Unc Golfer Earns Medal At U.S. Women's Amateur Qualifier At Forsgate
When Brynn Walker of St. Davids, Pa., competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur for the first time two years ago at age 17, her first recollection was that of writing a 10 on her scorecard.
“I’ve had a lot of experience since then. The first time I went into the U.S. Amateur, I was tight. It was more about it being a learning experience. I’m more confident going in now. I can just go for it,” said Walker, who shot a one-over-par 72 to earn medalist honors at qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Amateur at par-71, 6,338-yard Forsgate Country Club (Banks Course) in Monroe on Wednesday, June 28.
The U.S. Women's Amateur takes place Aug. 7-13 at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif.
Besides Walker, a rising sophomore on the University of North Carolina golf team, other qualifiers were Alix Lowe (Towson University) of Farmingdale, N.Y., and Ina Kim of New York, who both shot 75, and Valerie Tanguay of Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec, a University of Oklahoma golfer, who shot 76 and survived a four-hole playoff.
The two alternates were Kaitlyn Lee, a 15-year-old from Scarsdale, N.Y., and Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Mirabel, Quebec, a Kansas State golfer.
In 2015, Walker played in both the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Nassau Country Club and the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Also in 2015, she and Maddie Herr of New Hope, Pa., teamed up and reached the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball and in 2016, the quarterfinals of the same event.
“The only one I haven’t played in is the U.S. Open, but there’s plenty of time for that,” said Walker, who helped UNC reached the NCAA finals in Chicago.
Her brother, Brian, 25, plays on the mini-tour circuit and it the founder of Golf and Entrepreneur Magazine.
“He started playing golf late, but when he did, I followed him everywhere,” said Brynn, who played in the 2016 ShopRite LPGA Classic through a Monday qualifier. She missed out on going again this year despite shooting a 69 in qualifying.
At Forsgate, Walker recorded two birdies against three pars. She had one three-putt the entire round. The birdies came on the par-4 No. 2 when she drained a 20-foot putt, and on the par-4 No. 18 when she hit her wedge to six feet.
“I made a lot of putts today. That was the best thing about my game. I played a practice round here on Sunday and realized you had to be very strategic when hitting onto the green. You have to pick a spot on every hole. If you don’t, you’ll wind up in a deep bunker.
“What also saved me today was the fact I didn’t get in a bunker all day,” she said.
Matt Lowe, the brother of qualifier Alix Lowe, on Tuesday won the MGA’s Ike Championship, shooting a course-record 61 at Century Country Club.
