Mexico to host 2016 World Amateur Team Championship
ANTALYA, Turkey – Mexico will host the 2016 World Amateur Team Championships, Golfweek has learned.
Mexico was awarded the biennial championship ahead of Colombia after a vote by International Golf Federation delegates at a meeting Oct. 2 here, site of this year's men's and women's WATC. The 2014 event will be in Japan.
Mexico and Colombia are long-standing members of the IGF. Delegates from both countries were among the 35 nations with representatives at a meeting in Washington in May 1958 arranged by the U.S. Golf Association and R&A to create the World Amateur Team Championships. Both countries were part of the original 32-member organization that made up the World Amateur Golf Council, the forerunner to the International Golf Federation.
Though Colombia has never hosted the World Amateur Team Championships, Mexico hosted the tournament in 1968. That event, the sixth staging, was held at Mexico Golf Club in Mexico City. A United States team of Bruce Fleisher, Vinny Giles, Jack Lewis Jr. and Dick Siderowf captained by former USGA president William C. Campbell took the title by a shot over Great Britain & Ireland, with Canada finishing third.
Mexico has not won the WATC. However, the men ...
Korea wins team title, Ko is medalist at Women's World Amateur
ANTALYA, Turkey – The final round of the World Amateur Team Championship confirmed two things: Lydia Ko is without doubt the undisputed world’s No. 1 amateur, and the strength of Korean golf shows no sign of abating.
The Republic of Korea won the team championship to become the first team to successfully defend the title since the United States in 1988 and 1990. Ko returned a closing 4-under 68 for a 72-hole total of 274. She won the individual crown by six shots over Finland’s Krista Bakker and Camilla Hedberg of Spain.
Both wins were fairly comfortable, and expected.
The Korean trio of Hyo-Joo Kim, Kyu-Jung Baek and Min-Sun Kim combined for a 13-under total of 563 to win by three shots over Germany. Finland and Australia tied for third place on 567, four shots behind. Ko’s New Zealand team finished T-5 alongside Spain. Canada placed seventh on 569, while the USA was a further shot back in eighth.
Korea took a five-shot lead into the final round and never really looked threatened despite splendid 7-under finishes from Germany and Finland. Baek led the line with a 2-under 70, Hyo-Joo Kim posted a level-par 72, while Min-Sun Kim ...
Republic of Korea, Ko lead at World Amateur Team Championship
ANTALYA, Turkey – Normally five- and two-shot leads would be causes for celebration. It’s just the opposite after the third round of the Women's World Amateur Team Championship.
The Republic of Korea holds a five-shot advantage over New Zealand and a six-shot edge over third-place Canada and Australia, with the U.S. and Spain in joint fifth, seven shots back. Meanwhile, World No. 1 Lydia Ko leads the individual competition by two shots over U.S. Curtis Cup player Lisa McCloskey.
The advantage should be more in both cases.
The Korean trio of Hyo Joo Kim, Kyu-Jung Baek and Min Sun Kim sit at 11-under 206 with a round to play. However, Korean captain Hyung-Mo Kang wasn’t a happy man when his team came off the golf course.
“I hope they will do better tomorrow than that,” Kang said of his team’s third-round performance. “Today was not that satisfactory. All the girls missed a lot of putts out there.”
Korea won the World Amateur Team Championship two years ago in Buenos Aires, and should be a safe bet to become the first team to lift the Espirito Santo Trophy for the second consecutive time since the U ...
Port wins Senior Women's Am for fifth career USGA title
HERSHEY, Pa. — Ellen Port won the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur on Thursday, beating Jane Fitzgerald, 4 and 3, on Hershey Country Club’s West Course.
The 50-year-old Port, from St. Louis, won her fifth career USGA women’s title.
“It’s an honor to be another USGA champion,” said Port, who won her fourth U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur title last September. “I have a medal and a flag in the same (calendar) year that I won the Mid-Am. I am so shocked and ecstatic.”
Port overcame a one-hole deficit, winning five consecutive holes on the back nine.
The 50-year-old Fitzgerald, from Kensington, Md., is a former Penn State player.
