Taylor Totland Wins 89th NJSGA Women's Amateur At Spring Brook
Taylor Totland of Hollywood was so tired after defeating future Furman University teammate and defending champion Alice Chen of Neshanic Valley in 19 holes in the semifinals, that it turned out to be a good thing.
“I was so exhausted that I play better when I don’t think. I play better when my mind is blank,” said Totland, 19, who proceeded to defeat Kelsey Solan of Burlington, 6 and 5, in the championship final to win the 89th NJSGA Women’s Amateur Championship on Thursday, July 31, at 5,741-yard Spring Brook Country Club in Morristown.
Against Solan, 20, Totland came out on fire and won the first four holes with two pars and two birdies and then never looked back. She shot three under par on her front nine and one-over par for the 13 holes. Her third birdie came on the par-5 eighth hole.
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“This is great. My coach, Karen Noble won this. Playing against Alice was draining. But this will put me in a good position for the U.S. Women’s Amateur next week. That’s a big event and all those pressure situations this week gave me good experience,” said Totland, who lives in Tinton Falls.
Totland became the fifth straight teenager to win the Women’s Amateur. She and semifinalist Noelle Maertz of Hyatt Hills, who Solan bested in the semifinals, 2 and 1, were co-medalists a month ago at U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying at Montammy.
Two years ago, Totland won the NJSGA Tournament of Club Champions, becoming the youngest to ever do so.
“Obviously, I wished a play better this afternoon,” Solan said. “But I’m really happy how I played all week,” said the rising junior at James Madison University who lives in Lumberton. “It wasn’t exactly my best effort on the first few holes. I didn’t hit a lot of great shots, but Taylor played great.”
Totland ousted Chen in 19 holes when she birdied the 19th hole – the par-4 first hole. Totland hit an approach shot to six feet. Chen, meanwhile, was blocked out after a drive under a tree on the left side of the fairway, and hit her approach out of bounds. A second approach after a penalty shot was short of the green as it hit a tree branch.
“I wanted to be aggressive and got for it. I didn’t think I had a shot at the green from under the tree, so I went for a gap in the branches,” said Chen, who last year won both the Junior Girls and Women’s amateur titles while later starring for the New Jersey State Team that won the U.S. State Team championship for the first time.
“I’m not surprised it went to 19 holes. Taylor hit an amazing second shot on the playoff hole. I knew it would be a super close match.”
Chen, who won the NJSGA Women's Public Links last month, will play in the Big I championship in West Virginia next week and one more AJGA event before heading to Furman on August 28.
In the morning semifinals, Totland vs. Chen was a battle of Furman University teammates, Totland a rising sophomore and Chen, the New Jersey scholastic champion the past three years, an incoming freshman at the South Carolina school.
Totland, a graduate of Red Bank Catohlic, will compete next week at the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Long Island. She became the first lower seed to win during this two-day, 16-player match play.
Totland led by as many as three holes after par victories on the par-4 fifth and par-5 sixth holes. After Chen claimed the seventh hole with a par, Totland again went up three holes with s victory with bogey on the par-4 eighth. Chen got one hole back with a par on the par-3 nitnh and won again on the par-3 10th, this time with a bogey.
Totland extended the lead to two holes with a triumph with a par on the par-3 11th, but Chen cut the deficit to one hole with a par win on the par-4 12th. It stayed that way until the par-4 18th hole. This time, Totland’s drive found the left side and she was forced to punch out as her approach was behind a tree.
Chen’s approach from 180 yards, meanwhile, ended 20 feet beyond the hole, and she two-putted for a par victory to send the match to the extra hole.
“It was a grind out there,” Totland said. “Alice is one of my really good friends, and she’s a teammate, so you obviously want to see them succeed, so it’s kind of a bittersweet feeling,,” she added.
“I’m happy I won, but she’s my teammate, but she’s also my competitor, so I have to keep that in mind.”
Solan, the top seed who lives in Lumberton, grabbed an early two-hole lead with a par victory on the par-4 seventh hole. But Maertz, who lives in Clark, cut the deficit in half with a par triumph on the eighth hole. Maertz got the match to all square when she parred the ninth hole against Solan’s bogey.
Maertz then went 1 up with a par victory on the 10th hole. Solan got back to all square with a par victory on the 11th. Solan finally got the ledad back with a par victory on the par-3 14thhole. Solan closed out the match with a birdie on the par-5 17th hole.
“I didn’t have a birdie chance all day, not anything inside 15 feet or closer,” said Maertz, 20, a junior at Wagner who also is competing at next week’s U.S, Women’s Amateur. “I really didn’t give myself good opportunities today to make anything.”
“The putting was tough. I was only making a putt here and there” said Solan, 20. “This is a lot of fun. We both played very well. Winning this has been a long-time goal of mine. To be In the finals of the State Amateur is definitely exciting. I’m happy to be there.”
