Timuquana Country Club (Timuquana photo)
For the second time in its five-year history, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball will be played in Florida. The 2019 tournament will take place at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 27-May 1.
Qualifying is ongoing for the two-woman team event and will continue well into the spring. The field will be formed in part by qualifiers from 30 sites around the country.
The following sides are exempt into the 2019 championship, provided they remain intact:
Mika Liu/
Rinko Mitsunaga (2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball winners)
Hailee Cooper/
Kaitlyn Papp (2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball winners)
Alice Chen/
Taylor Totland (2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball winners)
Katrina Prendergast/
Ellen Secor (2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball winners)
Angelina Kim/
Brianna Navarrosa (2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball runners-up)
Sammi Lee/
Mary Ellen Shuman (2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball runners-up)
Yachun Chang/
Lei Ye (2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball runners-up)
Leila Dizon/Irene Kim (2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball semifinalists)
Megan Furtney/
Erica Shepherd (2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball semifinalists)
Highlights from qualifying include:
February 27
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Marissa Mar
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Marissa Mar, who was the medalist and a semifinalist at the 2017 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, and who followed it up with a final 16 finish in 2018, teamed up with Lila Thomas to shoot 71 and medal at Las Colinas Country Club in Dallas, Texas.
Qualifiers: Marissa Mar (San Francisco, Calif.) & Lila Thomas (Dallas, Texas) 71; Lauren Cox (Orange, Texas) & Sol Lee (Lewisville, Texas) 72
February 21
In the only international qualifier, the sister team of Maria Paula and Maria Alejandra Ferrer Alvarez shot a 70 to clear the field by four shots at Club de Golf Ballavista in Mexico City.
Qualifiers: Maria Paula Ferrer Alvarez (Mexico) & Maria Alejandra Ferrer Alvarez (Mexico) 70
January 28
Thuhashini Selvaratnam, runner-up to Meghan Stasi at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, is among the qualifiers for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball. The native Sri Lankan has competed in more than 30 USGA championships, and will compete in this one alongside partner
Mari Miezwa. The two led qualifying at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz., with a 68.
Qualifiers: Mari Miezwa (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) & Thuhashini Selvaratnam (Sri Lanka) 68; Abbey Schutte (Goodyear, Ariz.) & Kendall Todd (Goodyear, Ariz.) 69; Anna Morales (Austin) & Evelyn Orley (Cardiff, Calif.) 70
December 3
Lauren Gomez of San Diego and Olivia Yun of Carlsbad, Calif., led qualifiers at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills, Calif., with a round of 68. They were the only duo to post a round in the 60s in a qualifier in which five spots were available in the tournament proper. Gomez is an AJGA standout, having finished in the top 10 at the Swinging Skirts AJGA Invitational and Under Armous/Alison Lee Championship. Yu, meanwhile, frequently competes on the SCPGA Junior Tour.
Qualifiers: Lauren Gomez (San Diego) & Olivia Yun (Carlsbad, Calif.) 68; Holland Shourds (Riverside, Calif.) & Haley Tygret (Gardena, Calif.) 70; Jasmine Lew (Los Angeles) & Charissa Shang (Calabasas, Calif.) 70; Whitney Britton (Monarch Beach, Calif.) & Avery French (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) 71; Sabrina Nguyen (Escondido, Calif.) & Kayla Sam (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) 72
November 12
Two University of Florida teammates,
Addie Baggarly and
Sierra Brooks, cruised to a 65 at the LPGA International Jones Course in Daytona Beach, Fla., to easily qualify for the event. Jones, of Lake Mary, Fla., was runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2015 and played in the 2016 Curtis Cup. Baggarly, of Jonesborough, Tenn., has played the U.S. Women’s Amateur the past two years.
Qualifiers: Addie Baggarly (Jonesborough, Tenn.) & Sierra Brooks (Lake Mary, Fla.) 65; Laura Edmonds (Weston, Fla.) & Elle Nachmann (Boca Raton, Fla.) 67
October 27
Kennedy Carroll and Rachel Rich, both of Mount Pleasant, S.C., led qualifying at Columbia (S.C.) Country Club, bringing in a 4-under 68 that earned that a spot in the Women’s Four-Ball. Rich, who attends high school at Oceanside Collegiate, won the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association Junior in July and Carroll, who goes to school at Bishop England, was the All-Lowcountry golfer of the year in 2017. Rich also earned first-team All-Lowcountry honors.
