Min Upsets Top Seed, Santos Wins Close Match At WAPL
6/19/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
NORMAN, Okla. - The good news is Gonzaga University sophomore-to-be Raychelle Santos and incoming freshman Ciera Min each won their opening-round matches of match play Wednesday at the 37th U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
The bad news is they will play each other Thursday in the round of 32 at 5:30 a.m. PDT at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.
Min, from Hilo, Hawai'i, got the day started with the biggest upset so far in this year's match play, upsetting top-seeded and defending NCAA Women's Golf Championship medalist Annie Park 6 and 4.
Meanwhile, it took Santos 18 holes to dispose of Demi Frances Runas 1 up as the native of La Quinta, Calif., birdied the 542-yard par 5 18th.
Min survived a 10-player playoff for one of the final six spots into the match play following Tuesday's completion of the 36 holes of stroke play and was seeded last in the match play field of 64. Park, from Levittown, NY, who just completed her freshman season at USC, shot a pair of 68's to take co-medalist honors at 146 and the No. 1 match play seed.
Min and Park were all square through two holes, but Min grabbed a lead she would never relinquish with a par 4 on the third hole. She continued to build the lead and went 6 up with a birdie on the par 4 11th. Park birdied the par 4 13th to cut Min's lead to 5 up but Min put the finishing touches on the match with a par 4 on the 14th.
No. 64 beating the top seed isn't uncommon in the WAPL, but Min's 6 and 4 victory is the second-largest defeat in the first round for the medalist. Jessica Reese lost 9 and 7 in 2002 to Sunny Oh. In 1999, Jenna Daniels lost to Nancy Romero in the first round after beating her in stroke play by nearly 30 strokes, according to WAPL officials.
Santos, seeded 32nd, and Runas, the 33rd seed, were each 2 up during their tight match. Santos built a 2 up lead with a birdie 4 on the 507 yard, par 5 fifth, but Runas came back to go 2 up with a birdie on the par 4 10th. Santos birdied the par 4 11th to trail 1 up then drew even with a par 4 on the 464-yard par 5 13th.
"That was an amazing win for Ciera. She beat one of the best amateurs in the world and I'm really happy for her," Gonzaga head coach Brad Rickel said. "I'm looking forward to her bringing that kind of great golf to the program in the fall. Raychelle hung in there and beat a great player, too. Winning a close match like that does so much for you mentally."
But Rickel is torn with Santos and Min going head-to-head Thursday.
"It's unfortunate they have to play each her so early in match play, but that's the way the bracket fell," Rickel said. "I want each of them to go out play hard to win, but at the end of the round I want them to remember they are teammates."
This is the third time in four years Gonzaga will be represented in the round of 32. Tai Jade ‘TJ' Kliebphipat advanced to the second round last year, and Victoria Fallgren fell in the round of 32 in 2010.
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