Alyaa Abdulghany (SCGA/Twitter photo)
Alyaa Abdulghany outpaced the field in the final round at Newport Beach CC to win the SCGA Women’s Amateur. Abdulghany, who plays for USC, played the role of hometown kid throughout the week. Even though eight players finished within five shots of the top of the leaderboard, the trophy went to Abdulghany thanks in large part to a final-round 2-under 69 that included three birdies in her final six holes.
Fellow Pac-12 players Brooke Seay, an incoming Stanford freshman, and Katherine Muzi, a Trojan teammate, were also in the mix entering the final day thanks to rounds of 2-under 68 in the second round. Both faded and fizzled out down the stretch. Muzi had opened the final round with an eagle on No. 3 and briefly had the outright lead, but she finished with six bogeys coming in.
In the end, it was San Diego-based Seay along with Zoe Campos of Stevenson Ranch, Calif., and Amy Matsuoka, also of Newport Beach, who tied for second at 1 over, two shots behind Abdulghany at 1 under.
Matsuoka plays for Oregon while Campos has committed to UCLA.
“I struggled on the front nine all week,” Abdulghany told the SCGA. “So I knew the back nine would be my strong suit today.”
Abdulghany birdied the tough No. 13, a par 3 playing into the wind. She also made birdie on the par-5 15th before heading to the 150-yard par-3 No. 17.
“It was a perfect number,” said Abdulghany. “It couldn’t have worked any better. It was 150 yards and I love that distance so I told myself to go for it.”
She nestled it to 6 feet and picked up another birdie there, which effectively closed out her chasers. A par on the final hole sealed it.
Quotes and information from the SCGA used in this reportView results for SCGA Women's Amateur
ABOUT THE
SCGA Women's Amateur
The SCGA Women's Amateur Championship is open
to
female amateur golfers with a USGA Handicap Index
of
9.4 and below at the time of registration.
Competitors
undergo 18 holes of stroke play qualifying play to
reach
the final field of 72 players. In the Championship,
players compete over 54 holes of stroke play with
the
top 42 plus ties advancing after 36 holes to the final
round.
View Complete Tournament Information