• • •
ROUND OF 64
Lisa Schlesinger def. Teresa Cleland, 5 and 4
Mary Jane Hiestand def. Peggy Brady, 1 up
Anna Schultz def. Courtney Myhrum, 1 up
Corey Weworski def. Carol S. Thompson, 19 holes
Brenda Pictor def. Cheryl Brayman, 3 and 1
Mina Hardin def. Connie Shorb, 3 and 2
Noreen Mohler def. Colette Rosenberg, 5 and 3
Laura Algiero def. Pamela Kuong, 1 up
Martha Leach def. Susan Stewart, 2 and 1
Marianne Towersey def. Bobbi Lancaster, 5 and 4
Marilyn Hardy def. Jamie Hoffmann, 1 up
Joan ...
Port, Fitzgerald to meet in Senior Women's Am final
HERSHEY, Pa. – Ellen Port and Jane Fitzgerald advanced to the championship match Wednesday in the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur at Hershey Country Club.
Port, of St. Louis, rallied to beat Carolyn Creekmore of Dallas, 1 up, in the morning quarterfinals, and routed Lecia Alexander of Stafford, Texas, 6 and 4, in the semifinals.
Port, 50, a four-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, finished off Creekmore by hitting her approach to 6 inches to set up a birdie on the final hole.
“Every match has its own character,” Port said. “I stayed in the moment. I didn’t have a lot of feel around the greens. I had some uncharacteristic shots for me with wedges in my hand. I tried not to get frustrated with myself, and I did a pretty good job of that. I let the bad shots go and knew that I had some good ones in me.”
Fitzgerald, of Kensington, Md., topped Joan Higgins of Glendora, Calif., 2 up, in the quarterfinals, and beat qualifying medalist Lisa Schlesinger of Laytonsville, Md., 4 and 3, in the semifinals.
“This makes me feel great,” said Fitzgerald, 50, a graduate of nearby Penn State. “I’ve been playing ...
Resume building
The Pacific Northwest has produced more than its share of elite golfers through the years. Jordan Ferreira, 17, might be the next in line. The newest line on her resume came courtesy of a coveted Pacific Northwest Golf Association title – the Girls’ Junior Amateur.
Where Washington junior golf is concerned, Ferreira, of University Place, Wash., is becoming the girl to beat. She’s at the top of Golfweek’s rankings for that state, and is the reigning Washington Junior Girls’ Player of the Year, an accolade she earned after finishing runner-up at the 2011 Washington State 4A high school championship and qualifying for Washington’s Junior America’s Cup team (she finished 27th at that event).
Ferreira’s path to the PNGA title culminated in a championship match on Aug. 16 against Washington’s No. 3 junior, Marianne Li of Bellevue, Wash. That match made the turn all square at Sunland Golf and Country Club in Sequim, Wash., before Ferreira won on the 17th hole. It was easily Ferreira’s toughest of the week.
Ferreira says this victory ranks high on her list of golf accomplishments.
“I love the PNGA,” said Ferreira, whose name now goes on the same trophy ...
England's Hull, 16, focuses on pro career and LET card
DENHAM, England – Curtis Cup star Charley Hull plans to turn professional at the end of this year. The 16-year-old will try for her Ladies European Tour card in December, and hopes to play the Euro circuit in 2013.
Hull finished T-18 in the ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters on Aug. 18, played at The Buckinghamshire Golf Club. Rounds of 70, 74 and 71 gave her a 54-hole total of 215. She finished six shots behind winner Lydia Hall of Wales. Hull then revealed that she will attend LET Qualifying School, to be played in Morocco in December.
The English girl was making her fourth appearance in a professional tournament this year. She has made the cut every time. Hull was T-38 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship at the start of the season. She was fifth in the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open and 18th in the Ladies Irish Open before her recent outing amongst the pros.
Hull was one of three Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup players in the field along with Amy Boulden and Holly Clyburn, but was the only one to make the cut. She played alongside Solheim Cup player Mel Reid and LET Order of Merit leader Carly ...
Ernst, Lee, McCloskey named to World Am Team
The U.S. Golf Association has announced Austin Ernst, Erynne Lee and Lisa McCloskey as the three-woman team to represent the United States at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, to be played Sept. 27-30 at Gloria Golf Club (Old and New Courses) in Antalya, Turkey.
Ernst and McCloskey were part of the all-college U.S. dream team that competed against Great Britain and Ireland at the Curtis Cup in June. That team took a lead into Sunday singles, but lost the Cup by a slim 10.5-9.5 score.
