PUEBLO, Colo. -- Texas sophomore women's golfer Kelley Louth finished the delayed stroke play rounds of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (WAPL) in Pueblo, Colo. tied for 36th on Thursday to qualify for match play. The Walking Stick Golf Course (Par 72, 6,263 yards) is the 2006 host for the six-day championship.
Play was suspended on two separate occasions during the second round on Wednesday, June 21 because lightning was spotted on and around the course. The competition was delayed for just over two hours and the field was unable to finish before play was called.
In a USGA amateur championship, there are two days of stroke play qualifying to determine the 64 players who will make it to match play. The players are seeded according to how they played during stroke play. The winners of each match keep advancing until there is only one player left. With 64 players, this occurs after six matches.
There were originally 144 individuals competing from 40 sectional events at the WAPL. The event is open to female golfers who have been public-course players since Jan. 1 of the current championship year and whose USGA Handicap Index does not exceed 18.4. The WAPL is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Louth (Victoria, Texas), making her first career trip to the WAPL, started her second round at the WAPL from the No. 1 tee and tied for 20th after shooting one-over par (73), tying her season-low, to open the tournament on Tuesday. Louth finished the delayed second round at six-over par (78) after nines of 40 and 38. Louth finished with a two-day total of 151 (73-78, +7).
Mina Harigae, of Monterey, Calif., registered eight birdies during a two-under par round of 70 on Wednesday afternoon to share stroke-play medalist honors at seven-under 137 with Hannah Jun of San Diego.
Louth will begin match play by facing Veronique Droui of Athens, Ga., today at 12:18 p.m. (MDT) followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday (June 24) and the 36-hole final is held on Sunday (June 25).
|
|
 |
