Semifinal Matches Set at NC Junior Girls' Championship

 

 NEWTON, N.C. (June 17, 2021) -- Round of 16 and Quarterfinal match results of the 25th North Carolina Junior Girls’ Championship at Catawba Country Club in Newton, N.C. from June 15 - 18, 2021. The entire field will compete in the same division and play from 6,076 yards.

 

Related: Championship Web Site | Full Field of Players | Starting Times | History | Photos | Scoring

  Macy Pate of Winston-Salem, was the first player to advance to the Quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon after her match against No. 16 seeded Ava Lucas of Raleigh. Pate won her match on No.13 and finished 5 & 4. Pate only lost two holes while winning seven in her quarterfinal match. Four of her wins came after she lost the par-3 No.7. 

“Ava is one of my best friends so I was excited to play with her,” Pate said after her round. “We knew we would have fun no matter what happened. I was just glad I was able to win.”

Kinsley Smith of Winston-Salem was the No. 24 seed entering the Round of 16 on Thursday morning and she was paired with the No. 25 seed Maya Beasley of Pinehurst. Beasley started her round strong with early wins on Nos. 3, 4 and 5. However, after No. 5, Smith took over and won five holes and lost none, to win the match 2 & 1. 

No. 13 Ella Perna of Durham, upset No. 4 Leah Edwards of Greensboro, winning 3 & 2. No. 28 Nicole Nash of Charlotte, also upset her competitor, No. 12 Jenna Kim of Raleigh, winning 2 & 1. 

No. 15 Anna Howerton of Winston-Salem, knocked off 2020’s Finalist, Kayla Dowell of Mebane. Howerton won the match 2 Up after battling with Dowell throughout the day. The defending champion, Morgan Ketchum of Winston-Salem, advanced to the quarterfinals aftering beating the No. 11 seed Mary-Paige King of Clemmons, 3 & 2. 

The No. 3 seeded Kiera Bartholomew of Wake Forest, defeated the No.19 seeded Katherine Brictson of Raleigh, in her round of 16 matchup, 5 & 3. 

 

Round of 16 Results 

No. 1 Macy Pate of Winston - Salem, def. No.16 Ava Lucas of Raleigh, 5 & 4

No.24 Kinsley Smith of Raleigh, def. No. 25 Maya Beasley of Pinehurst, 2 &1

No.13 Ella Perna of Durham, def. No. 4 Leah Edwards of Greensboro, 3 & 2

No. 28 Nicole Nash of Charlotte, def. No.12 Jenna Kim of Raleigh, 3 & 2

No. 15 Anna Howerton of Winston - Salem, def. No. 2 Kayla Dowell of Mebane, 2 Up

No.3 Kiera Bartholomew of Wake Forest, def. No. 19 Katherine Brictson Raleigh,  5 & 3

No.6 Morgan Ketchum of Winston - Salem, def. No.11 Mary-Paige King of Clemmons, 3 & 2 

No. 10 Sophie Laututre of Charlotte, def. No. 7 Shyla Brown of Matthews, 6 & 5

 

Promptly following the Round of 16, the players took to the course for a second 18 holes for the Quarterfinall matches; the top 8 advanced. 

The first match of the Quarterfinals was the No.1 seed Macy Pate facing off against No. 24 Kinsley Smith. Pate took the first lead, birdieing the par-5 No. 2. However, Pate’s lead did not last as long as she had wished; Smith would go on to win Nos. 3, 4 and 5 giving Smith a two hole advantage. 

Pate did not let this deter her mindset or her performance. She answered back, winning the following three holes, giving Pate a one up lead. After the pair made the turn, Pate continued her winning streak, winning Nos. 10, 11 and 12. On No. 15’s tee, Pate was 4-up and knew she could not lose the next two holes if she wanted to secure her spot in the Semifinals on Friday. Smith would win No.15 with par giving her a glimpse to force a playoff. However, Smith’s playoff hopes ended after the pair halved the par-5 No.16. Pate won the match 3 & 2 and will tee it up Friday morning for her semifinal match at 8:00 a.m.

“I putted well on my second round, made a lot of par saves,” Pate said. “I'm just going to try to keep playing how I have been playing, giving myself birdie looks and hope to make them.”

 

Pate is matched with No. 28 Nicole Nash for Friday mornings’ tee time. Nash earned her spot in the Semifinals by sealing her victory on No. 18 green. Nash and her opponent, No. 13 Ella Perna were trading blows for a majority of their round. On No.18, Nash took the match as she capitalized on Perna’s bogey and made a clean par. 

“One highlight was when I was 2-down, I came and went back to 2-up to tie the match to go back to even after two holes in a row,” Nash said. “I'm just looking to have fun and play as well as I can.” 

Nash will face stroke play qualifying medalist Macy Pate in her Semifinal match.

The defending champion Morgan Ketchum’s Quarterfinal match only lasted 13 holes. She beat the No. 3 seed and good friend Kiera Bartholomew on No. 13 with a score of 6 & 5. Ketchum will go off of No.1 on Friday morning at 8:10 a.m.

“It was a long day, lots of walking, but it was good, it was fun to play,” the defending champion said. “I keep the ball in play off the tee to put myself in good positions to hit good approach shots and I made more putts than I had made previously this week.” 

Ketchum’s opponent in the Semifinal match is No. 10 seeded Sophie Lauture. Lauture beat the No.15 seeded Anna Howerton 3 & 2 during her Quarterfinal match. 

“My highlight of the Quarterfinal match was on 15 when I stuck my pitching wedge to about four feet, and I won the hole” Lauture said. “My mindset for tomorrow is to take it one shot at a time, not to overreact when something goes wrong because I know I have a bunch of holes left and I have to just keep it steady.”

 

Quarter Final Results 

No. 1 Macy Pate def. No.24 Kinsley Smith 3 & 2

No. 28 Nicole Nash def. No.13 Ella Perna 1 up

No.6 Morgan Ketchum def. No. 3 Kiera Bartholomew 6 & 5

No. 10 Sophie Laututre def. No. 15 Anna Howerton 3 & 2

 

Play will continue on Friday with the Semifinal matches in the morning and the Championship match will begin in the afternoon.

 

 

Schedule of rounds:

 

Friday June 18: Semi-Final Match Play beginning at 8:00 a.m.; Final Match beginning at approximately 12:30 p.m.

 

 

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

The CGA annually conducts 48 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 150 One-Day (net and gross) events as well as qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls' Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed nearly $2,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives including junior and women's programs.     

For more information about the CGA, visit our website.

 

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