13-Year-Old Is Co-Medalist in U.S. Women's Am; Ledwein Is T26

View full size image

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. -- Alice Ziyi Zhao, the 13-year-old from China who led the U.S. Women's Amateur on Monday after a first-round 67, followed it with a 4-under-par 69 on Tuesday, and her 36-hole total of 136 put her in a tie with two other players for medalist honors at Chambers Bay.

Latanna Stone, a senior at LSU, shot the best round of the stroke-play portion of the tournament, a bogey-free 65 on Tuesday, which gave her a 136, and Kentucky junior Laney Frey arrived at the same number with a pair of 68's.

They finished stroke play three shots clear of the threesome that tied for fourth -- Kelsey Bennett (69-70--139), Megha Ganne (71-68) and Amari Avery (72-67).

On Wednesday morning, the tournament will switch over to match play. But first, the field will have to be trimmed to the top 64 players. There was a tie for 61st place, at 150, and as a result, an 8-for-4 playoff began late Tuesday. Jien Li, Jennifer Rosenberg and Camryn Carreon all parred the first extra hole (No. 10, 383 yards, par 4), and they are in.

Julia Misemer, a University of Arizona recruit who qualified for Chambers Bay in the Twin Cities, at Victoria Links, shot 75 in each of the two medal-play rounds, and she was one of four players who bogeyed the first playoff hole. Those four played one more hole before darkness forced an end to play for the day. Misemer and two others, Victoria Zhang and Anika Dy, parred the second extra hole (No. 17, 165, par 3), and they will continue the playoff -- for the one remaining spot -- Wednesday morning.

Emma Abramson bogeyed the second playoff hole and was eliminated. 

Taylor Ledwein, who is still an amateur but might not be for long, shot even-par 73 for the second day in a row, and her 146 aggregate put her in a tie for 26th. The former two-time Minnesota state high school champion from New Prague -- and 2020 MGA co-Player of the Year, along with Kate Smith -- is scheduled to play Lauren Zaretsky (74-72--147) in the Round of 64.  

Starting the day on the 10th tee, Smith didn't exactly get off to a flying start Tuesday. She bogeyed the 372-yard, par-4 10th hole and the 424-yard, par-4 11th. But then she made 10 pars in a row. She snapped the string of pars with a birdie at the third (141 yards, par 3) and made another birdie at the fifth (418, par 4), which got her back to even par for the qualifying, and that's where she remained.

Ledwein will go from here to LPGA Q-School, although she can do that and remain an amateur if she doesn't make it through Q-School to the 2023 LPGA Tour, or to the Epson Tour, the LPGA's equivalent of the Korn Ferry Tour.

Two other U.S. Am competitors who qualified at Victory Links -- Julia Gregg and Vanessa Borovilos -- made it to match play at Chambers Bay, albeit barely. They both shot 149 and escaped the playoff by a single shot. Gregg will be a senior at Arkansas this fall. Borvilos is a former World Junior lchampion from Canada who won't graduate from high school until 2024.   

The medalist at Victory Links, Grace Curran, the former Minnesota Women's Match Play winner, was in a good position after a first-round 74, and she was 1 under after four holes on Tuesday. But two bogeys and a double in the next five holes sent her in the wrong direction. She ended up with an 81 and a 36-hole total of 155.  


U.S. Women's Amateur 

At Chambers Bay

Par 73, 6,561 yards

University Place, Wash. 

Stroke play (the top 64 advance to match play Wednesday morning)

T1. Alice Ziyi Zhao                          67-69--136 (-10)

T1. Laney Frye                                68-68--136

T1. Latanna Stone                           71-65--136

T4. Kelsey Bennett                           69-70--139

T4. Amari Avery                                72-67--139

T7. Maddison Hinson-Tolchard         69-71--140

T7. Taglao Jeeravivitaporn                70-70--140

T7. Catherine Rao                             73-67--140

T7. Casey Weidenfeld                       68-72--140

T26. Taylor Ledwein                        73-73--146

T53. Julia Gregg                              74-75--149

T53. Vanessa Borovilos                   74-75--149

T61. Julia Misemer                           75-75--150 (in 8-for-4 playoff)

Did not advance

Grace Curran                                     74-81--155