Alice Chen, 16, Of Neshanic Valley Wins NJSGA 58th Junior Girls By 10 Strokes
Alice Chen, 16, of Neshanic Valley overcame a bout of dizziness and put together a round of 1-under-par 34 on her back nine for a 36-hole total of 3-over-par 76-147 to win the New Jersey State Golf Association 58thJunior Girls Championship by 10 strokes over Abby Lim over Overpeck (76-157) and Anina Ku of Basking Ridge (79-157) on Tuesday at the Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune.
Kelsey Solan of Burlington, a senior at Rancocas Valley, was fourth with a 79-161 while Kelly Sim of Royce Brook was fifth with a 75-162. Christina Parsells of Baltusrol was sixth with a 81-165.
Monica Schumacher of New Jersey National won the 9-hole division.
Chen, a Montgomery resident who will be a junior at Montgomery High School, placed fourth in the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association girls championship after winning the her high school Somerset County, Skyland Conference and state sectional titles.
She was tied for 37thlast month at the USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links championship at Neshanic Valley.
Defending champion Cindy Ha of Demarest played Tuesday in the U.S. Women´s Amateur qualifier at Somerset Hills.
“I felt light-headed after the sixth hole and nauseous after the seventh hole and it affected my putting,” said Chen, who double-bogeyed the par-5 eighth hole and watched her seven-stroke lead over Ku from Monday shrink to three shots.
"So I took some Motrin and drank some water and I felt a lot better. Maybe I was dehydrated,” said Chen, who will played AGJA events this month in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Texas. Her best finish in an AGJA was a second place at Killington, Vt., last year.
“I was getting scared because if I was going to continue making double bogeys, then Aninu could catch me,” Chen said. “I felt so much better on the back nine. When I went birdie-birdie-birdie, I stopped feeling pressured.”
Chen recorded birdies on the par-3 11th, par-5 12th, and par-3 13th.“This is my first major victory and it feels great. It’s nice because it shows how far I’ve come,” she said.
