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Will Doctor, Media Director at Spirit Golf Association, joins 2021 Mark H. McCormack Medal recipient Rose Zhang to discuss the many highlights of her junior and collegiate golf career.
Will Doctor, Media Director at Spirit Golf Association, joins 2021 Mark H. McCormack Medal recipient Rose Zhang to discuss the many highlights of her junior and collegiate golf career.
Sam Bennett rallied to shoot 3-under par 69 and win gold as the men’s individual champion as Team USA dominated The Spirit.
TRINITY, Texas – When Sam Bennett dug into his golf bag on the first hole of the final round of the Spirit International Amateur Championship, he pulled out a Ping 58-degree wedge that didn’t belong to him.
“I was like, ‘Oh, crap!” he recalled.
That 15th club in the bag, which belonged to teammate Rachel Heck, cost him two strokes for the rules violation. It could’ve rattled the Texas A&M senior, but not Bennett. He’s Texas tough and he’s won enough tournaments already in his young career to know that while he’d dug himself a bigger deficit, he had 17 holes to go and he just had to be patient.
“I knew the Golfing gods would come back and help me,” he said. “I told myself, ‘Let’s just get back to even (for the round) by five.’ I made birdies at Nos. 2 and 5 and then it was just game on.”
Indeed, it was. Bennett rallied to shoot 3-under par 69 for a 72-hole total of 6-under 210 and win gold as the men’s individual champion, bettering Sweden’s Hugo Townsend, a senior at Boise State, by two strokes. Canada’s Johnny Travale (UCF), who held the 36-hole lead, shot 75 and won bronze at 3-under 213.
“I’ve been close this fall in some tournament, coming down the stretch having a chance, and just couldn’t finish it off,” Bennett said. “It feels good to be back on top again.”
The two-stroke penalty, however, proved more costly to the American side in the men’s team event as Team Sweden edged out the American team of Bennett and James Piot by one shot at 3-under 429, as Piot struggled over the final two rounds. He shared a piece of 12th place individually at 4-over 220. Of Sweden’s gold medal, team captain Katerina Vangdal said, “It is a tough course. It is challenging. Every day, we told them, your score is good. Today, they’ll realize they did a good job out there.”
Paced by the two top amateurs in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, Team USA ran away with the overall Team Championship to win gold medals. Piot said the women were going to have to carry the Americans to victory and they did just that. Rose Zhang shot a bogey-free 69 and Heck caught fire on the back nine, playing the five holes beginning at No. 13 in 5-under, including rolling in a 25-foot eagle putt from the fringe at 17, and posting 67.
Team USA women — Rose Zhang and @rachelheck2020 — are raring to go and rocking the face stickers for the final day @thespiritgolf . ICYMI, here’s my recap of moving day: https://t.co/6oFn7D7s72 pic.twitter.com/2vCS905dTf
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) November 6, 2021
With a three-day total of 11-under-par 620, the U.S. Team won by 21 strokes. Canada took the silver medal at 7-under 641. Sweden took the bronze at 6-under 642. France, the defending champions from 2019, placed fourth at 2-under 646. In all, Team USA won four gold medals and one silver in the biennial team event that consists of five concurrent competitions over 54 holes of stroke play.
“I was proud of the way the kids rallied,” U.S. Captain Stacy Lewis said. “I’m thankful that they came and for their fight when it’s a time they could be taking time off. I really appreciated what they did this week.”
World No. 1 and Stanford standout Rose Zhang took the gold medal in the Women’s Individual competition, her fourth individual title this fall. For the week, Zhang finished at 10-under 206, three shots clear of second place.
“It’s such an honor to play with my teammates and represent the United States,” Zhang said. “This week was just phenomenal. Stacy is such an inspiration to young golfers like us out there. She’s been through so much, and I’ve learned so much from her. Having her with us this week was special.”
Mexico’s Isabella Fierro, an Oklahoma State junior and the 48th-ranked amateur in the world, won the silver medal, closing with 67-69 in the final two rounds and posted 7-under 209 for the championship. Fierro was particularly impressive on the back nine at Whispering Pines, much of which skirts the scenic shores of Lake Livingston. She was 10-under par with no bogeys on the stretch of holes for the three-day tournament. Canada’s Savannah Grewal took home the bronze, while Heck finished tied for fifth place at 2-under 214 in the women’s individual competition.
