DuPONT, Wash. - Gonzaga University junior-to-be Raychelle Santos and 2014 graduate Tai Jade 'TJ' Kliebphipat won their opening-round match play outings Wednesday while senior-to-be Alice Kim suffered a heartbreaking loss at the 38th Women's Amateur Public Links golf championship at The Home Course.
Santos, the 28th seed, downed No. 37 seed Elyse Smidinger of Crofton, Md., 5 and 3 while the 11th-seeded Kliebphipat downed No. 54 seed Abby Newton of Katy, Texas, 2 and 1. Kim, the 51st seed, lost to No. 14 seed Katharine Patrick of West University Place, Texas, in 20 holes.
Santos jumped out to an early lead, going 3 up after four holes. The players halved the next four holes before Smidinger won the ninth hole. Santos pushed the lead back to 3 up on the 11th hole before losing the 12th, then closed out the match with a par and a pair of birdies on the 13th, 14th and 15th holes, respectively.
Kliebphipat and Newton battled back-and-forth thru seven holes, neither golfer taking more than a 1 up lead. But Kliebphipat won the eighth and ninth holes to go 2 up at the turn, then won the 11th hole to go three up. Newton cut the deficit to 2 up by winning the 12th hole and climbed to within a hole of Kliebphipat after taking the 16th. Kliebphipat birdied the par 4 17th hole to wrap up the match.
Matching pars through the first five holes, Kim trailed 3 up at the turn as Patrick won the sixth, seventh and ninth holes. Kim battled back to square the match by taking the 12th, 13th, 16th and 17th holes while Patrick won the 15th. Both players made par on the 18th and headed back to the first tee to begin extra holes. Both players made par on the first hole, but Kim bogeyed No. 2 while Patrick made par to take the match.
Santos will face reigning U.S. Girls' Junior champion Gabriella Then, 18, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., in the Round of 32 at 8:30 a.m. PDT Thursday. Then, the No. 5 seed, rallied from an early deficit to take a 3-and-2 victory over Hannah Sodersten of Fresno, Calif.
Kliebphipat will face No. 22 seed Cassy Isagawa of Wailuku, Hawai'i, at 10 a.m. PDT. Isagawa defeated No. 43 seed Blair Lewis of La Mesa, Calif., in 20 holes Wednesday.
Thursday's winners will also play the Round of 16 in the afternoon.
For complete results and pairings click here.
