Texans Barrientos and Zweig Advance to U.S. Women's Four-Ball Championship

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  INDEPENDENCE, Minn. – Posting a round of 3-under par 68 Tuesday at Windsong Farm, the twosome of Avery Zweig and Melena Barrientos earned medalist honors as well as the lone qualifying position for the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

The national championship, which began in 2015, will be held April 28-May 2 at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.

Zweig, of McKinney, Texas, and Barrientos, from Plano, Texas, started fast Monday with two birdies over the first two holes before moving to 3-under with a birdie at the sixth.

The qualifier was suspended Monday when moved into the area and play was eventually suspended for the day, scheduled to resume early Tuesday.

A bogey at the par-4 eighth put Zweig and Barrientos back to 2-under heading to the final nine holes Tuesday. Rolling in her birdie look at the par-4 11th, Barrientos and Zweig would get back to 3-under and moved to 4-under after Barrientos converted birdie at the 15th.

An inconsequential bogey on the final hole put the two on top of the leader board with a round of 68 to earn a trip to the national championship beginning in April.

Zweig earned a return trip to Augusta National Golf Club Saturday after winning the Girls’ 10-11 Division at the 2018 Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier at Interlachen Country Club. Zweig qualified for the event for the first time in 2015.

Olivia Herrick and Samantha Sommers, who have played in the first two national championships, posted a round of even par 71 Tuesday to finish as first alternates, while Isabella McCauley and Emma Welch carded a 2-over par 73 to finish as second alternates.