Ordal and Vincelli Headed to Puerto Rico, Qualify for U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – Typically competitors within the South Suburban Conference during the high school golf season, Jovie Ordal and Lily Vincelli decided to join forces Monday at Golden Valley Country Club.
 
As a result, Ordal and Vincelli earned a trip to Puerto Rico next spring as the two combined to shoot a 6-over 79, earning medalist honors and a spot in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur-Four-Ball Championship.
 
“We were just trying to go out and have fun today,” Vincelli said after qualifying Monday. “It was something that we wanted to try for the experience. I don’t think we had expectations because it’s our offseason right now.”
 
“Our main goal was to have fun—and it definitely was,” Ordal smiled.
 
Ordal, a sophomore at Lakeville South High School, and Vincelli, a sophomore at Rosemount High School, earned Monday’s lone qualifying spot to the 2022 national championship, set to be played April 30-May 4 at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
 
Steady to begin their round Monday, Ordal and Vincelli carded consecutive pars before Vincelli drilled her birdie putt from 50 feet at the par-3 fifth hole to move her team into red figures for the round.
 
The two would stumble with back-to-back bogeys at the sixth and seventh holes, and would take a double-bogey at the eighth to drop to 3-over for the day. The two had a strong start to their back nine as Vincelli benefitted from a putt on the same line as Ordal’s, dropping her birdie opportunity from 10 feet.
 
After giving back a stroke at the 12^th with a bogey, Ordal gave her team a boost by hitting her approach to 15 feet at the par-5 15^th and converted her birdie look to move to 2-over for the tournament.
 
Despite back-to-back bogeys at the 14^th and 15^th, followed by a second double-bogey of the round at the 16^th, Ordal and Vincelli would hold on by a slim margin as Vincelli lagged her birdie putt from the front edge of the 18^th green to tap-in distance to clinch the lone qualifying spot at 6-over 79.
 
“I think we did a good job of staying really positive with each other,” Vincelli said. “Both of us did not play our best and staying positive when we needed to be really helped us.”
 
Qualifying for the Class AAA state championship at Bunker Hills Golf Club as an individual in June, Vincelli carded rounds of 82-80, respectively, to claim a top-30 finish before placing sixth at the Minnesota State Junior Girls’ Championship at Le Sueur Country Club in July.
 
Vincelli will make her first appearance at a USGA championship next spring.
 
“I’m really excited—it means a lot,” she said. “Being able to go play out of the country is pretty cool.”
 
Ordal also qualified for the Class AAA state tournament as an individual, carding a 4-over 76 during the opening round before a 79 to close out her freshman season with a 16^th-place finish at her first championship in the state.
 
 “I’m looking forward to the experience and seeing how everyone plays,” said Ordal, who will be competing at her first USGA event next spring.  
 
Sammy Youngquist, a senior at Chaska High School, and Katie Foley, a senior at Brainerd High School, posted a round of 7-over 80 Monday to finish as first alternates, while Joanne Adams and Kaitlyn Mardeusz finished as second alternates after carding an 8-over 81.