Ernst, 20, won the 2011 NCAA individual championship as a freshman at LSU. She will play LPGA Q-School in the fall instead of returning to the Tiger roster. Ernst made it to the semifinals at the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2011 but fell to Lee in the Round of 16 at this year’s tournament. She recently won the North & South Women’s Amateur.
McCloskey, 21, recently graduated from USC after leading the team to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship. She was the stroke-play medalist at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links earlier this summer.
Lee, 19, will return to UCLA in the ...
Complete coverage
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With the defending champion - Danielle Kang - on to her professional career, the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur title will be held by someone else in Ohio.
Could it be one of the Jutanugarn sisters? World No. 1 amateur Lydia Ko? Soon-to-be professional Jaye Marie Green?
Our crew of Julie Williams (follow her here on Twitter), Beth Ann Baldry (Twitter here) and photographer Tracy Wilcox (Twitter here) will provide you with wall-to-wall coverage.
• • •
Tournament coverage: Sunday
• Ahead of her time: New Zealand's Lydia Ko says she dreams of college, but the U.S. Women's Amateur champion is already well ahead of her 15 years says Beth Ann Baldry. Story.
• No flash, all substance: Lydia Ko’s game isn’t flashy. In fact, for the top-ranked amateur in the world, Ko is quite unassuming. But she did enough to beat Jaye Marie Green in the U.S. Women's Amateur title match on Sunday. Story.
• • •
Tournament coverage: Saturday
• Pumped up: With her dad on the bag and mom watching from back home in Florida, Jaye Marie Green defeated Nicole Zhang, 2 up, to advance to the final of the U.S. Women's Amateur. Story.
• Highly anticipated ...
No flash, all substance
CLEVELAND – Lydia Ko’s game isn’t flashy. In fact, for the top-ranked amateur in the world, Ko is quite unassuming.
Solid play left Ko in possession of the trophy on Sunday at the end of a 35-hole U.S. Women’s Amateur final against Jaye Marie Green. Said Green, “She gets up and down from everywhere.” Ko simply didn’t make mistakes at The Country Club, but Green has a point: The difference came around the greens.
It had been a slow, cloudy Cleveland morning until the final match approached the turn for the second time. Ko had just made consecutive birdies at Nos. 6-8 to get to 4 up, but landed in a greenside bunker at the par-3 ninth. Green watched as Ko addressed that shot – a downhill lie, nonetheless – and turned to dad and caddie Donnie just before Ko hit.
“If she gets this up and down,” Green had said. “I will be so impressed.”
Ko did, and it put the pressure back on Green. She suddenly had to par, too, to keep from going 5 down entering the final nine.
By the 17th green, Ko had earned what is arguably the biggest title of her career ...
Ahead of her time
CLEVELAND -– Lydia Ko’s mother forgot to give her daughter a driver on the second tee box earlier in the week. Tina Ko, who was taking a shortcut, eventually realized the blunder and walked back to the tee. Lydia gave a quick bow to her mother as a sign of respect and the two shared a laugh. Tina Ko doesn’t play golf, she’s just mom.
“I’ll never be the boss,” Lydia said with a slight hint of regret. Or perhaps that was sarcasm.
Maybe it’s the New Zealand accent. Maybe it’s the deliberate way Ko speaks, rarely fumbling for words. Maybe it’s the reading glasses. Whatever the case, Ko doesn’t sound 15 years old. She seems like such an old soul one just assumes she’ll turn professional around the time she learns to drive.
Not so fast, Ko said. The 112th U.S. Women’s Amateur champion wants to go to college. Her “role models” are Michelle Wie and Lexi Thompson (a subtle reminder that she’s 15), but she doesn’t want to follow their career paths. Ko wants to play college golf.
“There are so many people in New Zealand ...
Pumped up
CLEVELAND – Jaye Marie Green’s mother used her phone to capture a snippet of Golf Channel coverage for her daughter to see. Stephanie Green screamed so loud in the video when her daughter’s putt dropped, Jaye Marie’s ears are still ringing from watching the clip.
That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the point is the Green family is pumped to make to it to Sunday at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Just look at her daddy caddie’s bleach-blond hair. Even the rain can’t keep it down.
