ELVERSON, Pa. — Jackie Rogowicz’s remarkable run in the 36th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship came to an end Wednesday at Stonewall’s North Course (par 71, 5,925 yards).
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The Yardley Country Club member fell to 2017 titleholder Kelsey Chugg of Salt Lake City, Utah, 1-up, in the semifinals. In the morning, she overcame another former champion (2015) in Laura Greenlief of Ashburn, Va., 3&2, in the quarterfinals.
Chugg will face Kimberly Dinh of Midland, Mich. in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Final at 9 a.m. Thursday.
“It’s pretty special. This is my second U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, and I only made it to the Round of 16 last year. It was nice to improve on that,” Rogowicz, 26, of Yardley, Pa., said. “It was really special to play Stonewall, a home game. I had a lot of friends and family out, which was really fun.”
Through five matches and 76 holes of championship golf, Rogowicz, the tournament’s co-medalist and No. 2 seed, surrendered only 11. Thirty-six percent of that figure occurred in her bout against Chugg.
On No. 7 (par 5, 459 yards), Rogowicz rendered a fried egg lie in the right fairway bunker. A textbook extrication left the Penn State University alum 174 yards from the flagstick. She found the center of the green with a 5-iron, but left her 23-footer for birdie a daunting seven feet shy of its destination. Rogowicz missed the par putt to move 1-down.
Despite the setback, Rogowicz, given her length advantage, encountered an opportunity to square matters on the next hole (par 5, 524 yards). She knocked a 54-degree wedge 100 yards to 10 feet. Chugg came up short of the green, but finessed a chip to three feet for par. Rogowicz failed to capitalize on her birdie chance.
That sequence seemingly foreshadowed the remainder of the contest. Rogowicz missed one green (No. 16) on Stonewall’s back nine. The birdies never materialized. Meanwhile, Chugg, even when out of position, walked away unscathed given a stupendous short game. An up-and-in from 30 yards on No. 11 (par 4, 378 yards); a sand save on No. 12 (par 4, 314 yards); a near hole-out for birdie from greenside left on No. 16 (par 4, 390 yards) and a downhill eight-footer on No. 17 (par 3, 188 yards) following a missed green.
“It was really impressive,” Rogowicz, an investment analyst for Penn Mutual, said. “My speed [on the greens] was a little off in the afternoon, and it’s tough when she’s not making mistakes.”
As the gallery swelled, so did the match’s intensity. Rogowicz arrived at Stonewall’s closer (par 5, 495 yards) trailing by one. She naturally selected driver, a trustworthy club that magnetized to fairways throughout the week. This time, it caught the left rough, forcing a layup on a gettable hole. Still, a steely Rogowicz showed. She lifted a 54-degree wedge 92 yards to 12 feet. Chugg, true to script, missed the green but eased a downhill chip to two feet.
A chance to force overtime rested on Rogowicz’s shoulders.
“[Caddie] Terry (Sawyer) said left edge, and I agreed. I felt like I hit it there, but it kind of just wiggled right,” Rogowicz said. “My dad (Paul) said he watched a couple other people’s putts do the same thing. It’s a tricky putt.”
No tricks involved in the magic Rogowicz experienced at Stonewall.
“I feel like I’ll have really good memories. Being co-medalist … I’ve never done that before. That’s pretty cool,” she said. “I feel like I made a good run. I think I can win a USGA event. I really do.”
As a result of her performance, Rogowicz received an exemption into the 37th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, set for Sept. 7-12, 2024 at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newtown, Mass.
GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