Zhang went home with three gold medals in all as she and Heck teamed to win the women’s team competition, shooting 12-under 420. Team Switzerland (-5) grabbed silver and Team France took the bronze.
Canada’s Noemie Pare’ made a hole-in-one on the par-3, 135-yard eighth hole in the final round. The former Barry University standout put a three-quarter swing on her 8-iron, and her shot headed straight at the flagstick. Her ball landed about 15 feet short of the hole, bounced twice, and rolled right in as if it was a putt for her third career ace.
Ace alert: Team Canada’s 🇨🇦 Noemie Pare with an 8-iron from 135 yards at the 8th hole at Whispering Pines GC. Her 3rd hole in one but this one was caught on video and could be huge for medal positions @thespiritgolf. I got video of the celebration. 🎉 pic.twitter.com/8uFZbhcK9T
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) November 6, 2021
“It had a good line,” she said. “It was a little thin, but it worked perfectly. It went in, then I was looking for my partner for a big hug.”
But no one put together a more impressive round than Bennett, who overcame the early penalty for the extra club with a gritty performance in front of family – mother, brother and grand parents – and friends, although he conceded most of them had left early on Saturday to watch the Texas A&M football game against Auburn. It was a comeback for the ages.
“On the first day, it was cold, and I couldn’t get comfortable out there,” said Bennett, the sixth-ranked golfer in the Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking. “My swing didn’t feel good. I worked on a few things after the round. Hit a few putts. The last 36 holes, I felt like I was going to be tough to beat.”
And just to be sure he doesn’t forget to count his clubs again, Grandpa Butch promised to help out.
“Every time you play from now on,” he said, “I’m going to text you, 14!”
In the process of applying temporary patriotic tattoos, Team USA opened itself up to an unfortunate penalty.
TRINITY, Texas – Call it patriotic penalty strokes.
Team USA’s Sam Bennett, a senior at Texas A&M, was playing the first hole of the final round of the Spirit International Amateur Championship at Whispering Pines Golf Club when he reached into his golf bag and noticed something was wrong. There was a club he didn’t recognize.
It turned out it was a pitching wedge that belonged to his teammate Rachel Heck. That gave him 15 clubs in his bag a violation of Rule 4.1b, which limits the number of clubs a player can carry to 14. The penalty is two strokes per hole and applies based on when the player became aware of the breach.
Team USA assistant captain Alli Jarrett returned the wedge to Heck, who was playing in the group behind the American men. According to Team USA captain Stacy Lewis, Heck figures she leaned her club against Bennett’s bag when she applied stars and stripes temporary tattoos to the cheeks of her male teammates, Bennett and U.S. Amateur champion James Piot of Michigan State.
Heck and her fellow teammate Rose Zhang already were rocking a star on their right cheeks and a heart on their left cheeks.
Asked before the round where their face tattoos were, Piot said, “We debated it but not going to happen.”
But it did happen, and while Heck was applying one on Piot’s face, Bennett must have picked up her wedge and inserted it into his bag unknowingly.
Bennett didn’t let the double bogey at the first dampen his spirits. He birdied five of the next 10 holes to claim the lead at 6 under in the men’s competition.
This story will be updated after the round.
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Everyone, young and old, wants to be like the sweet-swinging 18-year-old Rose Zhang.
TRINITY, Texas – Life is better than good if you’re one of the 80 competitors at the Spirit International Amateur Championship.
It’s a week-long summer camp, down to living in a bunk with your fellow competitors. Or as Charlie Epps, president of the Spirit Golf Association, put it: “It’s Shangri-La.” There’s golf to be played, of course, but also game night activities and even entertainment. On Wednesday night, magician Ben Jackson put on a masterful act. Shortly before he set a $100 bill pulled from Epps’s bill-fold on fire — it miraculously re-appeared intact in Epps’s bill fold at the end of the night — Jackson asked Epps to write the name he wished his could be on the back of the bill in a black marker. Epps scribbled the name Rose. Jackson didn’t anticipate a female name and with a look of confusion on his face asked, “Why Rose?”
“Because I wish I could be as good as Rose Zhang,” Epps, 76, and the former coach of two-time major champion Angel Cabrera, said.
Later, he noted that he wasn’t alone. When his seven-year-old granddaughter met Zhang, she told her she wants to be like Zhang too.