Only three days ago, a disappointed Green sat in the player locker room. She’d just missed seeing a portion of her match replayed on TV. She’ll have plenty of footage to look at after this week’s championship as Green is one of two players left standing after seven rounds at The Country Club. She’ll square off against 15-year-old Lydia Ko in the 36-hole final. Somewhere, Stephanie Green is booking a flight to Cleveland.
“She said if I make the finals, she’d fly in,” Jaye Marie said, smiling wide.
While mom has tried to not to faint at the keyboard back in ...
Highly anticipated
CLEVELAND – A day’s hard work behind her, Lydia Ko’s plan for a rainy Saturday afternoon included little more than a nap. It’s been a long few months for the 15-year-old New Zealander, now well into her second month of a U.S. amateur golf tour.
In a display of perhaps the best putting she owns, Ko, No. 1 in the World Amateur Rankings, took down World No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn. Ko didn’t miss a shot, and more importantly, she holed every putt she needed to hole.
On the eve of that highly anticipated match, Ko was convinced that if Jutanugarn won, she’d take over the top of the World Rankings. It’s a spot Ko has held for more than a year. Turns out, there was no way to know.
Even with that thought running through her head, Ko found perspective.
“When I was going down (hole) one, I said, ‘I’m going to get a medal for this,’” Ko said. All semifinalists get a medal.
Still, for all the hype involving the rankings – hype perhaps held over from the U.S. Girls’ Junior three week ago, where this very match could have happened in ...
Baldry: Both Jutanugarn sisters deserve LPGA shot
CLEVELAND – Ariya Jutanugarn should be at LPGA Q-School this fall. That line wasn’t written lightly. In fact, in 99 percent of cases, junior players should stay in school. Given the LPGA’s small schedule, the lack of sponsorship dollars available and the amount of money it costs to jet around the world, it’s simply not worth it.
But there’s no ignoring that 1 percent. After sitting down with the Jutanugarn sisters in the shadow of the scoreboard here at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, it’s clear they are ready to move on – together.
Ariya Jutanugarn, 16, advanced to the semifinals here at The Country Club and older sister Moriya served as caddie. They argued over which club to use on approach shots: Ariya likes to hit it hard while Moriya prefers to take a club more and swing easy. But when it came to the greens, Moriya was queen. She’s the better green reader, and Ariya listens intently to her advice.
On Saturday, Ariya will square off against Lydia Ko, a bespectacled 15-year-old who carries herself like a 30-year-old pro. Ko is the top-ranked player in the world. The two have never met before ...
Marquee matchup
CLEVELAND – It almost happened three weeks ago in San Francisco. Instead, the top two female amateurs in the world will face off in the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
How’s that for drama?
The script couldn’t have played out any better at The Country Club, unless of course Lydia Ko, 15, and Ariya Jutanugarn, 16, had found themselves on opposite sides of a USGA bracket, only to face in the final. Still, this will suffice.
“Lately, she’s been playing really good,” top-ranked Ko had said at the beginning of the week. Ko and Jutanugarn both were upset in the semifinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior on July 20 before they had the opportunity to play. Safe to say, however, they’ve sized each other up.
“It’s good that I have a chance to play against her,” said Jutanugarn, who is well aware of Ko’s No. 1 ranking.
Ko, meanwhile, says Jutanugarn is someone whose game carries a strong reputation across the globe. The two have never played together.
That Saturday’s semifinal match takes place in the morning as opposed to the afternoon, like the quarterfinals, bodes well for Ko. She ...
Recent Women’s Amateur Golf Galleries
U.S. Women's Amateur: Championship
Take a look at images of the final match between Lydia Ko and Jaye Marie Green at the U.S. Women's Amateur in Cleveland.
U.S. Women's Amateur: Semifinals
After a drizzly Saturday morning at the Country Club, only two players are left at the U.S. Women's Amateur. Lydia Ko defeated Ariya Jutanugarn while Jaye Marie Green defeated Nicole Zhang in the semifinals.
U.S. Women's Amateur: Rounds of 32 & 16
View images of a rainy day of match play with Rounds of 32 and 16 at The Country Club of Cleveland.
2012 U.S. Women's Amateur: Round of 64
Check out images from the first round of match play at the U.S. Women's Amateur in Cleveland.
2012 U.S. Women's Amateur: Day 2
A look at the action from Day 2 of the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur in Cleveland, Ohio.
