Alice Chen Seeks Third Women's Amateur; Helen Bernstein Defends Mid-am
At age 21, Alice Chen of Neshanic Valley is one of the most decorated female golfer in the history of the NJSGA.
The Princeton resident is a part of two national championships, and has won two NJSGA Amateur Championships, two NJSGA Public Links Championships and two NJSGA Junior Girls Championships. She has also won a Four-Ball championship with Allison Herring.
Chen was named to Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in 2013.
Most recently, she and Furman University teammate Taylor Totland of Hollywood won the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball Championship. Three years before that, Chen helped lead New Jersey to the U.S. State Team Championship along with Tara Fleming of New Jersey National and Cindy Ha of Valley Brook.
As defending champion, her latest venture would be winning her third NJSGA Women’s Amateur this week at Somerset Hills Country Club. The 92nd NJSGA Women’s Amateur Championship will be played beginning Tuesday, Aug. 1, through Friday, August 4.
The fourth NJSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur, won last year by Helen Bernstein of Executive Women’s Golf Association – North Jersey, runs concurrently Tuesday and Wednesday.
Among the field of 55 golfers, are Ami Gianchandani of Montclair and Christine Shao of New Jersey National, recent winners of the NJSGA Junior Girls championship, Allison Herring, Chen’s former Four-Ball partner, and former Mid-Amateur champions Fran Gacos of Copper Hill, Tara Fleming and Helen Bernstein.
Chen and Totland have dominated the championship the past four years, Chen winning in 2013 and 2016 and Totland in 2014 and 2015. Each time, one or the other had to go through a best friend en route to the title.
Last year, Chen defeated Totland in the final at Upper Montclair C.C., 3 and 2, and there were plenty of tears when the match was finished.
This year, for a change, Chen will not have to worry about Totland, who is now a fill-time player on the Symetra Tour with eyes on eventually landing on the LPGA Tour.
“Alice is a great golfer and an even better person. It’s an honor to play with her,” said Totland after the U.S. Four-Ball triumph. “The future is very bright for her.
In last year’s semifinal, Chen needed 20 holes to beat the 2015 Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, Tara Fleming after Chen led by four holes at one point in the match. A 25-foot putt on the 20th hole ended that match
Totland had defeated Noelle Martz of Hyatt Hills, 5 and 3, in the morning semifinals.
“This round was really clean. Just being around my teammate and playing on a great golf course like this made it a great day. It’s kind of funny playing with each other. We’re like mirror images. I know what she’s going to do and she knows what I’m going to do. We have the same process putting and the same bunker set-up,” said Chen.
.“Alice didn’t make a mistake. We both shot under par. She putted great and played amazing,” Totland said. “You can’t control when somebody else plays like that. It’s been a great week for me and I got good practice for the U.S. Amateur next week at Rolling Green (Springfield, Pa.).
Eight of the first nine holes were won, with only one halved. Chen birdied holes six (par 4), seven (par-five) and eight (par 3) to go 3-up. Totland rallied with birdies on the par-4 ninth and par-5 11thto close the deficit to one hole.
But Chen birdied the par-4 12th, a water hole she bogeyed in the morning, then added a par victory on the par-3 15th. Her par on No. 16 ended the match.
“I wasn’t down after the close math in the semifinals. I was focused on the opportunity to play a beautiful golf course against one of my closest friends. I was striking it well and putting well. I always look forward and not back. I focused on being confident in my ability and I gave it my best today,” Chen said.
After defeating Fleming, Chen was looking forward to one of her biggest matches of the year.
“I feel excited to meet Taylor in the finals. It’s the first time we’re meeting in the finals. There’s no one I’d rather meet. She’s my friend and my teammate. We’ll keep the trophy for Furman no matter what happens.
“The hard part of match play is that if you mess up a few things here and there, you can go from four up to all square in a hurry,” said Chen, who attended Montgomery High School.
