Vo & Baba Are Co-Medalists in U.S. Junior; Reese McCauley Is T11

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Six years ago, 18-year-olds were not eligible to play in the U.S. Girls Junior. But the eligibility rules changed in 2017 to allow the 18's, and that's why Natalie Vo is in the field this week at The Club at Olde Stone. So far, she's making the most of her opportunity.

On Tuesday, the 18-year-old Vo, who will be sophomore at the University of Colorado this fall, shot a bogey-free, 5-under-par 68, which gave her a 36-hole total of 139 (7 under), and that was good enough to make her a co-medalist, along with Saki Baba. Baba, a 17-year-old from Japan, was also bogey free. She shot 69 on her way to 139.

Vo and Baba will be the top two seeds -- Baba at No. 1, Vo at No. 2 -- when the first round of match play (the Round of 64) begins Wednesday.

Yana Wilson, 15 and Oliva Duan, 16, tied for third at 140. Duan got there with a second-round 69, Wilson with a 71. 

Vo, who turns 19 in September, birdied the par-4 fourth and the par-4 sixth holes, and she took advantage of the next two par 5's, the 471-yard ninth and the 503-yard 11th. She added one final birdie at the 410-yard, par-4 15th.

Baba, who qualified for the U.S. Women's Open this year, then made the cut and tied for 49th, started on the back nine Tuesday. She birdied the par-4 12th (403 yards) and the longest par 5 on the course (547 yards), and added birdies at the par-4 fifth (389) and par-3 eighth (166). 

The 2021 Minnesota state Class AAA high school champion, Reese McCauley, 16 -- she was born on Jan. 21, which is also Jack Nicklaus' birthday -- had what was probably the most interesting scorecard of the day.

Having shot 74 in the first round, the high school junior to be got back to even par for the tournament with a birdie at the fifth on Tuesday, but she bogeyed the sixth and seventh holes. She parred the eighth -- and then birdied seven of her last 10 holes, including six in a gloroious seven-hole stretch!

McCauley started her birdie spree at the par-5 ninth and then, after parring the 10th, she ran off five birdies in a row, from the par-5 11th to the par-4 15th. She made only her second par on the back nine at the 16th, but double bogeyed the 373-yard, par-4 17th, then bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 18th. All of which added up to 69, and her 36-hole total of 143 put her into a three-way tie for 11th.

There was a nine-way tie for 58th place at 151 (5 over), and there wasn't time for the resulting 9-for-7 playoff that will be contested Wednesday morning. Consequently, not all of the first-round matches have been determined. But McCauley, who got the No. 13 seed, will play No. 52 Kaila Elsayegh, a Californian from Pacific Palisades who shot 73-77--150. Their match will begin at 9:12 a.m.

Just missing the playoff was McCauley's older sister Bella, 18, the 2019 Class AAA state high school champ. (She was the runner-up to Kathryn VanArragon in AAA this year, and Reese finished third.)  Bella, the 2020 Minnesota Girls Junior winner, started the day on the bubble, after opening with a 73, and she never really did get off the bubble, although she did get an early birdie at the second hole. But she bogeyed the fifth, the par-5 seventh, the par-5 11th and the 15th.

At that point, she was one over the Magic Number. A birdie at the 131-yard, par-3 16th got her back to 5 over, which would have been good enough to make the playoff, but the hole that got her sister on Tuesday -- No. 17 -- got Bella, too. She bogeyed it, and that was what knocked her out of the playoff. She ended up with a 73 and a two-day tab of 152, tied for 67th. 

In the U.S. Junior Qualifying that was played June 27 at Woodhill CC, Maria Jose Barragan, a 17-year-old from Mexico, was the medalist with a 70. The McCauley sisters tied for second with 71's. Barragan also failed to advance to match play at Old Stone. She was done in by a nasty patch on the back nine Monday -- bogey on 14, double on 15, bogey on 16 and another double on 18. 

That 6-over-in-five-holes stretch led to an 82. She came back with 74 on Tuesday but missed the playoff by four with an aggregate of 156. 


U.S. Girls' Junior

At The Club at Olde Stone

Par 73, 6,565 yards

Bowling Green, Ky. 

Stroke play

Final results (the top 64 will advance to match play Wednesday morning)

T1. Natalie Vo, San Jose, Calif.              71-68--139

T1. Saki Baba, Japan                              70-69--139

T3. Olivia Duan, Cupertino, Calif.            71-69--140

T3. Yana Wilson, Henderson, Nev.          69-71--140

5. Catherine Park, Irvine, Calif.                72-69--141

T6. Alexia Siehl, Fort Mill, S.C.                71-71--142

T6. Fiona Xu, New Zealand                     72-70--142

T6. Justice Bosio, Australia                      69-73--142

T6. Karen Tsuru, Carlsbad, Calif.             70-72--142

T6. Samantha Olson, Phoenix                  72-70--142

T11. Reese McCauley, Inver Grove Hts. 74-69--143

T11. Farah O'Keefe, Austin, Texas            69-74--143

T11. Maria Jose Marin, Colombia              74-69--143

Failed to advance -- (9 players tied for 58th at 151; so there will be a 9-for-7 playoff Wednesday morning to complete the match play field of 64)

Bella McCauley, Inver Grove Hts.            76-76--152

Maria Jose Barragan, Mexico                    82-74--156