The University of Georgia women are hopeful their hot performance at the Columbus Regional can carry over to the NCAA Women’s Championships, which begin Friday at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Bulldogs are the No. 11 seed after winning the regional by 15 shots and earning their first trip to the NCAAs since 2016. Georgia has 20 top-10 finishes at the NCAA finals and won it all in 2001. This was quite a turnaround for a team that finished last in the SEC Championships only three weeks earlier.
“We want to keep the momentum going, but at the same time, you look at the resumes of our players, and they’re probably as good as anyone in the country,” coach Josh Brewer said. “As a coach, I’ve been waiting on them to play up to their normal standards. I know they have, too.
“We closed the book on regionals. It’s a great honor, and we’ll celebrate it later in life, but we’re here to bring home the second national championship in the program’s history and do it on the 20th anniversary of the first one.”
Georgia’s Jenny Bae was medalist at the regional and has been the team’s most consistent player all season. Her score has been counted for every tournament round, and she was named second-team All-SEC.
“Regionals were amazing,” Bae said. “A team win and an individual win was more than amazing because we really haven’t had that in a while.”
The Bulldogs are loaded with experienced players. Sophomores Caterina Don and Candice Mahe and freshman Isabella Holpfer each competed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Junior Jo Hua Hung qualified for the coming U.S. Women’s Open.
“It’s probably the best we’ve played as a program in three or four years quite honestly, especially with the stakes on the line,” Brewer said.
The 24-team field will play three rounds of stroke play, with the top 15 teams advancing to a fourth stroke-play round. From there the top eight will advance to match play. The championship will be Wednesday.
Ex-Yellow Jacket Petefish advances through local Open qualifiers
Former Georgia Tech golfer Chris Petefish shot 6-under 65 and tied for first at Georgia’s second local U.S. Open qualifier. He tied with Christopher Hickman of Maryland to grab one of eight spots up for grabs at Callaway Gardens.
Others who will move on to the 36-hole sectional qualifier June 7 at the Piedmont Driving Club were Michael Hebert of Marietta and Michael Johnson of Birmingham, Ala., who both shot 67, and Carson Young of South Carolina, Ben Kishigian of Warner Robins, Deven Broadaway of Adairsville and Carter Page of Florida, who each shot 68. The two alternates are Kane Whitehurst of Duluth and Jacob Solomon of Alabama.
Three Georgians qualify for U.S. Senior Open
Georgians captured three of the five spots available at the U.S. Senior Open qualifier at White Columns Country Club in Milton. Amateurs Neal Hendee and William Mitchell and professional Jody Bellflower each shot 68 to tie for second and advance to the championship, July 8-11 at Omaha Country Club.
Esteban Toledo, who plays on the PGA Tour Champions, shot 67 to win the qualifier. Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina earned the final spot.
Ford twins lead seven locals in U.S. Four-Ball field
Twins David Ford and Maxwell Ford from Peachtree Corners are among the seven Georgians who will compete in the sixth U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, which begins Saturday at Chambers Bay in Washington. But they won’t play on the same side.
David Ford, who signed with North Carolina, is teaming with Kelly Chinn of Great Falls, Va., who will play at Duke. Maxwell Ford, who signed with Georgia, is paired with Bruce Murphy of Johns Creek, his longtime buddy from the Atlanta Athletic Club.
Other local pairings include UGA signee Buck Brumlow of Cartersville, who will play alongside Harrison Davis of Fort Payne, Ala.; Chad Branton of Cartersville and Kyle Hosick of Calhoun; UGA commitment Carter Loflin of Duluth, who is teamed with Wells Williams of West Point, Miss.; Tyler McKeever of Atlanta, who is partnered with Steven Groover of Birmingham.
Each of the 128 sides will play two qualifying rounds of stroke play before the low 32 teams move into match play. The final will be Wednesday.
Miscellaneous
Rob Varner will defend his championship in the 40th Georgia Mid-Am Championship at the Country Club of Columbus. The 54-hole stroke-play event begins Friday. … Bentwater Country Club in Acworth now is being managed by Club Specialists International. The club will begin a comprehensive renovation plan that includes all bunkers, cart-path repair, rebuilding and upgrading the practice area and a new fleet of golf carts by early 2022.
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