Northwestern University Athletics
Komoto, Mao Advance To Match Play At U.S. Women's Amateur
8/2/2016 7:40:00 PM | Women's Golf
SPRINGFIELD, Pa. – Senior Kacie Komoto and sophomore Janet Mao advanced to Wednesday's Round-of-64 match play portion of the 2016 United States Women's Amateur Championship, hosted by Rolling Green Golf Club outside Philadelphia.
2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship – LIVE SCORES
2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship – Tournament Home
U.S. Women's Amateur Championship - History
Rolling Green Golf Club - Home
Mao put together a sparkling second round with a birdie and 15 pars – including nine straight during one stretch - to card a 1-over 72, comfortably advancing into the match play portion of the tournament by two strokes with a two-round total of 145.
Komoto backed up an opening 74 with a 2-over 73 in Tuesday's second round to wind up a nine-way tie for the final five spots in Wednesday's match play bracket. The tie was settled with a sudden-death stroke playoff. Starting on the 186-yard, Par-3 No.10, Komoto was one of four competitors to par the first playoff hole and immediately earn a berth in the match play portion. The remaining five golfers will play a second hole – and more, if necessary - on Wednesday morning to decide the final spot in the round-of-64.
Komoto will tee off on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET against Korea's Hye-Jin Choi, who captured the 2016 Canadian Women's Amateur Championship last week in Nova Scotia, and is the reigning World Junior Girls champion. Mao will tee off two groups later, at 1:20 p.m. ET, against 16-year old Eun Jeong Seong of Korea, who won her second consecutive U.S. Girls' Junior last month to become the first golfer to repeat as champion since 1971.
Incoming freshman Brooke Riley birdied two of her final four holes on Tuesday to finish with a 150 (74-76), within three strokes of the cut line.
All three Northwestern representatives earned their berths in the field through local qualifying events. Komoto carded a 1-under 70 on July 6 at Sportsman's Country Club in Northbrook, Illinois, good for a share of fifth-place in the 86-person field. Mao fired the low score on June 27 at Georgia's St. Ives Country Club, a 2-under 70. Riley shot a 3-over 73 to earn a sixth-place finish at Oakland's Sequoyah County Club on July 5.
Wednesday's first round of match play will kick off five consecutive days of match play to whittle the post-cut field of 64 down to the 36-hole championship match on Sunday, August 7. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast live coverage of all five days of match play.
Earlier this spring Komoto became the fifth Wildcats golfer in program history to earn three All-Big Ten honors in a career with a 2016 First Team nod. She led the Wildcats this season with six Top-10 finishes, including four Top-4 results. The Honolulu, native owns the second-best career scoring average in program history, and the third-lowest single-season average (2015-16). Komoto has received Academic All-Big Ten honors in each of her first two seasons of eligibility, and was named an Honorable Mention All-American by Golfweek last month.
Mao earned Second Team All-Big Ten recognition in her rookie campaign, and picked up the first win of her college career with medalist honors at the 2016 Shoal Creek NCAA Regional. The Johns Creek, Georgia, native turned in the sixth-lowest single-season scoring average (73.92) in program history as a freshman.
Riley was the four-time Modesto Bee Player of the Year, and earned Valley Oak League MVP honors all four years of her scholastic career at East Union High School. Ranked among the Top-20 golfers in California, she finished in third at last year's CIF state championship, earned a Top-20 spot at IMG Junior World in a field that featured 144 of the world's best players, and also qualified for the 2014 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.
2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship – LIVE SCORES
2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship – Tournament Home
U.S. Women's Amateur Championship - History
Rolling Green Golf Club - Home
Mao put together a sparkling second round with a birdie and 15 pars – including nine straight during one stretch - to card a 1-over 72, comfortably advancing into the match play portion of the tournament by two strokes with a two-round total of 145.
Komoto backed up an opening 74 with a 2-over 73 in Tuesday's second round to wind up a nine-way tie for the final five spots in Wednesday's match play bracket. The tie was settled with a sudden-death stroke playoff. Starting on the 186-yard, Par-3 No.10, Komoto was one of four competitors to par the first playoff hole and immediately earn a berth in the match play portion. The remaining five golfers will play a second hole – and more, if necessary - on Wednesday morning to decide the final spot in the round-of-64.
Komoto will tee off on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET against Korea's Hye-Jin Choi, who captured the 2016 Canadian Women's Amateur Championship last week in Nova Scotia, and is the reigning World Junior Girls champion. Mao will tee off two groups later, at 1:20 p.m. ET, against 16-year old Eun Jeong Seong of Korea, who won her second consecutive U.S. Girls' Junior last month to become the first golfer to repeat as champion since 1971.
Incoming freshman Brooke Riley birdied two of her final four holes on Tuesday to finish with a 150 (74-76), within three strokes of the cut line.
All three Northwestern representatives earned their berths in the field through local qualifying events. Komoto carded a 1-under 70 on July 6 at Sportsman's Country Club in Northbrook, Illinois, good for a share of fifth-place in the 86-person field. Mao fired the low score on June 27 at Georgia's St. Ives Country Club, a 2-under 70. Riley shot a 3-over 73 to earn a sixth-place finish at Oakland's Sequoyah County Club on July 5.
Wednesday's first round of match play will kick off five consecutive days of match play to whittle the post-cut field of 64 down to the 36-hole championship match on Sunday, August 7. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast live coverage of all five days of match play.
Earlier this spring Komoto became the fifth Wildcats golfer in program history to earn three All-Big Ten honors in a career with a 2016 First Team nod. She led the Wildcats this season with six Top-10 finishes, including four Top-4 results. The Honolulu, native owns the second-best career scoring average in program history, and the third-lowest single-season average (2015-16). Komoto has received Academic All-Big Ten honors in each of her first two seasons of eligibility, and was named an Honorable Mention All-American by Golfweek last month.
Mao earned Second Team All-Big Ten recognition in her rookie campaign, and picked up the first win of her college career with medalist honors at the 2016 Shoal Creek NCAA Regional. The Johns Creek, Georgia, native turned in the sixth-lowest single-season scoring average (73.92) in program history as a freshman.
Riley was the four-time Modesto Bee Player of the Year, and earned Valley Oak League MVP honors all four years of her scholastic career at East Union High School. Ranked among the Top-20 golfers in California, she finished in third at last year's CIF state championship, earned a Top-20 spot at IMG Junior World in a field that featured 144 of the world's best players, and also qualified for the 2014 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.
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