Everyone, young and old, wants to be like the sweet-swinging 18-year-old Zhang, who has already won a U.S. Girls Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur and launched her college career this fall by winning her first three tournaments as a freshman at Stanford University. Golf Channel commentator Steve Burkowski said it was the best start to a season since Lorena Ochoa won her first seven events and eight of 10 starts some 20 years ago at Arizona.
Zhang’s picking right up where she left off, shooting a 4-under 68 in the second round at Whispering Pines Golf Club to build a three-stroke lead over Mexico’s Isabella Fierro, who shot the low round of the day, 5-under 67, and Canada’s Savannah Grewel (71-69) and Switzerland’s Caroline Sturdza (70-70) in the women’s individual tournament heading into the final round of the 54-hole competition.
Color Stacy Lewis, USA Team captain, impressed.
“It’s like she’s able to flip a switch,” Lewis said. “Rose has been so good for so long it’s hard to believe she’s just a freshman in college. She’s almost like a Lydia Ko when she came out. She’s just really solid. There’s not one thing you say she does this great. She just does everything well. And she’s still learning, that’s the crazy part. It’s scary to think of what is coming.”
On Friday, Zhang pointed to the seventh hole as the turning point in her round. From 143 yards away at the par 4, she had a helping wind to a flag tucked on the right portion of the green and stuck an 8-iron to 2 feet, made birdie and never looked back. On three occasions, she and her Stanford teammate made birdie at the same hole – Nos. 2, 14 and 17 – and each time they reprised their celebratory handshake they created at the Curtis Cup earlier this year, which concluded with a bump and slap of the rear.
“They’re way cooler than us,” said U.S. Amateur champ James Piot, who said he and Sam Bennett, the male half of Team USA, settled for a standard, run-of-the-mill fist bump.
Thanks to the combination of rest and some medication, Heck, the reigning NCAA women’s individual champ, felt better and improved her score by nine strokes from a day earlier, shooting 3-under 69 and lifting Team USA’s women into a three-way tie with France and Switzerland at 4-under.
“I think that’s what’s really fun about team events,” she said. “Yesterday, I didn’t play great, the team played amazing. My score didn’t count, but that’s motivation to come back today and contribute to the team. That’s what I did and I’m really happy about it. It was so fun playing alongside Rose as always and feeding off of her awesome energy and great play. It was a much better day out there today.”
The biennial competition is being staged for the 10th time and brings together the best amateur golfers from 20 countries and four continents for three days of competition. Two female and two male amateurs from each country will play for a chance at gold in five concurrent competitions.
On the men’s side, Team Canada (8 under) opened up a six-stroke lead over Team Sweden and Team USA. Bennett’s putter warmed up for the Americans on the second nine as he carded four birdies in a row beginning at No. 12 and shot 68, while Piot struggled to 5-over 77. (His score didn’t hurt Team USA in the overall team competition as only the best three scores count each day.)
As a group, Team USA posted an 11-under 205 on Friday. It pushed the Americans to 17-under 415 overall, good for a five-shot lead over second place Canada headed into Saturday’s final round. France, the defending champions from 2019, holds third place at 6-under 426. Team USA is looking for its sixth win in the overall competition and first since 2015.
In the men’s individual, Canada’s Johnny Travale and England’s Joseph Pagdan share the 36-hole lead at 6-under 138. Pagdan, who plays at the University of Florida, shot a second straight 69 while Travale of University of Central Florida, posted a 71 that included an eagle at 12. Bennett is alone in third, three strokes back, but he’s been in this position before and won multiple tournament coming from behind.
“I just need to stay patient and hopefully I can get to two down or one down on the back nine and see where it goes from there,” he said.
Lewis, for one, likes where her team is standing heading into the final round and has high hopes for gold medals to be secured.
“We played more like we all expected at the beginning of the week,” she said. “As a team they still probably haven’t played their best golf.”
That, too, is a scary thought. On Saturday, gold, silver and bronze commemorative medals are awarded to the top finishers in each competition and Zhang knows that no lead is safe.
“I honestly don’t think any lead would be comfortable heading into the final round,” she said. “Anything can happen. On this course especially, you really have to keep on your toes and keep playing well. Nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary (for tomorrow). I’m just going to go out there and try to play the best I can.”
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Don’t worry about the next generation of golfers. They’ve got some game and some mad skills too.
TRINITY, Texas – Don’t worry about the next generation of golfers. They’ve got some game and some mad skills too.
