Met Area Players Conclude Play at U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur
Ina Kim-Schaad, winner of the 2019 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship.
UPDATE (September 10, 2024) -- Tuesday's two-round day at the 27th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship saw the Met Area's five remaining players bow out of competition at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass.
Related: U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Home
Past champion Ina Kim-Schaad of New York, N.Y., won her morning Round of 32 match, besting friend and four-time U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion Meghan Stasi of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Kim-Schaad won Nos. 2-3 to gain an early advantage. When Stasi cut the lead to one on a pair of occasions in the middle of the match, Kim-Schaad responded with wins. However, wins on Nos. 12 and 17 for Stasi tied the match heading to the final hole. Kim-Schaad proved clutch though, making birdie on the par-4 18th to earn her spot in the afternoon Round of 16.
While Kim-Schaad led Sherry Zhong of China 1-up through four, Zhong reeled off five wins in a six-hole stretch in which Kim-Schaad was 7-over par to quickly earn a 4-up advantage. While the veteran Kim-Schaad responded strongly and won four consecutive holes to return the match to tied, Zhong won the next two holes with par and a tie on the par-3 17th eliminated Kim-Schaad by a 2-and-1 margin.
Meanwhile, four more Met Area representatives were eliminated in the Round of 32: Alyssa Roland of Short Hills, N.J., by a 2-and-1 margin to Judith Kyrinis of Canada; Mimi McAndrew of New York, N.Y., by a 4-and-2 score to Lindsay Gahm of Louisville, Ky.; Catherine McEvoy of Riverside, Conn., 2 and 1, to Courtney Dow-Rowles of Plano, Texas; and Talia Campbell of New York, N.Y., 4 and 3, to Zhong.
UPDATE (September 9, 2024) -- Momentum continued for Met Area players, Monday, in the 27th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, with five advancing to the Round of 32 at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass.
Related: U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Home | Scoring
Catherine McEvoy of Riverside, Conn., picked up a dominating victory, defeating Mia Zanghetti of Washington, D.C., by an 8-and-7 margin. Steadiness proved key for McEvoy, who won six holes with par.
Past champion Ina Kim-Schaad of New York, N.Y., earned a 3-and-2 victory in a back-and-forth match against Tracy Martin of Nashua, N.H., that featured just five ties. Kim-Schaad will face a familiar face in the Round of 32, as she takes on four-time U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion and friend Meghan Stasi of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The duo have paired together to win the Florida State Golf Association's Women's International Four-Ball four times. Stasi defeated three-time champion Kelsey Chugg of Salt Lake City, Utah, winning Nos. 14-17 to come back from a three-hole deficit and earn a 1-up victory.
Meanwhile, Talia Campbell of New York, N.Y., had a similar back-and-forth opening match. Her match against Megan Komenda of Carrollton, Texas, featured just four ties as the 2019 runner-up won by a 3-and-1 margin thanks to wins on Nos. 14, 15 and 17 coming down the stretch.
Both Alyssa Roland of Short Hills, N.J., and Mimi McAndrew of New York, N.Y., won in extra holes. Roland outlasted Gretchen Johnson of Portland, Ore., winning with par on the 20th hole. McAndrew went one hole further, defeating Jessica Mangrobang of Portland, Ore., with par on the 21st hole.
This year's Women's Met Amateur champion Samantha Perrotta of Bordentown, N.J., dropped her opening round match, 3-and-2, while Christina Parsells of Bernardsville, N.J., fell by a 3-and-1 margin to see their competition come to a close.
Round of 32 matches:
| Player | Opponent | Time |
| Alyssa Roland | Judith Kyrinis, Canada | 8:24 a.m. |
| Mimi McAndrew | Lindsay Gahm, Louisville, Ky. | 8:33 a.m. |
| Catherine McEvoy | Courtney Dow-Rowles, Plano, Texas | 9:09 a.m. |
| Talia Campbell | Sherry Zhong, China | 9:18 a.m. |
| Ina Kim-Schaad | Meghan Stasi, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | 9:27 a.m. |
UPDATE (September 9, 2024) -- Nearly half of the Met Area representatives in the field at the 27th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship advanced to match play at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass., with seven players securing spots in the bracket following two days of on-site stroke play qualifying.
Related: U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Home | Scoring
A trio of upcoming international team members led the way, as 2024 French-American Challenge participants Catherine McEvoy of Riverside, Conn.; Ina Kim-Schaad of New York, N.Y.; and Christina Parsells of Bernardsville, N.J., all finished in the top 25. McEvoy, the champion of the inaugural Farrell in 2022, used a pair of 76s to finish tied for 10th. She took the No. 10 seed in the bracket and faces Mia Zanghetti of Washington, D.C., at 12:10 p.m. Kim-Schaad, the 2019 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion, tallied a pair of 77s en route to a tie for 18th, and the No. 19 seed in the bracket. She takes on Tracy Martin of Nashua, N.H., at 1 p.m. Parsells, who will make her first Met Area international team appearance in October, opens the Round of 64 at 9:10 a.m., facing Ashley Zagers of Oldsmar, Fla. She posted scores of 77-78 to earn the No. 25 seed.
