Totland, Chen In Semifinal Rematch At Women's Amateur

Alice Chen of Neshanic Valley, who won the NJSGA Women’s Amateur in 2013, found herself trailing by three holes in her quarterfinal match against Rutgers sophomore Emily Mills of Eagle Oaks.

“At that point, I’m thinking we had a lot of holes to go, but I’m really upset with myself because I made a lot of silly mistakes,” said Chen, who rallied to defeated Mills, 2 up, and advanced to the semifinals of the 90th NJSGA Women’s Amateur Championship at The Bedens Brook Club in Skillman.

Awaiting Chen in the 7:30 a.m. semifinal is her Furman University teammate, defending champion Taylor Totland of Hollywood, who defeated Katie Edelblut of Trenton, a sophomore at William and Mary, 5 and 4.

In the other semifinal, Scotland Preston of Echo Lake, the 2011 champion, takes on Noelle Maertz of Hyatt Hills, the 2013 NJSGA Public Links champion who reached the Women’s Am semifinals last year. Ih the quarterfinals, Preston beat Racquel Zurick of Mountain View, 4 and 3, and Maertz bested Mid-Amateur champion Tara Fleming of New Jersey National, 3 and 1.

The championship final will follow the morning semifinal matches.

PHOTO GALLERY MATCH-PLAY BRACKETS

“I know Taylor (Totland) is a great player. I have very high regard ad respect for her. Whatever happens tomorrow, we’ll still be great friends. I’m looking forward to it. It will be fun,” said Chen, who battled Totland to 19 holes in the 2014 semifinals.The two led Furman to the Southern Conference chmpionship, Totland as Player of the Year and Chen as Freshman of the Year.

Totland, of Tinton Falls and Red Bank Catholic, and Chen, of Princeton and Montgomery High School, are both former NJSIAA individual state champions.

Chen rallied against her early 3-hole deficit to Mills by winning the par-4 fifth with a par and the seventh and eighth holes with birdies to go all square. Chen was finally able to pull away when she won par-4 No. 14 and par-4 No. 15 with pars to go 2 up. She eventually ended the match with a birdie on the par-4 No. 18.

“You have to do your best to stay positive and look for an opportunity,” Chen said.

In the Round of 16, Totland defeated Rebecca Gaona of Eagle Oaks, a rising senior at Monmouth University, 6 and 5; Edelblut outsted Kelsey Solan of Burlington, a rising senior at James Madison, 2 and 1; Chen topped former Montgomery High School teammate Madison Beers of Neshanic Valley, a rising sophomore at Kutztown, 4 and 2; Mills bested mid-amateur Alicia Kapheim of Hopewell Valley, 6 and 4.

Also, Preston beat mid-amateur Susan Sardi of Cherry Valley, 6 and 5; Zurick defeated Red Bank Catholic senior Nicole Totland of Hollywood, Taylor’s sister, 4 and 3; Maertz ousted Allison Herring of TPC Jasna Polana, a rising freshman at Tennessee, 4 and 3, and Fleming beat Jessica Kavanaugh of Manasquan River, a rising senior at Monmouth University.

In her victory over Edelblut, Totland counted four birdies for victories, on the par-3 second hole, the par-5 third, the par-5 seventh and the par-4 10th hole. Totland left immediately to drive Furman head coach Kelley Hester to catch a flight home from Newark Airport.

Preston, who won the Women’s Amateur as a 17-year-old rising high school senior at Gov. Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, is in the semifinals for the first time since her victory in 2011.

“A lot has happened in four years. When I won in 2011, I had just committed to Kansas State, and it’s been all about K-State since then. The field in this event has gotten better every year. They’ve gained more experience,” Preston said.

In the triumph over Zurick, a Rutgers University senior, she pretty much played par golf, explaining: “The wind became a factor this afternoon. I’ve been working on things and my game has been close. Putting is the main thing and I’ve been pretty confident about it.”

Preston, the daughter of former Echo Lake head pro Mike Preston, help Kansas State to a victory in the Denver Invitational last fall with a top 20 finish.

Maertz lost in last year’s semifinals to Solan, 2 and 1, and “that makes me hungry to win, for sure. I’m happy to be back in the semifinals. I’ve been in a rough patch. It’s good to come back. I want to win,” she said.

Maertz, who won eight collegiate events for Wagner this past spring and was named Northeast Conference Player of the Year, built a 3-hole lead vs. Fleming and saw it reduced to two holes when Fleming won the par-3 No. 16. But Maertz won with a par on the par-5 No. 17 to close out the triumph.

“You have to hit it straight here. I can get away with hitting 3-woods and irons off the tee here,” she said.