Canada's Costabile Breaks Course Record in Owatonna to Qualify for U.S. Girls' Junior Amateur

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By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  OWATONNA, Minn. – Canadian Selena Costabile’s 5-under par 66 Thursday at Owatonna Country Club not only earned her medalist honors and a spot in the 2015 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship, but she shattered the course record in the process.

With a trifecta of golf dominance, Costabile qualified for her first USGA championship, which will be played July 20-25 at Tulsa Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., along with sisters Yu Chiang Hou and Yu Sang Hou, who both carded rounds of 2-over par 73 to qualify.

“Overall I played really good. I tried to focus on hitting fairways and greens and making some good putts. My putting was the best it’s been this year—the cup felt pretty big for me today,” Costabile said after her round Thursday.

Costabile, from suburban Toronto, Ontario, got off to a quick start with back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes and would cruise with six consecutive pars to finish the front nine at 2-under.

Converting her birdie chance at the 11th, Costabile moved to 3-under before dropping three straight birdie putts to jump to 6-under for the day. Her only mistake came at the par-4 17th hole as she carded a bogey, but finished the day seven shots better than the field at 66, crushing the previous course record by four strokes.

“I came Sunday evening and wanted to get a feel of the course and practice on the greens here,” she said. “I’ve been practicing a lot so I’m very excited for the [U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur], this is my first one.”

Yu Sang Hou, Taipei, Taiwan, started her round on the 10th hole Thursday and with a pair of bogeys at the 15th and 17th headed to the back nine at 2-over par.

She played a steady front with a birdie at the par-5 fourth hole before making her third bogey of the round at the seventh as she would finished the day at 2-over par 73 to earn a spot in the championship next month.

“I think my putting was not good today—I missed some putts but my driver was good,” Yu Sang Hou said Thursday.

Her sister, Yu Chiang Hou, also carded a 2-over par 73 Thursday as she made just one bogey over the front nine, adding a single bogey to her card over the final nine holes to shoot 73 and qualify for this year’s event.

“My putting was bad—I missed some short putts,” Yu Chaing Hou said after her round Thursday. “My driver was good and my second shots were good.”

Stephanie Herzog, Red Wing, Minn., and Maria Hoyos, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., finished as first and second alternates, respectively, after shooting 4-over par 75.