Players from 20 different countries are competing in the Spirit International Amateur Championship, dubbed golf’s Olympics. Someday soon, many of them will be household names. Spirit alumni have gone on to win more than 650 professional titles, 25 major championships and have made 56 Olympic appearances. That group includes 16 PGA Tour winners, 27 European Tour winners, 24 LPGA winners and 23 Ladies European Tour winners.
Each country is represented by two female and two male amateur golfers, each of whom had to fill out a player bio questionnaire prior to their arrival at Whispering Pines. They are chock full of fun facts such as that one of the players is a world-champion rope skipper while another excelled at dog-sled racing. Who knew! One girl enjoys doing her makeup in her free time while many have exceptional taste in their favorite movies.
As for your intrepid reporter, he was pleasantly pleased to see that the No. 1 amateur in the world, Rose Zhang, enjoys reading in her spare time. Good to know that at least one young person still likes to read. Without further ado, here are 80 fun facts about the 80-person field.
Ela Anacona, 21, University of Arkansas: She’s already made eight aces and her career-low round is 66.
Valentina Rossi, 20, Michigan State: Won the 2019 Argentina Amateur and advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Segundo Oliva Pinto, 22, University of Arkansas: Considers Angel Cabrera the greatest influence on his golf game. His favorite band is Queen and his favorite movie is Meet Joe Black.
Matteo Fernandez de Oliveira, 21, University of Arkansas: Won the Argentine Junior Championships at the Under 13 and Under 15 levels, and twice at the Under 18 level. Uses a coin with a hog emblem to mark his balls.
Rebecca Becht, 19, Stanford University: Won the 2019 Belgian National Junior Championship and will repeat her breakfast from any day that she plays well.
Elsie Verhoeven, 19, Old Dominion: Her favorite food is meatballs in tomato sauce with French fries.
Matthis Besard, 21, Southern Illinois University: His favorite musician is Martin Garrix and his favorite movie is Good Will Hunting.
Louis Theys, 23, Western Carolina: He is very superstitious about his daily routine during tournaments.
Four of America’s best amateur golfers Rose Zhang, Rachel Heck, Sam Bennett and James Piot showing off their off-the-course skills @thespiritgolf pic.twitter.com/XRwWPnS5O0
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) November 5, 2021
Savannah Grewal, 19, Clemson University: Diagnosed with a heart condition at age 14 and underwent successful surgery in November 2020. She won the 14-15 age division of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals in 2017, and her favorite food is her mom’s Swedish pancakes.
Noemie Pare, 24, Barry University: She can play the violin, piano, drums and guitar.
Henry Lee, 23, University of Washington: He began playing golf at age 6 after going with his dad to the driving range and likes to work out in his free time.
Johnny Travale, 20, University of Central Florida: The winner of the 2019 Tavistock Collegiate Invitational, Travale considers Tiger Woods the greatest influence on his golf game and lists Drake as a his favorite musician.
Yi-Han Chang, 20, National Taiwan Sport University: She has earned entry into multiple professional events in Taiwan.
You-Chuan Sung, 20, National Taiwan Sport University: Learned the game from her father, who is a golf instructor in Taiwan, and also enjoys doing makeup in her free time.
Yi-Hsuan Wu, 16: He will not eat chicken before a competition, and his favorite food is tofu.
Yu-Yang Wu (Eddie), 17: He finished third at the Yeangder National Amateur Open in Taiwan, and posted a career-low 65 at the 2020 Spring Ranking National Championship in Taiwan.
Maria Bohorquez, 20: She earned three wins and nine top-10 finishes over the past two years to earn a ranking of No. 85 in WAGR. She also made the Round of 32 at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Valery Plata, 20, Michigan State: Reached the semifinals at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur and was named 2020 Big Ten Player of the Year. She was Colombia’s Under 18 national champion in 2017.
Daniel Faccini, 23, Barry University: Likes to wear only blue when he plays golf, and his favorite movie is Ratatouille.
Juan Camilo Vesga Solano, 19, University of Arkansas: The top-ranked Colombian junior from 2018-2020, he always listens to the same music before each round.
Cecilie Finn-Ipsen, 23, Florida State: She won the Danish National Amateur in 2019.
Natacha Host Husted, 20, Ole Miss: She always uses the same divot repair tool and Mickey Mouse ball marker when she plays.
Alexander Frances, 24, University of Houston: His best memory in golf was watching Team Europe win the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor. His father, a golf professional, introduced him to the game at a young age.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, 22, Oklahoma State: Won back-to-back German International Amateur Championships in 2018-19. His favorite musicians are Ian Dior, Kid Laroi and Machine Gun Kelly.