Talia Campbell of New York, N.Y., Alyssa Roland of Short Hills, N.J., Mimi McAndrew of New York, N.Y., and this year's Women's Met Amateur champion Samantha Perrotta of Bordentown, N.J., all advanced to match play as well. Campbell, McAndrew and Perrotta all improved their scores by three or more shots on day two to climb the leaderboard in advance to match play. Campbell, the 2019 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur runner-up, earned the No. 30 seed and faces Megan Komenda of Carrollton, Texas at 12:40 p.m. As the No. 37 seed, Roland squares off against Gretchen Johnson of Portland, Ore., at 10:30 a.m. McAndrew garners the No. 44 seed and takes on Jessica Mangrobang of Portland, Ore., at 10:50 a.m., while Perrotta's 9 a.m. start as the No. 57 seed put her against past champion and No. 8 seed Lauren Greenlief of Ashburn, Va.
Hana Ku of New York, N.Y., and Lauren Smykle of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., nearly added to the number of Met Area players in match play, taking part in a 4-for-1 playoff for the final spot, but came up short.
Following Monday's Round of 64, Tuesday and Wednesday both feature two rounds of matches, while the 18-hole championship is slated for Thursday.
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (September 6, 2024) – The 2024 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship begins Saturday with 15 Met Area players looking to take the championship at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass. Although this is the club’s first time hosting the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, it is no stranger to hosting USGA events; the club has hosted the 1919 U.S. Open, 1928 U.S. Amateur, as well as three U.S. Women’s Amateurs, in 1906, ‘76, and ‘97.
Ina Kim-Schaad of Jupiter, Fla., Catherine McEvoy of Riverside, Conn., and Alyssa Roland of Short Hills, N.J. were all exempt into the field. Kim-Schaad was the 2019 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, defeating fellow Met Area player, Talia Campbell of New York, N.Y.
The win granted Kim-Schaad exemptions into the next 10 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur events and holds the record for one of the fewest match-play holes played by a champion at 89 holes. On top of her USGA win, she is also a three time Women’s Met Amateur Champion (2016, ‘18, ‘19) and this season captured the New York State Women’s Amateur Championship. Campbell qualified in Atlanta, carding a 4-over 76 at Ansley Golf Club.
McEvoy and Roland were exempt after their 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur run came to an end in the Round of 16. McEvoy was the inaugural winner of The Farrell in 2022 and returns to the Farrell field later this month.
Samantha Perrotta of Bordentown, N.J., the 2024 Women’s Met Amateur champion, returns to the championship after qualifying at Lookaway Golf Club in Buckingham, Pennsylvania.
Hana Ku and Bethany Burns of New York, N.Y., both qualified at Laconia Country Club in New Hampshire. Ku earned co-medalist honors with 2-over 74, while Burns, originally from Tennessee, advanced to the championship for the first time with a 5-over 77.
Brooke Cooper of Greenwich, Conn. earned her spot through qualifying at The Ridge Club in Sandwich, Mass, with a 3-over 74.
Natalie Grainger of Greenwich, Conn. will participate for the first time after she qualified at Naga-Waukee Golf Course in Pewaukee, Wisconsin and earned low medalist honors with 3-under 69. Earlier this summer, Grainger won the New York State Women’s Mid-Amatuer Championship.
Ciara Smith of Stamford, Conn. qualified at Tennessee Grasslands Golf and Country Club in Gallatin, Tennessee, shooting 8-over 80.
Kate Granahan of Mountain Lakes, N.J., Lauren Smykle of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., Christina Parsells of Bernardsville, N.J., and Nikki Powers of Stamford, Conn., are all making their U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur debut after they qualified at Green Brook Country Club in North Caldwell, N.J. in August. Parsells is the 2024 New Jersey Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion and a two-time runner up of the New Jersey Amateur in 2018 and ‘19.
Kim-Schaad, McEvoy, and Parsells will represent the Met Area in the 21st French-American Challenge set for October 24-25 at Fontainebleau Golf Club in Fontainebleau, France.
The 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur begins with 36 holes of on-site stroke play qualifying on Saturday and Sunday before moving to the Round of 64 in Match Play. The winner of the championship receives exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, the next 10 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateurs, and the next two U.S. Women’s Amateurs.
Brae Burn Country Club is a 6,135 yard, par 72 course located 12 miles west of Boston.
Stroke Play Qualifying Starting Times/Hole:
Player, Hometown, Rd. 1, Rd. 2
Lauren Smykle, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. 7:55 a.m., 1 12:25 p.m., 9
Bethany Burns, New York, N.Y. 8:20 a.m., 9 1:20 p.m., 1
Alyssa Roland, Short Hills, N.J. 8:45 a.m., 1 1:15 p.m., 9
Catherine McEvoy, Riverside, Conn. 8:55 a.m., 1 1:25 p.m., 9
Samantha Perrotta, Bordentown, N.J. 9:00 a.m., 9 2:00 p.m., 1
Kate Granahan, Mountain Lakes, N.J. 12:25 p.m., 9 7:55 p.m., 1
Mimi McAndrew, New York, N.Y. 12:25 p.m., 9 7:55 p.m., 1
Hana Ku, New York, N.Y. 12:40 p.m., 1 7:40 a.m., 9
Ina Kim-Schaad, Jupiter, Fla. 1:00 p.m., 1 8:00 a.m., 9
Talia Campbell, New York, N.Y. 1:00 p.m., 1 8:00 a.m., 9
Nikki Powers, Stamford, Conn. 1:15 p.m., 9 8:45 a.m., 1
Christina Parsells, Bernardsville, N.J. 1:30 p.m., 1 8:30 a.m., 9
Brooke Cooper, Greenwich, Conn. 1:50 p.m., 1 8:50 a.m., 9
Ciara Smith, Stamford, Conn. 1:55 p.m., 9 9:25 a.m., 1
Natalie Grainger, Greenwich, Conn. 2:00 p.m., 1 9:00 a.m., 9