LOS ANGELES – Olivia Duan spoke with her caddie nearly a full minute before lining up her putting.
Five minutes earlier, the Princeton commitee was in an awful position and seemed to need a miracle. She got it.
Duan smacked his ball into the hole, then gave a big fist-pump. Duan, who had a bogey at the first hole of the playoff Wednesday morning, made par at the par-4 eleventh to move up as the 64th seed for match play in the U.S. Amateur.
Duan was among the 10 players that went into a play-off for the nine final match-play slots Wednesday morning, in a cloudy Los Angeles. The par-3 10th hole, a 205-yard monster over a canyon, was the starting point for the players. Eight out of 10 players made par or higher, which left Duan and Texas rising sophomore Angela Heo battling for the last spot.
U.S. Women’s Amateur: Photos
The 11th hole was a downhill tee-shot with water running to the left. Duan’s golf ball was on an extreme downslope, while Heo’s was in the middle fairway. Duan’s only option was to put her ball in the greenside bunker on the left. Heo found the green.
Duan was able to get out of the bunker and had about seven feet left for par. Heo’s putt sped past Duan’s mark and out of the hole. Heo’s par putt was missed because Duan moved her marker.
Duan chased Heo’s putter ball as it raced through the hole. She then spoke with her caddie before stepping up to knock hers in.
The Round of 64 begins at 9 am PT (12 pm ET) on Wednesday. ET) Wednesday. Duan will play fifth-year Briana chacon of Oregon, . Chacon set a new record on Tuesday and won the medalist for stroke play.
However, one match was already decided before the start of play on Wednesday. Rin Yoshida (24th seed) advanced to the Round 32 without ever hitting a shot. Lauren Miller had to withdraw from the match on Wednesday morning due to illness.
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