Annabell Fuller, 19, University of Florida: Her most memorable experience in golf was playing Augusta National, where she finished 22nd at the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She also made the cut in the 2021 AIG Women’s British Open.
Amelia Williamson, 21, Florida State: She is a member of the English record-holding rowing team in the 100,000 meters, is an avid skier and enjoys cooking in her spare time.
Conor Gough, 19, UNC-Charlotte: Participated in the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. His favorite meal is spaghetti Bolognese.
Joseph Pagdin, 19, University of Florida: The 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year also reached the semifinals of the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur.
Daniella Barrett, 22, University of Miami: She began playing golf at age 9, and earned two top-10 finishes in Finnish professional events in 2020.
Krista Junkkari, 21, University of North Carolina: Her dad, who was the greatest influence on her golf game, died in 2017. Her favorite movies are Deadpool and Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Elias Haavisto, 22, University of West Florida: She won the 2021 Gulf South Conference Championship and was named GCAA/Ping First Team All-America in 2020.
Veeti Mahonen, 21, Ole Miss: He won the 2017 Finnish Junior National Championship and said representing his country is the greatest honor for an amateur golfer.
Adela Cernousek, 18, Texas A&M: Her parents were professional volleyball players.
Justine Fournand, 21, University of South Carolina: Named Conference USA Player of the Year in 2021.
Bastien Amat, 19, University of New Mexico: His hobbies include learning about science and space and extreme sports, and he counts all of the Star Wars movies as her favorites.
Tom Gueant, 20, University of Oregon: Winner of the 2019 British Boys Championship. He only plays yellow golf balls and his favorite food is raclette.
Huida Clara Gestsdottir, University of Denver: Represented Iceland in the 2020 and ’21 European Ladies Team Championship.
Ragga Kristindottir, 24, Eastern Kentucky University: She only carries white tees and always carries exactly three. Her favorite musician is Morgan Wallen.
Lenny Bergsson, 22, University of North Texas: He won the Icelandic Under 18 Stroke Play Championship in 2015.
Dagbjartur Sigurbrandsson, 18, University of Missouri: His most memorable golf experience was his first win on the Icelandic Men’s Tour in 2019. His golfing heroes are Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods.
Sara Byrne, 20, University of Miami: She always plays golf wearing a necklace with a picture of her dog on it. Made a hole-in-one at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland.
Aine Donegan, 19, Indiana University: She shot her career-low score, a 65 at Lahinch, earlier this year, and her favorite food is a cinnamon bun.
Paul Conroy, 21, University of Chattanooga: His most memorable golf experience is getting to play with former British Open champ Darren Clarke. His favorite food is steak and his favorite movie is Step Brothers.
Sam Murphy, 19, Grand Canyon University: Winner of both the Irish Under 18 Boys Amateur Close Championship and 2021 Kerry Scratch Cup, he also is an accomplished rugby player.
Alessia Nobilio, UCLA: She played in the 2018 Youth Olympics, and counts The Vampire Diaries as her favorite TV show and Tom Hanks as her favorite actor.
Anna Zanusso, 21, University of Denver: Placed 35th at the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She enjoys cooking and her favorite food is pizza.
Filippo Celli, 21, TCU: He finished second in the 2021 Italian Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
Lucas Fallotico, 18, Florida Gulf Coast University: He began playing golf at age 2 with his father, who is a professional. His favorite movie is Back to the Future.
Isabella Fierro, 20, Oklahoma State: She has overcome two wrist surgeries to continue her golf career. She shot 62 in Scotland when she was 11 years old.
Cory Lopez, 19, University of Arkansas: She began playing golf on the beach with plastic clubs. Her favorite band is the Jonas Brothers.
Luis Carrera, 21, University of Central Florida: Learned the game from his father at age 4. He made his only hole-in-one at age 6.
Alex Fierro, 16: He won the 2021 Mexican Junior Amateur, and his goal is to play at Augusta National someday. He has made two aces, one at TPC Scottsdale and the other at TPC Doral.
Julie Boysen Hillestad, 21, East Carolina University: She is a world champion sled-dog racer, along with her mom and brother. She gave it up to focus on golf at age 15. Her favorite food is Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Emilie Overas, 21, University of Alabama: She earned two top-11 finishes in Norwegian professional events in 2020.