2012 U.S. Women's Amateur: Day 1
View images of Round 1 stroke play where Lydia Ko shot a 66 to take the lead at The Country Club in Cleveland, Ohio.
2012 Curtis Cup: Practice Round
Check out images from the practice round at the 2012 Curtis Cup in Nairn, Scotland.
86th Annual South Atlantic Amateur: Final round
Check out images from our Tracy Wilcox at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla.
57th Harder Hall Women's Invitational
View images of the final round of the 57th Harder Hall Women's Invitational at Harder Hall Country Club in Sebring, Fla.
2011 in review: Amateur golf
From the dramatic Walker Cup to Patrick Cantlay's success on the PGA Tour to Kelly Kraft's big win at the U.S. Amateur, the year that was in amateur golf.
2011 U.S. Women's Amateur: Championship
Check out images of the match between Moriya Jutanugarn and Danielle Kang.
2011 U.S. Women's Amateur: Semifinals
Take a look at the semifinal matches at Rhode Island Country Club.
2011 U. S. Women's Amateur Quarterfinals
View images from Friday's Quarterfinals at Rhode Island Country Club.
2011 U. S. Women's Amateur Rds. of 32 & 16
View images from Thursday's action of Rounds of 32 and 16 at Rhode Island Country Club.
2011 U.S. Women's Amateur: Round of 64
Check out images from the first round of match play at Rhode Island Country Club.
2011 U.S. Women's Amateur: Round 2
A look at the scene at Rhode Island Country Club.
2011 U.S. Women's Amateur: Round 1
Check out images from Rhode Island Country Club.
A unique look at the U. S. Women's Amateur
A look at some images through the iPhone App Instagram from the 111th U. S. Women's Amateur Championship in Barrington, Rhode Island.
Women's Western Amateur Championship
Photos from the Women's Western Amateur, played June 20-25 at Sawgrass Country Club.
The Sally: Final Round
Images from the final round of The Sally, played Jan. 15 at Oceanside Country Club.
Harder Hall Women's Invitational (Rd. 3)
The third round of the 56th Harder Hall Women's Invitational began with a shotgun start for the after Thursday's rain delay.
56th Annual Harder Hall Invitational
View images from the first round of the 56th Annual Harder Hall Invitational in Sebring, Fla.
U.S. Women’s Amateur (Finals)
Danielle Kang defeated Jessica Korda, 2 and 1, to win the U.S. Women's Amateur at Charlotte Country Club.
U.S. Women’s Amateur (Semifinals)
Danielle Kang, 17, and Jessica Korda, 17, will face each other in the final round of the 110th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.
U.S. Women’s Amateur (Quarterfinals)
Jennifer Kirby, Danielle Kang, Jessica Korda and Stephanie Sherlock each advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur, set for Saturday at Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club.
U.S. Women’s Amateur (Rds. of 32/16)
Matches went long and players attempted to keep cool during Thursday’s rounds of 32 and 16 at Charlotte Country Club.
U.S. Women’s Amateur (Round of 64)
The three co-medalists have moved on to the Round of 32 at the U.S. Women's Amateur.
U.S. Women’s Amateur (Round 2)
Sixty-four players advanced to match play Tuesday at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
U.S. Women’s Amateur (Round 1)
Players tried to stay cool Monday at steamy Charlotte Country Club.
Curtis Cup: Sunday at Essex County Club
Team USA completed a dominating performance June 13 to win the Curtis Cup.
Curtis Cup: Saturday at Essex County Club
Team USA took a five-point lead during Day 2 of the Curtis Cup, winning all six matches at Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.
Curtis Cup: Friday at Essex County Club
GB&I took a one-point lead over USA after Friday's matches at Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.
South Atlantic Amateur (Final Round)
Jessica Korda won the 84th annual South Atlantic Amateur (Sally) by four shots over Candace Schepperle at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla.
U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur
Martha Leach defeated Laura Coble, 3 and 2, on Oct. 8 to win the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur at Golden Hills Golf & Turf Club in Ocala, Fla.
Women’s Amateur (Finals)
Jennifer Song collected her second USGA win this summer with a victory over Jennifer Johnson at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Women's Amateur (Semifinals)
Alexis Thompson’s bid to become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur was dashed Saturday at Old Warson.
