Five Earn Berth Into U.S. Women's Amateur At Hawk Pointe Qualifier
August Kim of St. Augustine, Fla,, a rising senior at Purdue University who in May won the Big Ten Conference championship at The Fort in Indianapolis, earned medalist honors at qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship on Wednesday, June 29, at Hawk Pointe Golf Club in Washington, N.J.
The event was conducted by the New Jersey State Golf Association.
Kim shot three-under-par 69 as the leader of five qualifiers and two alternates to the U.S. Women’s Amateur, which takes place August 1-7 at Rolling Green Golf Club, Springfield, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia.
Other qualifiers at 70 were Isabella Fierro, a 15-year-old from Merida, Mexico, Alessandra Liu, a recent graduate of William & Mary from Bala Cynwyd, Pa., and Kelly Whaley of Cromwell, Conn., daughter of famed golf instructor Suzy Whaley, the current secretary of the PGA of America, who was on hand.
A playoff ensued for the fifth and final qualifying spot between two who shot 71 - Jackie Rogowicz of Yardley Pa., and Cristina Parsells of Bernardsville, Pa., who won the NJSGA Junior Girls championship in 2014.
Rogowicz, a rising sophomore at Penn State who played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2014, won the spot with a par on the third playoff hole, the par-4 ninth.
Kelly Sim of Edgewater, N.J., the two-time and defending New Jersey scholastic champion, earned the second alternate with a birdie on the first playoff hole in a playoff among four who shot 72, including Allyson Wentworth of Stewartsville.
“I wanted to stay patient. I knew the birdies were out there. I stayed calm all the way to the end,” said Kim, who lived in Searingtown, L.I., until age 16 when the family moved to Florida.
She qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2010.
Parsells recently completed her freshman year at Georgetown University where she was the only freshman named All-Big East Conference. She last summer won the girls North-South Championship at Pinehurst. She is coming off a foot injury that caused her to miss the final two weeks of her collegiate season.
“I became very motivated to do well in college the summer before I went to Georgetown,” said the graduate of Kent Place in Summit. “I picked up my practice regimen and have been working on my short game ever since.
“Today I hit it really well and my dad (George) helped me with my alignment. I was able to make five birdies today,” Parsells said.
Nearly five inches of rain hit Hawk Ponte on Tuesday night and the mostly water-filled bunkers were ruled ground under repair throughout the course by the USGA.
