Amber Park (TWGA photo)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (July 20, 2018) – On Friday, Texas A&M sophomore
Amber Park displayed brilliant ball-striking and unwavering nerves on her way to a 4-and-3 WTGA State Amateur victory against Julia Gregg, a Prestonwood Christian Academy-Plano senior,
Julia Gregg.
As she did all week during her five match-play wins, Park was the picture of composure under pressure at historic San Antonio Country Club. The Allen native never trailed in the championship match, for example. A nifty par save from a greenside bunker on No. 9 afforded her a 2-up lead at the turn. Gregg fought back and won the par-3 10th hole with a par, but Park pushed her lead back to 2 up with a par on the par-4 11th.
When Park stuck her tee shot on the par-3 12th to 4 feet and rolled in the birdie for yet another win, her lead swelled to 3 up. A par on the next hole got her to 4 up, and she closed Gregg out with a 3-footer for par on the 15th hole.
Park, who last summer was a semifinalist at the 96th playing of the Women’s State Amateur, said the turning point of the match was the sand save on No. 9.
“That was to win the hole,” she said. “Even though I lost No. 10, I still had enough confidence to keep me going all the way up to 4 up.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Park had low expectations coming into the week. She took a 10-day break for summer vacation and wasn’t sure where her game was when she arrived in San Antonio. Turns out her game was in fantastic shape. With timely pars and momentum-building birdies throughout the week, Park proved to be the best player in the talented field.
“It was a really great honor to win this tournament,” she said. “It means a lot to me. There were a lot of supporters out there. Lots of Aggie supporters, and I’m really thankful I got to play.”
Despite the loss in the Finals, Gregg showed poise and skill beyond her years. She won four matches before falling to Park, and after her senior year in high school she’ll head to Arkansas to begin her collegiate career. The mature Gregg was upbeat in defeat and chose to focus on the positives.
“I learned a lot about myself this week, and about my game,” Gregg said. “It was a really good week. I just didn’t putt great today.”
ABOUT THE
Women's Texas Amateur
Eligibility: Entries are open to female amateur
golfers with a certified GHIN Handicap index.
Player Field: Lowest handicap indexes in multiples of
8 with a maximum of 88 players. In the event the
championship becomes over-subscribed, entries will
be accepted in order of handicap index.
Format: The starting field will consist of 88 total
players. The 32 players with the lowest qualifying
scores will fill the championship flight and contend
for the championship title. The qualifying round is
optional for all but the players with the 32 lowest
handicap indexes on the date the entries close. The
16 players eliminated in the first round of the
championship flight match play may participate in an
18-hole stroke play consolation round. The remaining
players will be flighted into seven flights of eight
based on handicap indexes. The four players
eliminated in the first round of flight matches will
proceed to a consolation match play bracket for each
flight.
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