SHAVERTOWN, Pa. – Because of the heat, Zi Ge Rebecca Wang wasn’t feeling well on Huntsville Golf Club’s (par 72, 6,172 yards) back nine. Through patience, perseverance and a few bottles of water, she carded a 1-under-par round of 71 to capture medalist honors in U.S. Girls’ Junior Qualifying administered by GAP Thursday.
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“The slopes were really big here at the course, so it was pretty hard to push my cart throughout the round,” Wang, 15, of Beijing, China and a first time USGA championship qualifier, said. “It feels really great to be medalist here at the qualifier. It wasn’t easy playing at this course, so I’m feeling really great.”
Amanda Phillips of New York, N.Y. and Kanchana Duangsam of Orlando, Fla. earned the other two available qualifying positions with rounds of 1-over 73.
The 75th U.S. Girls’ Junior will be contested at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif. July 15-20.
Wang, who practices at Nicklaus Club Beijing, has spent recent summers in the United States playing in AJGA events. In fact, it was the upcoming AJGA Junior at Huntsville July 8-11 that prompted her choosing the course as her U.S. Girls’ Junior Qualifying site.
Last year, she finished in the Top 5 in the six events she competed in. Her summer ended with a win in the 21st Northern Junior Championship at New Haven Country Club.
“I’ve been working on my game with my coach a lot before coming to the states,” Wang, who will be an 11th grader at the International School of Beijing, said. “I feel like compared to last summer, my game has been stronger and has mentally grown a lot.”
During her round, which began on No. 10 (par 4, 394 yards), Wang carded four birdies against three bogeys. She found her first red figure on No. 16 (par 4, 366 yards) via a 15-yard chip-in with her 58-degree. On No. 2 (par 4, 321 yards) she stopped a 48-degree wedge from 93 yards just six feet from the hole and swept in the putt. On the par 4, 318-yard, 4th hole, she steered a pitching wedge from 108 yards to a foot from the hole. She closed her bag of birdies on No. 6 (par 4, 338 yards) after she speared an 8-iron from 126 yards to five feet.
“I like meeting new friends in the states. There are a lot of international players,” Wang said. “Back in China, there are not as many international players, [it’s] mainly Chinese players. These events are really great. The courses are beautiful and I love playing at [them].”
And now a trip to California is on her itinerary.
“It’s awesome. I really look forward to going there,” Wang said. “I’ve heard it’s a beautiful course as well.”
Right now, she’s staying with her mother at a nearby hotel. The pair will be reunited with Wang’s dad and 7-year-old brother at the Championship proper.
Duangsam, whose family splits time between Orlando, Fla., Haymarket, Va., and Doha, Qatar, is also celebrating her first time qualifying for a USGA championship. She carded seven birdies against four bogeys and two double bogeys to get to her number.
“[Qualifying] means a lot to me because I’ve worked really hard for this tournament,” Duangsam, 16, said. “This is my third year trying and every time I would come up short.”
Phillips also left Huntsville with a U.S. Girls’ Junior invitation in tow. She carded three birdies against four bogeys for her first trip to the Championship proper.
“It was cool to have this opportunity especially in my last year playing junior golf,” Phillips, 18, said. “It’s also nice to have the opportunity to play in such a competitive event with so many other great players.”
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 Association’s 345 Member Clubs and 110,000 individual members are spread across the Eastern half of Pennsylvania and parts of Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
| Qualifiers | |
| Name, city, state | Score |
| Zi Ge Rebecca Wang, People’s Republic of China | 71 |
| Amanda Phillips, New York, N.Y. | 73 |
| Kanchana Duangsam, Orlando, Fla. | 73 |
| Alternates (in order) | |
| *Kate Roberts, Phoenixville, Pa. | 74 |
| *Varaya Witsitsakda, Thailand | 74 |
| Failed to qualify | |
| Claire Lu, Edison, N.J. | 75 |
| Mia Pace, Exton, Pa. | 75 |
| Angelina Tolentino, Mount Laurel, N.J. | 76 |
| Kayley Roberts, Phoenixville, Pa. | 76 |
| Waraporn Wimonwan, Thailand | 76 |
| Yijian (Angelina) Zhang, People’s Republic of China | 76 |
| Clarissa Leung, Villanova, Pa. | 76 |
| Sienna Hwang, New York, N.Y. | 77 |
| Madison Koshko, State College, Pa. | 78 |
| Kiersten Bodge, West Chester, Pa. | 78 |
| Alex Remaklus, Clermont, Fla. | 79 |
| Alexa Ouellet, Canada | 79 |
| Elle Overly, Lititz, Pa. | 80 |
| Meredith Finger, Wilmington, Del. | 80 |
| Gwendolyn Powell, Madison Twp., Pa. | 80 |
| Benedetta Attili, Italy | 81 |
| Grace Aoting Yao, Canada | 82 |
| Addie Chang, Ardmore, Pa. | 83 |
| Danielle Higbee, Mickleton, N.J. | 83 |
| Tepan Ngamkerdsiri, Thailand | 83 |
| Olivia Cho, Ashburn, Va. | 84 |
| Naaz Mehta, Newtown, Pa. | 85 |
| Victoria Giang, Ashburn, Va. | 85 |
| Sirikorn Anantathanasarn, Thailand | 85 |
| Sirina Ganne, Holmdel, N.J. | 85 |
| Kayla Maletto, Sinking Spring, Pa. | 86 |
| Hallie Brown, Tunkhannock, Pa. | 86 |
| Rui Wen Wang, Hong Kong, China | 86 |
| Lila Becker, Baltimore, Md. | 87 |
| Cailyn Schall, Jersey Shore, Pa. | 90 |
| Rylee Delaney, West Deptford, N.J. | 96 |
| Jillian Burks, Paoli, Pa. | 102 |
| Sarah Stumacher, Gladwyne, Pa. | WD |
| WD – withdrawal | |
| * – determined in playoff |
