old was three down against the unfancied Californian Lizette Salas. It may have been that Salas was simply throwing caution to the wind after winning her way into the match play through last night’s 10-way play off .
It was a battle back from the brink for Blumenhurst who retrieved the match to square with a par on the par three 12th.
Once the momentum swung back, Blumenhurst never let it go eventually winning 2 & 1 with a birdie on the 17th.
The other top seeds also won through, with number three Canada’s Kira Meixner defeating Nevada’s Jennie Lee 3 & 2 and fourth seed Whitney Neuhauser also winning 3 & 2 over California’s Kristen Park. The only upsets was the loss of the 9th and 10th seeds, Canada’s Sara-Maude Juneau beaten 2 & 1 by California’s Tracy Nichols and Pearl Jin proving too good for Argentina’s Victoria Tanco winning 6 & 4.
Tomorrow has the potential to be a long day for Na.
First up she faces 32nd seed, Californian Sydney Burlison at 7:30am. Should Na win she will be back out on the course at 1pm to fight for spot in the quarter final.
“I didn’t hit as well as I would have liked today but I won and that is all that matters in match play.”
