For the two Duke golfers who advanced to the match play portion of the U.S. Women’s Amateur the format proved as unpredictable as ever, and both were eliminated from the tournament in the second round. At the Kahkwa Club in Erie, Penn., junior Liz Janangelo lost on the first playoff hole, while senior Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh defaulted after 13 holes with a leg injury.
Both golfers advanced to the second round with 1 up victories in see-saw first round matches. Aazam-Zanganeh upset UCLA All-American Charlotte Mayorkas with an 18th hole birdie after trailing by three after 10 holes.
The momentum turned on the 10th as Aazam-Zanganeh got up and down from a sand trap to avoid falling further behind and possibly out of the match. The comeback started in earnest with a birdie on the 11th.
“[Mayorkas] had played well on the front nine,” Aazam-Zanganeh said. “[But] everything can happen in match play and I just had to give everything I had. I stayed positive and knew I had a chance.... [It was] a very metal match.”
Aazam-Zanganeh won the 13th hole with a birdie and then took the 17th with a par, despite hitting her tee shot into the trees. A birdie on 18 over a demoralized Mayorkas completed her comeback and the upset.
Janangelo’s first round victory over Marina Choi was similarly exciting. The Duke star won on the first playoff hole after surrendering a four hole advantage through 12 holes. The National Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year dropped the final three holes, making bogies on the last two. A par on the first playoff hole staved off the upset and allowed Janangelo to advance to the second round.
The following day, Janangelo fell behind Auburn’s Diana Ramage by three holes before taking the 10th, 11th and 12th to square the match. She took a one hole lead with a victory at 17, but squandered the advantage with a double bogey on 18. Ramage then birdied the playoff hole to eliminate the Blue Devil.
“Liz is someone that’s capable of going all the way and winning,” Duke head coach Dan Brooks said. “[But] it’s match play; you never know what you’ll run into. When [other players] are up against the best, they’re going to play their best; it’s unpredictable. I’m sure [Janangelo] is disappointed.”
Aazam-Zanganeh played a strong front nine against Paraguay’s Julieta Granada in round two and was 1 up after 7 when a previously injured leg muscle flared up. She reaggravated the muscle in her sleep the night before her second round match. Aazam-Zanganeh finished 13 holes, falling two down, before the pain became unbearable and she defaulted.
“I couldn’t swing normally and couldn’t walk,” Aazam-Zanganeh said. “It was really painful. I really needed another week of rest, but I really wanted to play the U.S. Amateur.”
Brooks was pleased with the Switzerland native’s performance, saying she played “quite well” before her leg started hurting.
Both Janangelo and Aazam-Zanganeh advanced to match play after finishing in the top 64 in qualifying stroke play. Aazam-Zanganeh shot eight over in her two stroke play rounds and Janangelo posted a nine over. Duke’s Brittany Lang, the reigning NGCA Rookie of the Year, shot 16 over and did not advance to match play.
2004 graduate Virada Nirapathpongporn won the U.S. Amateur title in 2003.
Grzebien wins title
Before her teammates competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, sophomore Anna Grzebien defended her title in the Rhode Island Women’s Golf Association Championship at the Wannamoisett Country Club. Grzebien cruised to the championship with a 6 and 5 victory in the final. After shooting a tournament-best 73 in stroke play to qualify, the honorable mention NGCA All-American dominated in match play, winning her first two matches 7 and 5, and her semi-final match 6 and 5.
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