Qualifiers: Kennedy Carroll (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) & Rachel Rich (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) 68; Isabella Rawl (Lexington, S.C.) & Karlee Vardas (Lexington, S.C.) 69
October 25
Hot Springs (Ark.) CC
Qualifiers: Bailey Dunstan (Little Rock, Ark.) & Raychel Nelke (Pocola, Okla.) 74
October 23
Mission Hills (Kan.) CC
Qualifiers: Megan Propeck (Leawood, Kan.) & Lacy Shelton (Overland Park, Kan.) 65
October 22
A handful of Texas junior golf standouts have qualified for the Women’s Four-Ball. High school juniors Maddi Olson and Olivia Mitchell combined to shoot 3-under 69 at Walden on Lake Conroe Golf Club in Montgomery, Texas. They took the top spot while high school sophomore Melena Barrientos and her partner
Calynne Rosholt had 71 to advance. Rosholt captured the Women’s Southern Amateur title this summer at 15.
Qualifiers: Maddi Olson (Abilene, Texas) & Olivia Mitchell (Plano, Texas) 69; Melena Barrientos (Plano, Texas) & Calynne Rosholt (Cedar Park, Texas) 71
October 11
Lexington (Ky.) Country Club
Qualifiers: Adrienne Farrow (New Albany, Ind.) & Cara Stuckey (Terre Haute, Ind.) 70
October 10
Shannon Johnson, fresh off her U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur title, qualified for next year’s Women’s Four-Ball with usual partner
Megan Buck, another Massachusetts resident. Even better, Johnson got to qualify on her home course, Thorney Lea Golf Club in Brockton, Mass.
“We’re obviously excited to be heading back to a USGA Championship,” said Johnson. “In the Women’s Four-Ball Championship that we played in this year, we obviously didn’t play as well as we would have liked and I think that left a little sour taste in our mouths, so being able to qualify again is great.”
With both competitors fresh off match play appearances in the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in St. Louis, the pair continued to show why they are two of the top golfers in the Bay State when they played even par golf through each of the first seven holes before Johnson tallied birdies on both the par-5 eighth hole and par-3 ninth hole at Thorny Lea GC on Wednesday.
“I didn’t start out so well, and Megan played pretty solid golf on pretty much the whole front nine,” said Johnson following the completion of the round. “I finally was able to birdie eight and nine on my own. The course was playing very tough.”
Qualifiers: Megan Buck (Norton, Mass.) & Shannon Johnson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) 66; Gabrielle Shieh (Carlisle, Mass.) & Anne Walsh (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) 67
Qualifiers: Megan Buck (Norton, Mass.) & Shannon Johnson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) 66; Gabrielle Shieh (Carlisle, Mass.) & Anne Walsh (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) 67
October 9
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Lauren Greenlief
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Katie Miller
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Lauren Greenlief and
Katie Miller kept their partnership from the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, and qualified this year out of the Country Club of Petersburg (Va.). Miller, who has worked in several different industries while maintaining her golf game, had played with three different partners before pairing with Greenlief last year. The two missed the stroke-play cut. Greenlief, who won the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, made it to the Women’s Four-Ball semifinals in 2016 with former partner Alexandra Austin.
Greenlief and Miller also teamed up to win the Women's International Four-Ball last year.
Qualifiers: Lauren Greenlief (Ashburn, Va.) & Katie Miller (Jeannette, Pa.) 64
October 8
Greystone GC in Dickson, Tenn.
Qualifiers: Jocelyn Bruch (Carmel, Ind.) & Annabelle Pancake (Zionsville, Ind.) 65
October 6
Chapel Hill (N.C.) CC
Qualifiers: Rebecca Dinunzio (Norfolk, Va.) & Alyssa Montgomery (Knoxville, Tenn.) 62
October 5
Cory Lopez and
Avery Zweig teamed up to qualify out of Chaska (Minn.) Town Course. Lopez is a member of the Mexican National team who is headed to play for Arkansas in 2020. She won the Nick Faldo-hosted Major Champions Invitational in Montverde, Fla. Her partner Zweig was a Drive, Chip and Putt national finalist last spring.
Qualifiers: Cory Lopez (Mexico) & Avery Zweig (McKinney, Texas) 68
October 4
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Meghan Stasi
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Dawn Woodard
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Meghan Stasi and
Dawn Woodard will pair together again at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball. The two have played together in all four of the previous Women’s Four-Balls. At the qualifier at the Golf Club of Edmond (Okla.), the pair had an 8-under 64 that got them safely into the tournament proper by a four-shot margin.