Mats Ege, 21, East Tennessee State University: He won the 2020 Golfweek Moorpark Amateur. He played soccer, handball and golf in high school.
Baard Skogen, 20, Texas Tech University: He won the Norwegian Junior National Championship in 2017.
Carmen Griffiths, 17, University of Louisville: She calls winning the 2021 Scottish Girls Amateur Championship her most memorable experience in golf. Her favorite movie is Some Kind of Wonderful.
Katie Graham, 17, Iowa Western Community College: Her favorite musician is Post Malone and her favorite food is steak.
Eric McIntosh, 22, Northwestern University: His career-low score is 62 at Crail Golfing Society. His favorite musical group is U2 and his favorite food is Indian.
John Paterson, 21, University of Colorado: His hometown is St. Andrews; he finished fifth at the 2019 Scottish Men’s Amateur Championship.
Caitlyn Macnab, 19, TCU: She played in her first tournament on her fifth birthday. Her favorite food is lasagna and her favorite movie is The Hunger Games.
Kaylah Williams, 19, Florida State: She began playing golf at age 3 with a plastic set of clubs. She won’t use a No. 3 golf ball.
Christo Lamprecht, 20, Georgia Tech: His most memorable golf experience is getting to compete at the 2017 and ’19 Junior Presidents Cup. He considers Louis Oosthuizen the greatest influence on his golf game.
Kieron Van Wyk, 19, College of Charleston: His most memorable experience was hitting balls with Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods is the reason he began playing golf in the first place.
Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, 18, Wake Forest: She began playing golf to follow her grandparents; she considers her older brother the greatest influence on her golf game.
Teresa Toscano, 24, South Dakota State University: She won the 2021 Summit League Championship and reached the quarterfinals of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Albert Boneta, New Mexico State University: His favorite professional athlete is Rafael Nadal, his favorite food is pizza and his favorite movie is Point Break.
Alvaro Muller Baumgart Lucena, 19, UCLA: An only child, he was born in Munich, Germany. He enjoys paddle, tennis and bowling in his free time.
Kajsa Arwefjall, 21, San Jose State University: Her dad is a former professional golfer and her mom an accomplished skier. Her brother plays hockey for Miami (OH). She is a former world champion rope skipper.
Andrea Lignell, 21, Ole Miss: Her most memorable golf experience was winning the 2021 NCAA women’s team title. Her superstition is she won’t play with a Titleist No. 4 ball. Her favorite movie is Slumdog Millionaire.
Albin Bergstrom, 22, University of South Florida: He won the 2021 American Conference Championship and helped Sweden win the 2019 European Amateur Team Championship.
Hugo Townsend, 22, Boise State University: He was named Mountain West Golfer of the Year in 2021. He qualified for match play at the last two U.S. Amateurs.
Carolina Sturdza, 18, Stanford University: She scored a career-best 65 at the Flumsberg Ladies Open in 2020. Her favorite place to visit is Key West.
Chiara Tamburlini, 21, Ole Miss: She is the winner of multiple Junior Swiss National Championships and counts being a member of the winning 2021 NCAA Championship as her most memorable experience in the game.
Loic Ettlin, 20, Mississippi State University: Enjoys walking his dogs, drawing and going to the beach in his spare time. His favorite food is sushi.
Ronan Kleu, 21, University of Iowa: His career-low round is a 61 at his home club in Switzerland. His favorite movie is Cars.
Rachel Heck, 20, Stanford University: She enjoys drawing and painting in her free time. Her favorite food is smoothies and her favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption.
Rose Zhang, 18, Stanford University: She also speaks Mandarin in addition to English, and enjoys reading and playing other sports in her free time.
Sam Bennett, Texas A&M: His most memorable experience in golf was playing in the 2021 Valero Texas Open. He played soccer, tennis, basketball and baseball in high school.
James Piot, 22, Michigan State University: He began playing at age 4. Shot a career-low 62 at the Southern Amateur this year. His favorite musician is Morgan Wallen, his favorite food is tacos and his favorite movie is Step Brothers.
James Piot, Rose Zhang pace Team USA during the first day of the Spirit International Amateur Championship.
TRINITY, Texas – During a practice round for the Spirit International Amateur Championship, U.S. Amateur champion James Piot sidled up to his American teammates Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck and let them know his plan for victory.
“You guys are carrying us this week,” said Piot of the four-person American side that also included Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett. “You girls are the heart and soul of the team this week.”
