GLEN COVE, N.Y. -Four of the five Canadians who qualified for match play at the 2014 US Women’s Amateur at Nassau Country Club advanced to the round of 32 Wednesday.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. continues her dominant play, beating Mika Liu of Beverly Hills, Calif. 7 & 5 to advance. Henderson, who recently finished as low amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open, now faces Ember Schuldt, Sterling, Ill. in her upcoming match.
In an all Canadian match-up, newly crowned Canadian Women’s Amateur champion Augusta James of Bath, Ont. will face Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont. Thursday after defeating Sarah Burnham of Maple Grove, Minn.2-up. Tong made easy work of Ashley Burk of Boynton Beach, Fla. winning 5&4.
Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. overtook China’s Yunjie Zhang 2-up and now faces Plano, Texas’ Dylan Kim.
The lone Canadian to fall Wednesday was Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City. She lost 2& 1 to Portland Rosen of Sugar Land, Texas.
In other notable match-ups, Lakareber Abe beat qualifying medalist Bethany Wu 6 and 4 Wednesday. The 18-year-old Abe, an Alabama recruit from Angleton, Texas, is trying to become the first black female individual champion in U.S. Golf Association history.
“It was just smooth sailing,” said Abe, second last year in the U.S. Girls’ Junior. “I didn’t get too up or too down. Just kind of steady the whole time.”
The 17-year-old Wu, from Diamond Bar, California, became the first top seed to fall in the first round since co-medalist Jihee Kim in 2011.
“I wasn’t hitting it solid,” Wu said. “After I lost the third hole, it kind of got in my head. I tried to come back so quickly, and it just didn’t work out. Overall, just a terrible day.”
Defending champion Emma Talley, the 20-year-old University of Alabama player from Princeton, Kentucky, edged Jiyoon Jang of Rancho Mirage, California, in 19 holes. Talley set up a second-round match with Princess Mary Superal, the 17-year-old Filipino player who won the U.S. Girls’ Junior last month.
Superal beat Raegan Bremer of Anaheim, California, 3 and 1.
Brittany Marchand (USGA)