Qualifiers: Meghan Stasi (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) & Dawn Woodard (Greenville, S.C.) 64
October 3
Turtle Point Yacht & Country Club in Killen, Ala.
Qualifiers: Sophie Linder (Carthage, Tenn.) & Karoline Tuttle (Lake Mary, Fla.) 67
October 2
A pair of junior golf standouts from the Southeast went north to earn their spot in the field at Timuquana.
Caroline Curtis, a two-time Virginia Junior Girls Player of the Year honoree, and
Ashley Gilliam, a Mississippi State commit who has won the Tennessee Girls’ Junior two years in a row, teamed up to win the qualifier at Glen Ridge (N.J.) Country Club. The pair qualified with a 5-under 67, which left them five shots ahead of the next-best team.
Qualifiers: Caroline Curtis (Richmond, Va.) & Ashley Gilliam (Manchester, Tenn.) 67
September 25
Kennett Square (Pa.) G&CC
Qualifiers: Faith Choi (Frederick, Md.) & Aneka Seumanutafa (Emmitsburg, Md.) 67
September 13
Club Walden in Aurora, Ohio
Qualifiers: Jessica Hahn (Canton, Ohio) & Madison Reemsnyder (Canton, Ohio) 67
September 10
A couple of women’s golf stalwarts from the state of Oregon went north to claim the second of two qualifying spots out of Canterwood Golf & Country Club in Gig Harbor, Wash.
Gretchen Johnson, who also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in the fall, and
Amanda Jacobs, the Pacific Northwest Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, had a 71 then advanced out of a two-team playoff. Johnson is an accomplished speed golfer and Jacobs advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 and 2017 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateurs.
Qualifiers: Julia Bordeaux (Tacoma, Wash.) & Montgomery Ferriera (Tacoma, Wash.) 70; Amanda Jacobs (Portland, Ore.) & Gretchen Johnson (Portland, Ore.) 71
September 5
Last year, a pair of Colorado State women’s golfers took home the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title. This year, another pair of Rams teammates will tee it up in the event.
Haley Greb and Jessica Sloot combined to shoot 66 at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Lakewood, Colo., and earn a spot in the championship. Greb is a sophomore at Colorado State and Sloot is a junior. Sloot actually competed with Ellen Secor, one half of last year’s Four-Ball winning duo, in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball.
Qualifiers: Haley Greb (Pendleton, Ore.) & Jessica Sloot (Fruit Heights, Utah) 66
September 4
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Kelsey Chugg
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Julia Potter-Bobb
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A couple of past U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champions joined forces to qualify for the Women’s Amateur Four-Ball.
Kelsey Chugg, who won in 2017, and
Julia Potter-Bobb, the 2013 and 2016 champion, combined to take the second of two qualifying spots at Forest Akers Golf Course in Lansing, Mich. Chugg and Potter-Bobb had 64 to finish one shot behind Haylin Harris and Valery Plata.
Qualifiers: Haylin Harris (Carmel, Ind.) & Valery Plata (Colombia) 63; Kelsey Chugg (Salt Lake City, Utah) & Julia Potter-Bobb (Indianapolis, Ind.) 64
August 29
Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield, Conn.
Qualifiers: Gio Kim (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) & Eunice Kim (Edgewater, N.J.) 65
August 28
A current and past Loyola Chicago player combined to take the sole qualifying spot out of Prestwick Country Club in Frankfort, Ill. Rambler senior Elayna Bowser combined with former teammate Summer Moser to post 5-under 67 and finish two shots ahead of the next-best team.
Qualifiers: Elayna Bowser (Dearborn, Mich.) & Summer Moser (Lutz, Fla.) 67
August 27
Mercer teammates
Lauren Lightfritz and
Payton Schanen opened the qualifying season as the first team to get in the field. The Georgia natives had 66 at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga. The two will be good representatives of Georgia golf considering that Schanen was the 2016 and 2017 Georgia Women’s Amateur champion and Lightfritz was the Georgia Junior Girls’ champion in 2015 and 2016.
Qualifiers: Lauren Lightfritz (Suwanee, Ga.) & Payton Schanen (John’s Creek, Ga.) 66; Thienna Huynh (Lilburn, Ga.) & Sara Im (Duluth, Ga.) 67