Tag: Catherine Park

As LPGA stars struggle mightily at 2024 U.S. Women’s Open, it’s the amateurs who shine

There are four amateurs near the top of the leaderboard after the first 18 holes.

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LANCASTER, Pa. – Asterisk Talley arrived at her first U.S. Women’s Open Championship a little later than most. The 15-year-old got her first look at Lancaster Country Club on Tuesday and, like everyone else, thought it was tough.

“When I was on the first hole, I was just like, these greens are stupid,” said Talley with a wide smile full of braces. “It’s just so hard. The pins they had on the practice rounds, I was like, if they put the pins here, I’m going to start crying.

“I was on the verge on a couple holes with the way I was playing. But I’m not mad with where the pins were today, the way I played the course, so I feel like I’m happy with how I did.”

Talley, whose first name means “little star” in Greek, lit up the microphone on Thursday afternoon after she posted an even-par 70 in the first round that included a triple-bogey. She held a share of the lead for some time and was well aware.

“I look at the leaderboard all the time,” said Talley, who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball earlier this month. “I feel like some people get scared to look at it, but I don’t really do that.”

2024 U.S. Women's Open
Adela Cernousek plays her shot from the second tee during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club on May 30, 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

While many of the game’s biggest stars struggled mightily in the opening round of the 79th U.S. Women’s Open, a number of amateurs shined. Recent NCAA champion Adela Cernousek of France is tied for second, a shot off the lead, after carding a 1-under 69 while reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill shot 70 to take a share of fifth.

Yuka Saso shot 68 to lead at 2 under, a shot ahead of Cernousek as well as Andrea Lee and Wichanee Meechai. Those are the only four players in red numbers after 36 holes. There are four amateurs near the top of the leaderboard, including USC’s Catherine Park.

“I was very nervous on the first tee,” said Texas A&M’s Cernousek. “First round of a major, so very nervous.”

U.S. Women’s Open: Photos | How to watch | Leaderboard

In a way, the round must have felt like it started all over again on the par-3 12th after Cernousek’s group had to wait 45 minutes after World No. 1 Nelly Korda made a 10 on the challenging par 3.

“It’s just going to be about who does hard better,” Texas A&M coach Gerrod Chadwell told her.

Cernousek was in between clubs on that hole and opted to hit a 7-iron. She two-putted from the back fringe, and Chadwell said that really settled her for the day.

A long hitter who manages her emotions well, Chadwell said the Frenchwoman has matured greatly since she showed up to campus with lightweight graphite shafts. Chadwell, who is married to LPGA player Stacy Lewis, said they brought Cernousek over to the house often during the Christmas holidays that freshman year.

“We’d call her fish because that’s what freshmen are called (at A&M), but she literally was a fish out of water,” said Chadwell.

Cernousek lives about 50 yards from the Aggies’ practice facility, and she’s there every single day. On the road, she putts at night in the hotel room.

Earlier this spring at the Chevron Collegiate, Cernousek had the overnight lead at the Golf Club of Houston but struggled with three-putts in the final round and dropped down the leaderboard. When they got back to campus, everyone peeled out of the parking lot except an emotional Cernousek, who slammed down her golf bag and putted for an hour and a half.

Lewis happened to drop by the facility and told Cernousek that she did the same thing in college at Arkansas.

“This is what’s going to make you great,” Lewis told her.

Jasmine Koo tops Sadie Englemann to capture 123rd Women’s Western Amateur

“I came into the week not knowing what to expect, and to win the whole thing is such an honor.”

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It was a special week for those involved with the USC women’s golf team at the Women’s Western Amateur.

Sophomore Catherine Park won stroke play, earning the top seed for match play. However, it was Jasmine Koo, a 17-year-old Class of 2024 commit to the Trojans, who’s walking away with one of the oldest trophies, the W.A. Alexander Cup, in amateur golf. Koo beat Stanford rising senior Sadie Englemann 4 and 2 to capture the 123rd Women’s Western Amateur on Saturday at White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville, Illinois.

“I came into the week not knowing what to expect, and to win the whole thing is such an honor,” Koo said. “This is the biggest win I’ve had, so I’ll always remember this week.”

Koo, 13th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, made six birdies in the championship match to etch her name on the W.A. Alexander Cup and become the first junior to win the Women’s Western Amateur since 2015.

