Yoemans One of Three to Advance to U.S. Girls' Junior Amateur in California

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  MAPLE PLAINE, Minn. – In 2017 Sophia Yoemans had a memorable start to her summer golf season. In a span of three weeks she earned a share of medalist honors at the Class AAA state high school tournament before qualifying for her first two national championships—the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship.
 
Always looking for the possibility of improvement, Yoemans’ start to the 2018 is a virtual mirror image from a season ago, except she accomplished all three within a matter of eight days.
 
Shattering a state scoring record at the Class AA state golf tournament last week, Yoemans earned medalist honors at 15-under par 129 before claiming the Minnesota Girls’ Junior PGA Championship for the second consecutive season Tuesday. On Wednesday, Yoemans posted a round of 2-under par 70 at Pioneer Creek Golf Course to earn one of three spots available to the 70^th U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship July 16-21 at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif.
 
“I’m really excited because I think this year my game is a little more up to the task of a national tournament,” Yoemans said after qualifying Wednesday. “Last year I had a couple high rounds. My ball striking has been good going in and I’ve gained some yardage, so that will be helpful. Since I’ve already been there and had the experience, I think I will be able to go in and play my game.
 
“I wasn’t expecting [to qualify] but I’m coming off playing well at state and decent the past couple days at [Minnesota Girls’ PGA Championship], so my game is pretty solid right now and thought I could have a good shot if I played well again.”
 
With the tournament starting on the 10^th tee Wednesday, Yoemans dropped a shot on the opening hole with a three-putt bogey, but drew even at the 15^th by rolling in her 10-footer for birdie.
 
Turning at even par for the round, Yoemans managed a clean back nine and moved to 1-under when she nearly drove the green at the par-4 sixth hole to make an easy up-and-down and sank a 12-footer for birdie on the ensuing hole to get to 2-under. She would finish her day with a round of 70 and qualify for her fourth national championship over the past two seasons.
 
 
“It was definitely a grind out there—my putts were not dropping. I was off on my reads all day and they just weren’t breaking, but I had so many wedges 10 feet and in. I thought I hung in there pretty well—I could’ve easily gotten frustrated and had a couple more three-putts, but I kept hitting greens. There were a couple holes with front-tucked pins and I landed those all in the right spots.”
 
Yoemans will look for her third straight individual title when she wraps up her senior season at Red Wing next spring and has already verbally committed to play collegiate golf at the University of Missouri beginning in the fall of 2019.
 
Britta Snyder, a native of Ames, Iowa, overcame a rough start with a pair of bogeys to begin her day by sinking a pair of birdies on her front nine before carding three more over the final nine holes to shoot 3-under par 69 to earn medalist honors and qualify for her second U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in the past three seasons.
 
The 16-year-old, who has verbally committed to Baylor University, felt confident coming into the week and felt the course was suited to her game.
 
“The course sets up well for my eye and I like the greens, there a lot like my home course. I had some expectations to come in and play well and qualify. It’s really exciting because two of my future teammates qualified last week, so I’m super excited to play with them.”
 
Stumbling out of the gate with a pair of early bogeys, Snyder found her stride by sinking her birdie look from 15 feet at the 15^th hole and added a second birdie at the 16^th to draw even for the round.
 
Missing the green left with her second shot at the par-5 first hole, Snyder made a routine up-and-down for birdie to dip into red figures for the first time. She chipped to a foot for a tap-in birdie at the sixth hole to move to 2-under and finished her day at 3-under par 69 after rolling in a 7-footer at the seventh.
 
“It was a very slow start with bogeys on my first two holes, but I was able to bounce back with five birdies—my short game was really there for me today,” Snyder said after qualifying Wednesday. “There are birdies out here, but it’s making sure that the putts are falling and trying too hard. It’s hard not pressing when it’s only 18 holes.
 
“I was happy with my putting—I made some clutch putts and was able to bounce back after my first two holes. My chipping was right there and had some pitches on par-5’s that were close and I was able to make some good up-and-downs.”
 
Perhaps the most accomplished national player in the field Wednesday was 13-year-old Alexa Pano, of Lake Worth, Fla., who entered the week ranked No. 241 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and No. 24 in the American Junior Golf Association Rankings.
 
Pano, who has over 30 wins nationwide, bogeyed the par-4 11^th, but answered by rolling in a birdie from 15 feet at the 15^th hole to turn at even par.
 
After sinking a short birdie at the first, Pano hit a 6-iron to 20 feet at the par-3 third, converting her birdie chance to move to 2-under. Finding the front of the green with her second shot at the fourth, Pano found a stroke of luck when her birdie chance from 40 feet hit the cup and dropped to move her to 3-under for the round. A bogey at the par-3 eighth would put Pano in the clubhouse in a tie for second with a round of 70 to earn the final qualifying spot.
 
“I thought I was swinging really well and my driving felt really good today, I think I missed one fairway today, but I was hitting it really solid so that saved me a bit,” Pano said following her round Wednesday. “My putting was a struggle throughout the whole day—I missed about six putts inside of six feet. I did make two birdie putts that were outside of 30 feet, but that was it for the day.”
 
No stranger to tournaments on a big stage, Pano’s confidence only seems to grow with each prestigious tournament she qualifies for. She made a deep run at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur last year and appeared at U.S. Women’s Am two years in 2016 and 2017, becoming just the third 12-year-old to advance to match play. She finished as an alternate for the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open.
 
“I thought I had a good shot at winning the [U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur] last year but lost in the Round of 16 to a really good player.”
 
Last September Pano missed advancing to the finals of the 2018 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship by one shot during Regional Qualifying at Interlachen Country Club.
 
Leah Herzog, Red Wing, Minn., and Alexis Sudjianto, Charlotte, N.C., finished as first and second alternates, respectively.
 
A record 1,609 entries attempted to qualify for the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur, with 156 players advancing to the national championship next month. Built in 1986, the Robert Trent Jones Jr. design is hosting its first USGA event. Previously the club was a co-host the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pro-Am (1991-2009) and hosted the PGA Tour Champions Nature Valley First Tee Open for three years.