Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.
BATON ROUGE – In the unique format of the R&A’s Women’s Amateur Championship in England, Edit Hertzman of LSU has advanced to the round of 32 Thursday, but she was one of six golfers that had to play two matches to do it.
And it was a good day for LSU’s Swedish contingent as World No. 1 Ingrid Lindblad showed why she’s the present No. 1 as she won her opening match with ease.
Hertzman, who finished her freshman season at LSU, tied for the 62nd mark on the cut number after 36 holes of qualifying at 7-over par. Instead of a sudden death playoff like many amateur events, the women’s amateur has a preliminary match play round to get to the round of 64 to start the day.
Hertzman won her opening match against Gala Dumez of France, who plays for Texas Tech, 4&2, to officially join the round of 64 where waiting for her was senior LSU teammate Latanna Stone, who qualified T2 in the 36-hole qualifier.
Stone had a 1UP lead in the match going to the 18th hole, but Hertzman, who won both her match play opportunities in the SEC Championship, rallied to win the final hole to force extra holes and then won the 19th hole to capture the match and advance on to the round of 32.
Lindblad lived up to her status as the new women’s amateur world number one after a convincing victory to reach the last-32 stage in the 120th Championship at Prince’s, England.
The 23-year-old, who finished in a tie for second place in stroke play qualifying, eased to an 8&7 success over Bailey Shoemaker to continue her form on the Kent links.
Lindblad won the first two holes and never looked back as the Swede will now face England’s Patience Rhodes, who won the St Rule Trophy two weeks ago, in the next round. Rhodes plays her college golf at Arizona State.
“It was nice today,” Lindblad told the R&A. “I played really well. I missed one green and one fairway in 11 holes. I had a few shorter birdie putts and rolled in a long putt on the 9th so it felt good. I’ve been pretty confident in my driver this week, so I’ve just been trying to hit driver wherever I can which gives you a little shorter in obviously. So, on the 2nd I think that drive was like 300 meters long. When it’s blowing, you just trust that the wind is going to pick up the ball and bring it to the fairway. You can attack.”
That round of 32 match will go off in the early morning hours Friday. Hertzman will be off in the final game of the round of 32 against Gile Bite Starkute of Lithuania, who was a senior this past season at Arizona.
LSU’s other match play contenders also fell in the round of 64 with Carla Tejedo falling to Clemson’s Annabelle Pancake of the United States, 3&2, while Aine Donegan dropped a 4&3 decision to Caitlin Peirce of Australia, 4&3.