Hye-Jin Choi finds herself near the top of the U.S. Women's Open leaderboard
(USGA photo)
BEDMINSTER, NJ (July 14, 2017) - Amateur
Hye Jin-Choi of Korea shot a second straight 69 Friday to finish 36 holes at 6-under 138, only two shots behind the tournament leader Shanshan Feng of China, at the U.S. Women's Open at Trump International.
The 17-year-old Choi, currently the #2 ranked player in the
Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings, got it to 8-under before two late bogeys moved her back into a tie for second with Korean professionals Jeongeun Lee and Amy Yang.
“When I was traveling over here, my goal was to make the cut,” Choi told the Golf Channel through a translator. “And if I made the cut, I was just looking for a top 10. So, I'm already very happy with what I'm doing, and I'm not going to feel any pressure. Just here to have fun.”
Choi and Yang will go off in the second-to-last group on Saturday for round three, at 2:24pm EDT.
Choi has played in several professional tournaments in the last two years, both on the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. Her best finish on the LPGA Tour is a tie for seventh at the 2017 Australian Women's Open; on the LET she was the runner-up in the New Zealand Women's Open last year.
Four other amateurs made the cut and will play the weekend.
Lauren Stephenson of Lexington, SC and the University of Alabama shot a second straight 72 to finish at even par, tied for 31st.
Jennifer Kupcho (74-72) and teenagers
Rachel Heck (72-74) and
Brooke Seay (73-73) all made the cut on the number at two over par.
Amateur Leaderboard
69-69=138 (T2) Hye-Jin Choi
72-72=144 (T31) Lauren Stephenson
74-72=146 (T52) Jennifer Kupcho
72-74=146 (T52) Rachel Heck
73-73=146 (T52) Brooke Seay
77-71=148 (MC) Natalie Srinivasan
72-77=149 (MC) Maddie Szeryk
76-74=150 (MC) Eun Jeong Seong
74-77=151 (MC) SoWhi Kang
70-82=152 (MC) Bailey Tardy
71-81=152 (MC) Dylan Kim
80-72=152 (MC) Mariel Galdiano
75-78=153 (MC) Paphangkorn Tavatanakit
76-77=153 (MC) Robyn Choi
75-78=153 (MC) Leona Maguire
75-80=155 (MC) Virginia Elena Carta
82-77=159 (MC) Emma Bradley
79-80=159 (MC) Ty Akabane
77-83=160 (MC) Morgane Metraux
77-84=161 (MC) Dana Williams
83-88=171 (MC) Anne Chen
ABOUT THE
U.S. Women's Open
The U.S. Women's Open has the biggest payout in women's golf. It is one of 15 annual
championships conducted by the USGA. The
event is open to any professional or amateur female golfer. There is a handicap limit for amateurs; for the 2024 event it was 4.4; please see USGA website for the current limit and entry requirements.
View Complete Tournament Information