She played 116 holes this week, finishing 27 under with 34 birdies and only seven bogeys. Koo, a rising high school senior, finished stroke play in third.

Held without interruption since its inception in 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious annual championships in women’s amateur golf. The tournament is conducted jointly by the Women’s Western Golf Association and the Western Golf Association.

A coaching adjustment helped USC’s Catherine Park, the daughter of an Olympic gold medalist, tie an NCAA record and lead NCAA Championship

Park has a four-shot lead with 18 holes to play.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Justin Silverstein admits his staff has sacrificed down the stretch with his latest coaching adjustment.

The USC’s women’s golf coach started walking with freshman Catherine Park at the Silverado Showdown in early April. He wouldn’t step in much, but he did offer advice on figuring out yardages and helping read greens when needed.

That switch has paid dividends for Park. She tied for second that week. The next tournament, the Pac-12 Championships, she tied for third as USC won the team title. At the Pullman Regional, Park finished T-17.

And on the biggest stage of them all, Park is out in front of the field with 18 holes of stroke play to go at Grayhawk Golf Club in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship searching for her first collegiate win.

“I kept telling my boss that Catherine was going to bust out,” Silverstein said. “It kind of took a little longer, but I think the final push was a little more on-course coaching.”

Park shot 1-under 71 on Sunday, which had the most difficult conditions of the week by far, to take the lead at 10-under 206. She has a four-shot lead on Rose Zhang, the defending individual champion, as well as Oklahoma State’s Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Florida State’s Charlotte Heath.

However, it was her second round Saturday that put her into the NCAA record books. Park shot 8-under 64, which tied the low round at an NCAA Women’s Golf Championship.

“I did not realize it at all until they posted it,” Park said Sunday. “I did not expect it at all to be tied for the record. I tried to not get into my head for today’s round. I didn’t want to overthink and tried to be steady.”

As Silverstein alluded to, Park had been trending toward a breakout all season. Her lowest round of the season, a 66, came in the first day of the Pullman Regional. She has three top-six finishes, all since March.

Then Saturday and into Sunday, it all came together.

Silverstein said a switch in November from drawing the ball to cutting it was the first thing to propel Park. Then it was her improvement on the greens, where she has gained almost two strokes.

“On greens this nasty, she has really bought in to hitting her putts softer, and her speed control has been really good except for a couple putts today,” Silverstein said.

Park is enjoying the competitive nature of being high on the leaderboard at the national championship. She grew up in a successful athletic family. Her mother, Seo Hyang-soon, became Korea’s first Olympic gold medalist when she won gold medal in archery at the 1984 Olympics at 17 years old. Her father, Park Kyung-ho, is a 1986 Asian Games gold medalist in judo.

That history and relationship with her parents has benefited Park on and off the course.

“It’s really helpful for me when I’m struggling mentally, they help me get back up because they understand what I’m feeling,” she said.

Come Monday, Park will face her biggest challenge yet. She’ll be gunning for an individual national title, trying to become the third straight freshman to win at the NCAAs.

Chasing her will be Zhang (the top-ranked amateur in the world) as well as the Big 12 individual champion Hinson-Tolchard and a finalist for the ANNIKA Award, given to the top female college golfer, in Heath.

In the team competition, USC is in fourth and in great position to make it into match play. However, 18 more holes await.

It’s a competition Park’s looking forward to.

“I’m so stoked because we’re sitting in a pretty good place,” Park said. “I have such strong confidence, and our team is strong. I know they’re going to light it up tomorrow.”

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NCAA Women’s Golf Championship: Stanford sets NCAA record, USC’s Catherine Park ties another and more from Saturday’s second round

Here’s what you need to know from the second round of the Women’s NCAA Championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was a birdie barrage Saturday morning at Grayhawk Golf Club. And teams who weren’t making any were left behind.

The second round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship teed off Saturday to clear skies, virtually no wind and perfect scoring conditions. And teams like Stanford, South Carolina and Texas took advantage. The morning scoring average was 72.39, more than two shots lower than Friday.

In the afternoon? The course played tough. Only one team (Clemson) finished under par in the afternoon wave.

However, the round Stanford put together set an NCAA record for lowest round in championship history. Not bad for the top-seeded team and defending NCAA champions.

Yet it’s not the Cardinal in front with 36 holes to go, it’s the second-seeded team (and No. 1 team in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings).

NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

Here’s what you need to know from the second round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship.

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