Maertz, Sim, Herring, Shin Advance To Women's Amateur Semifinals
Noelle Maertz of Hyatt Hills is back in familiar territory. For the fourth time in five years, Maertz, a graduate of Wagner College, is in the semifinals of the New Jersey State Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship.
On Thursday, Maertz, 23, a resident of Clark, needed 19 holes to defeat local favorite Adrienne MacLean of Somerset Hills in the quarterfinals of the 92nd NJSGA Women’s Amateur at 5,802-yard Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville.
She advances to face 17-year-old medalist Kelly Sim of Alpine, who needed only 24 holes to subdue two opponents, in Friday morning's semifinals. .
In the other semifinal, Allison Herring of TPC Jasna Polana, a rising junior at the University of Tennessee, who bested Mid-Amateur Champion Tara FlemiPg of New Jersey National, 4 and 2, will face Yeji Shin of Valley Brook, a rising junior at TCU. Shin edged Megan McLean of Fiddler’s Elbow, 1 up, in the quarterfinals.
MATCH-PLAY BRACKET PHOTO GALLERY
Maertz birdied the 19th hole, the par-5 No. 1, reaching in two and two-putting from 35 feet to derail MacLean.
“I want to keep the ball in the fairway and then put it close to the pin,” said Maertz, the Northeast Conference Player of the Year in 2015. A year ago, she lost in the semifinals to Taylor Totland of Hollywood, who then lost to Furman University teammate Alice Chen in the final. This spring Totland and Chen paired to win the U.S. Four-Ball Championship.
Defending champion Chen was ousted in Thursday morning’s Round of 16 to Adrienne MacLean, 2 and 1.
“I feel if I can get off to a good start, that will definitely help,” said Maertz, who won the NJSGA Public Links Championship in 2012 and was twice runner-up in the event. “I think the match (vs. Sim) will include a lot of birdies. I really like this course. The front nine is completely open to scoring and the back nine is about placement off the tee. The greens are tricky and fast.”
Sim recorded six birdies in 10 holes to defeat 14-year-old Tiya Chowdary of Neshanic Valley, 9 and 8, in the quarterfinal after besting Amy Loughney of Galloping Hill, 6 and 4, in the Round of 16.
“This was my best day of ball-striking. I never played here before Tuesday, so the first two days was about learning the greens,” said Kim, 17, a rising senior at Holy Angels Academy in Westwood. She is a resident of Edgewater and has accepted a scholarship to play golf at Northwestern.
“On the greens, it’s about putting the ball in the proper places and then getting some simple uphill putts.”
Sim enjoys match play. In 2016, she represented the United States in the MGA/WMGA French-American Challenge and defeated Mathilde Claisse, 1 up, by shooting five under on the back nine at Stanwych Club.
She also enjoys playing old courses, particularly those deigned by A. W. Tillinghast. She played in the past two U.S. Girls’ Junior, both on Tillhinghast-designed venues, 2015 at Tulsa Country Club and in 2016, at Ridgewood Country Club. Alpine, where she is a member, is another Tillinghast course, as is Somerset Hills, which is celebrating its centennial.
“Tillinghast courses just suit my eyes. I really enjoy playing them,” Sim said.
Herring eagled the par-5 No. 1 hole and won the second hole with a par en route to a 4 and 2 victory over Mid-Amateur champion Tara Fleming of New Jersey National.
Herring defeated 12-year-old Katie Li of New Jersey National, 2 and 1, for the first match-play triumph of her career in the Round of 16.
“I struggled in the beginning of my first match, but I finally got it going on the back nine. I got into a rhythm. In the afternoon, I got off to a strong start and continued the momentum,” said Herring, 20, a resident of Skillman who graduated Montgomery High.
She went three-under-par on the front vs. Fleming after a birdie on the par-5 No. 6, a hole that was halved.
“I think playing here the first two days in stroke play, I could see where you could miss and where you could be aggressive. I’ve been hitting the ball great all week. I’m putting myself in great position to score,” Herring said.
Shin, the 2016 NJSGA Public Links champion, won the par-4 No. 17 with a par to go 1-up and then halved No. 18 with McLean, a rising junior at Penn State who lives in Tewksbury.
“I played two solid rounds of match-play today, especially after the way I played in stroke play with an 6 and a 76. I’m so happy,” said Shin, a Norwood resident who is transferring to TCU from Georgia Southern.
“It’s all about placement here. Making putts is what you have to do to succeed in match play,” she said.
