Standing on the 72nd tee at the Outlaw Course at Desert Mountain,
Ching-Tzu Chen (Taiwan; University of Oregon) had already bogeyed three holes on the back nine and could sense that her lead was shrinking. Then, while waiting on the tee she decided to check the scoreboard to see that her lead was two shots.
"I don't suggest that any player do that", said a smiling Chen afterward.
Her tee shot went wayward to the left, so much so that she had to hit a provisional ball, but Chen didn't let it rattle her any further.
"No matter where my golf ball goes, I know that I tried my best."
Chen was able to find and play her tee shot, but in the meantime, her fellow countrywomen
Ya Chun Chang (University of Arizona) birdied the 18th in the group ahead, trimming Chen's lead to one.
Related: James Leow perseveres, pulls away to win the Southwestern Amateur
From there a solid iron found the green, and a two-putt was enough to hold off Chang and give Chen the inaugural Southwestern Women's Amateur title.
"I have struggled a lot the last few years, so I'm glad that I came this far and never gave up", said Chen of her first major amateur win. "My teammates, my coaches and my parents always support me...and I could never get this far without all of them."
In its 106th year, the Southwestern Amateur
introduced its Women's Championship. The women's field in year one was strong, with many highly-ranked players and all five Power 5 conferences represented.
"I like all the vibes here", said Chen of the newest
Major of Women's Amateur Golf. "All of the volunteers are really nice as are the rules officials." Of the Outlaw Course, Chen agreed with the widely held perception of it being among the most at Desert Mountain, a worthy championship test.
"It's really challenging. The fairways are tight and the greens are tricky too; different from the tournaments and golf courses we play during the season, which is another challenge but I really like it."
Chen shot a final-round 73 to finish at even par for the 72 holes. Chang's birdie at the last gave her a 69 and solo second at 1 over. Arizona State's
Ashley Menne and
Ashleigh Park of the University of Texas shot matching 73s to tie for third at 3 over.
Canadian
Noemie Pare, coming off an appearance at the U.S. Women's Open at the Olympic Club, had the round of the championship, a bogey-free 6-under 65 that vaulted her into a fifth-place tie with Chen's Oregon teammate
Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu and 36-hole co-leader
Ashley Kozlowski of Purdue.
Nicole Whiston of the University of Tennessee, who led after the first two rounds, tied for ninth at 6 over par.
ABOUT THE
Southwestern Women's Amateur
72-hole stroke play championship for national-
level
female amateurs with a handicap index of 3.2
or
better. After 36
holes, the field will be
cut to the low 36 and ties. The
SWGA Selection
Committee will select players to compete based
upon
exemptions, playing resume and rankings.
The SWGA reserves the right to invite
amateurs of national and international
reputation, as well as other amateurs "of
note", to enter into the tournament.
Applicants are urged to submit their entries
with golf resumes of accomplishment in
major tournaments and other competitive
record
information.
View Complete Tournament Information