Bryana Nguyen watches a shot during the NC Women's Amateur
(Carolinas Golf Association)
DURHAM, NC (June 16, 2016) -- Bryana Nguyen stepped up to the first tee in Thursday's final round of the North Carolina Women's Amateur Championship with a seven-stroke lead. Rounds of 69-70 put her at five-under-par for the tournament and well in front of the field. In the final round, Nguyen did not back down. Instead, she buckled down and recorded her third-straight sub-par round to match her personal best tournament score of six-under and take home the title.
Nguyen has not won a golf tournament since her junior golf days, nearly three years ago. "It's awesome [to win a tournament]. I kind of forgot the feeling. It validates all the hard work I've been putting into the sport and practicing throughout the summer and throughout school, so I'm really proud of everything and how this came together."
Nguyen has never finished a tournament in which all three rounds were under par. She feels that this win will give her a boost when she returns to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill for her junior year in the fall. "I'm very confident in my game right now, which I haven't been for the last year. I just haven't played above average yet, but now I'm really looking forward to the rest of my summer and the fall."
Much like her first round, Nguyen came out of the gate firing on Thursday. She recorded birdies at holes one and three and did not see a bogey on the card until the fourteenth. On No. 17 she hit her approach off-line and had a seven-footer to save par. She just missed the putt, but managed to finish her round with a birdie on 18, even though she was 10 strokes clear of the nearest competitor. "Today I wanted to just play against the course and play against my record. I just wanted to go as low as I could." Nguyen lives in Chapel Hill, a mere 20-minute drive from Croasdaile Country Club. "It means a lot to me [to win this tournament] so close to home. I am new to Carolina and everyone at the North Carolina Women's Golf Association made it fun for me and made my first experience in this tournament really a great one so I really appreciate everyone here."
Nguyen hopes this win will get her into the North & South Women's Amateur Championship being held at Pinehurst Country Club (No. 2) in July. She also hopes to qualify for the U.S. Women's Amateur next month.
Ashley Sloup of Southport, N.C. finished second on Thursday after a final round two-over 74. Her runner-up finish is an impressive addition to her summer tournament resume after a win at the Carolinas Women's Amateur Championship in May. Sloup will compete in the North & South Women's Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Country Club (No. 2) next month. The only other player in red numbers on Thursday was Savanna Wood, a rising junior at Appalachian State University. Wood carded a one-under-par 71 after opening rounds of 79-79 to finish T9 overall.
The Senior Champion, which is determined from contestants over the age of 50 competing in the Championship Division, was Angela Stewart of Greenville, N.C. Stewart finished strong on Thursday with a final round score of 75 to give her a total of 16-over 232 and six strokes ahead of Kim Briele. Past overall Champion and last year's Super Senior Champion Patty Moore of Charlotte, N.C. finished with a total of 12-over 228, six strokes clear of Therese St. Peter to take home back-to-back Super Senior Championships.
The Super Senior Champion is determined from contestants over the age of 62 competing in the State Division (shorter yardage).
View results for North Carolina Women's Amateur
ABOUT THE
North Carolina Women's Amateur
54-hole stroke play championship for North Carolina
women amateurs. The Champion, Senior
Champion and Junior Champion will be determined
from contestants playing the Championship Tees.
The Super Senior Champion will be determined from
contestants playing the State Tees.
In order to be eligible to play in the North
Carolina Women's Amateur Championship, a
player must be legally domiciled in North
Carolina for six months, have an established
USGA handicap, and meet one of the following three
requirements:
1. She must be a member of an CGA
member club or women's golf association at a
member club located in the State of North
Carolina; or
2. She must join as an individual member and
pay her personal membership fee; or
3. She must be a member of a golf league, golf
team, or golf training facility in the State of
North Carolina which is a member of the
CGA.
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