That’s a pretty sound strategy given the immense talent of the two Stanford teammates: Zhang, the reigning World No. 1 women’s amateur and Heck the reigning NCAA women’s individual champion. The two also teamed up to help Team USA win the Walker Cup. On Thursday at Whispering Pines Golf Club, Piot did his part making six birdies en route to an opening-round 4-under 68. That propelled Team U.S. to shoot a total of 6-under 210, and trail Team Canada by two strokes in the Team Championship.
“We really got off to a pretty bad start,” said Team USA captain Stacy Lewis, of what at one time was as many as a six-stroke deficit, “but James and Rose really rallied and kind of saved the day for us.”
The Spirit features a unique format with some new wrinkles this year. The 80 competitors from 20 countries are competing for gold, silver and bronze medals over 54 holes of stroke play competition. Each country is represented by two women and two men amateur golfers. There are five concurrent competitions in play at The Spirit: Team Championship, Men’s Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Individual and Women’s Individual.
In a change for this year’s championship, the Team Championship format uses the best three scores from each four-person team. The Men’s and Women’s Team format combines both players’ individual scores. The Men’s and Women’s Individual format simply is each player’s gross score over the 54 holes.
Piot rebounded from a double bogey at the seventh hole after he tugged his drive left and into the thick stuff. Due to wet conditions, players were allowed to move their ball the length of a scorecard and Piot attempted a hero’s shot that went wrong.
“It was a college-kid mistake, I’d call it, thinking I could DeChambeau it out of there,” he said. “It turned my club over and my ball went into the trees 40 yards left. Making a six was a pretty fortunate break because it could’ve been really bad. I learned my lesson. I’ll just chip out next time.”
Zhang matched Piot’s six birdies, but also matched him with a double bogey on the card as she recorded a 3-under 69. At No. 4, Zhang pushed her drive way right and it led to a double bogey. “I think Rose hit the worst drive I’ve ever seen her hit,” said Lewis. “On days like this when it’s hard that’s when you find out how good someone is.”
The sweet swing of Rose Zhang, first tee at Whispering Pines @thespiritgolf. I want to swing like this when I grow up. pic.twitter.com/VltSvhY5Yr
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) November 4, 2021
Zhang showed her mettle, playing her final 14 holes in 5 under, and grabbed a one-stroke lead in the women’s individual competition over her fellow Stanford teammate, Switzerland’s Caroline Sturdza. Zhang credited her birdie at No. 10 with turning the tide.
“I rolled in a 25-footer,” she said. “I was able to bounce back from a couple of shaky holes when I started out. That hole really helped me turn it around.”
Bennett blamed a balky putter for four three-putt greens as he shot 1-over 73. Heck wasn’t making excuses but said she was feeling under the weather and had been sucking on cough drops all day as she shot an uncharacteristic 5-over 77. (Her score didn’t count in the competition.)
“I was proud of the fight,” Lewis said of her team. “James birdied the last two which was huge and Rose had a good finish, too. We’re still in it.”
Everyone is chasing Team Canada, which may have benefited from its experience in cold weather. Temperatures were hovering in the mid 40s in the morning but it didn’t seem to bother Team Canada, which combined for an 8-under 208 total in the Team Championship competition. The team was paced by Johnny Travale’s bogey-free, 5-under 67.
Travale, a senior at UCF, said four years in Orlando has thinned his blood. He wore four layers on the front nine, including a hoodie for the first time while playing golf that he kept over his head.
“It really helped because when the back of the neck starts getting cold that’s when it is over,” he said.
On 18, he stuck an 8-iron from 165 yards to 6 feet to cap off his round, which also secured a one-stroke lead over Piot in the men’s individual competition.
Travale’s teammate Henry Lee fired a 2-under 70 that included four birdies. Lee currently is tied for fourth place in the Men’s Individual competition. Savannah Grewal’s 1-under 71 was the third score that counted for Team Canada in the Team Championship competition. Grewal birdied the par-4 11th and 13th holes and logged her only bogey on the par-5 12th. She’s tied for third place in the Women’s Individual competition.
Team France, the defending champions from 2019, holds third place in the Team Championship at 2-under 214.
Canada leads the Men’s Team competition at 7-under 137. Team USA is in second place at 3-under 141. Belgium holds third place at 2-under 142.
Switzerland sits atop of the Women’s Team competition at 2-under 142. Colombia and France share second place at 1-under 143.
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