Catie Craig (Matthew Gibson/Pinehurst Photo)

"The key was definitely to hone in on each individual shot and forget about any past or future shots," Craig said. "Having a caddy to discuss strategy helps a lot with keeping this mindset throughout the day."

Craig, a rising senior at Western Kentucky, played consistently all week, earning the No. 3 seed from the stroke play portion heading into the match play portion.

"I actually didn't shift my mindset at all since my strategy in stroke play was to shoot the lowest score possible, and I stuck with that same plan going into match play," Craig said.

Craig is ranked No. 192 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings. She also made the match play portion here last year but fell in the round of 32.

Pate shot two rounds of 70 on courses No. 2 and No. 8 to shoot 4-under and earn medalist honors in the stroke play portion of the North & South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst Resort.

Pate, a rising sophomore at Wake Forest, knows the feeling of success at Pinehurst, having won the North & South Junior in 2023. Pate cut the deficit to 2-down through eight holes, but Craig won holes No. 10 and 11 to get back to 4-up and kept that lead through 15 holes, securing the win. 

"The final match was a great one," Craig said. "Macy (Pate) is an incredible player and person, and I was happy to spend my last match with her. I was able to go 4-up through four holes, which helped me have a buffer for the rest of the round."

Now, Craig will head into the rest of the summer schedule with a win at one of the biggest tournaments of the year.

"It helps my confidence so much for the rest of the summer, especially since I have the women's Western Amateur coming up, which consists of amateur play," Craig said about the win. "With this win, I can go into my future tournaments with more commitment and confidence in my game."

The North & South Women's Amateur is the third event in the inaugural Elite Women's Amateur Golf Series. 

“Since day one, our goal has been to align the top competitive amateur events in the United States, not only for the men’s game but for the women’s game as well,” Andy Priest said when the series was announced. "We are excited to play a leading role in elevating elite women’s golf by providing these athletes with an aligned summer schedule of competition at some of the most renowned venues in the country conducted by historic organizations and world-class resorts.”

Currently, Kendall Turner leads the Women's Elite Amateur Golf Series through two events, finishing T13 at the Sea Island Women's Amateur and T2 at the Southwestern Amateur. Annabelle Pancake and Leigh Chien are tied for second place.

Turner, Chien, and Pancake were not in the field this week.

Nine of the last 12 North & South Women’s Amateur champions have drawn paychecks as members of the LPGA Tour. The equation is near perfect. Win the North & South Am, and go on to professional success at the highest level.

The North & South women's champions are among the game's legends: Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs, Peggy Kirk Bell, Hollis Stacey, Brandie Burton, Brittany Lang, Morgan Pressel, and Yani Tseng.