Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Tim Cowie - Tim Cowie Photography
Lau, Mao Advance To Match Play At U.S. Amateur Championship
8/7/2018 6:12:00 PM | Women's Golf
KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. – Rising seniors Stephanie Lau and Janet Mao have advanced to match play at the 2018 United States Women's Amateur Championship, hosted by The Golf Club of Tennessee (Par 71; 6,380 yards).
Mao opened the competition with a 3-under 68, and followed it up with a 1-under 70 on Tuesday to finish the 36-hole stroke play portion in a tie for 8th in her fourth consecutive trip to one of the world's best amateur events.
"I think that's probably one of the best ball-striking rounds I've had maybe ever," Mao said following her first round. "It makes it a little less stressful when you can trust your shots and be confident in that and hit it to a distance where you're not having terrible putts. I wouldn't say I putted extraordinarily, but I kept giving myself opportunities throughout the day, kind of avoided any mistakes and just hit the ball well and was pretty solid overall."
On a sweltering Tuesday when temperatures reached the mid-90s with a Heat Index of 99, Lau fired a scorching 3-under 68 to rocket up the leaderboard and finish the day in a tie for 22nd. The Fullerton, California, native carded five birdies over a nine-hole stretch from No. 17 to No. 7 to safely clear the cut line and advance.
Mao advanced to the Round-of-32 in last year's U.S. Women's Amateur, while Lau bowed out to the eventual runner-up in the Round-of-16.
The low 64 scorers from stroke play advance to match play, which begins Wednesday. Competitors have to win six matches to claim the title, including Sunday's 36-hole championship match. FS1 begins its live broadcasts on Wednesday from 3-6 p.m. CT, and live streaming of the Round-of-32 matches will be on usga.org from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CT on Thursday.
The cut for match play came at 3-over 145, the lowest in the history of the championship. The previous low was 147 in 2016. A 9-for-1 playoff for the final match-play spot will take place on Wednesday, beginning on the par-3 10th hole, and including Northwestern alumnus Ina Kim ('05).
Mao opened the competition with a 3-under 68, and followed it up with a 1-under 70 on Tuesday to finish the 36-hole stroke play portion in a tie for 8th in her fourth consecutive trip to one of the world's best amateur events.
"I think that's probably one of the best ball-striking rounds I've had maybe ever," Mao said following her first round. "It makes it a little less stressful when you can trust your shots and be confident in that and hit it to a distance where you're not having terrible putts. I wouldn't say I putted extraordinarily, but I kept giving myself opportunities throughout the day, kind of avoided any mistakes and just hit the ball well and was pretty solid overall."
On a sweltering Tuesday when temperatures reached the mid-90s with a Heat Index of 99, Lau fired a scorching 3-under 68 to rocket up the leaderboard and finish the day in a tie for 22nd. The Fullerton, California, native carded five birdies over a nine-hole stretch from No. 17 to No. 7 to safely clear the cut line and advance.
Mao advanced to the Round-of-32 in last year's U.S. Women's Amateur, while Lau bowed out to the eventual runner-up in the Round-of-16.
The low 64 scorers from stroke play advance to match play, which begins Wednesday. Competitors have to win six matches to claim the title, including Sunday's 36-hole championship match. FS1 begins its live broadcasts on Wednesday from 3-6 p.m. CT, and live streaming of the Round-of-32 matches will be on usga.org from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CT on Thursday.
The cut for match play came at 3-over 145, the lowest in the history of the championship. The previous low was 147 in 2016. A 9-for-1 playoff for the final match-play spot will take place on Wednesday, beginning on the par-3 10th hole, and including Northwestern alumnus Ina Kim ('05).
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