Dartmouth’s Tyler Brand has a story he’s going to be able to tell forever.
Playing at the Princeton Invitational at Springdale Golf Club in New Jersey, he shot 13-over 84 in the opening round on Saturday morning. However, it was the first of 36 holes that day, so there was a quick turnaround before the afternoon 18.
And how different that afternoon was — 23 shots different.
Brand shot 10-under 61 in the afternoon, an incredible improvement in a single day. A 3-over total after 36 holes was not too shabby after his start. With eight birdies and an eagle, Brand set a course record.
But that wasn’t the end of Brand’s story. He ended up withdrawing from the tournament after being injured Sunday in the final round. He suffered a concussion after walking into a tree branch with his head down and was unable to finish.
Again. What a story.
And Brand wasn’t the only golfer to shoot 61 this week. On Monday, Michigan’s Monet Chun shot 10-under 61 during the second round of the Chattanooga Classic at Council Fire Golf Club in Tennessee. And similar to Brand, Chun had a 13-shot improvement in the second round compared to her opening 3-over 74.
Chun had 11 birdies and a bogey in her 61, which is tied for the second-lowest round by a female golfer in NCAA history. It trails only North Carolina State’s Lauren Olivares Leon, who shot 60 in the fall at the Cougar Classic.
There were 28 amateurs who started the week on the Monterey Peninsula in the field of 156, including world No. 2 Saki Baba, but most of them are heading home after two days at the third women’s major championship of the year.
Only four amateurs earned weekend tee times and will vie for the low-amateur medal, which will be awarded during Sunday’s trophy presentation. The cut was 6-over par.
Here’s a look at the amateurs who made the cut at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open.
Virginia is looking to clinch the victory come Wednesday.
LAKE ELMO, Minn. – Lauren Walsh stepped to the tee knowing she had a special round going.
The senior for Wake Forest knew the closing stretch at Royal Golf Club outside of Minneapolis provided multiple birdie opportunities. A short par 4. Two par 5s. After birdieing five of her past six holes, Walsh had an opportunity to go even lower.
“I made bogey on 15, which was plenty frustrating,” Walsh said while cracking a smile, “and then I missed a short birdie putt on 16. so I was determined to birdie one of the last two.”
And she did just that, bringing a loud cheer from her three teammates sitting greenside.
Walsh fired a 6-under 66, tied for low round of the day, to help propel herself and Wake Forest up the leaderboard during Tuesday’s second round of the ANNIKA Intercollegiate. The Demon Deacons, third in Golfweek‘s preseason women’s college team rankings, moved up four spots to second on the team leaderboard after a 9-under performance but still trail Virginia heading to Wednesday’s final round. Walsh sits tied for second place at 5 under for the tournament, and Emilia Migliaccio shot 4 under on the day and moved up to 2 under overall.
“Today gives us a lot of confidence moving forward,” Walsh said “We’ve all worked hard on our games over the summer at home. To come back together and see some good scores is always good.”
The 2022-23 Wake Forest women’s golf team at the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate. (Photo: Taylor Britton, ANNIKA Foundation)
Wake Forest at one point was in a three-way tie for first with Virginia and South Carolina, which won last season’s tournament. But the Demon Deacons teed off before the Cavaliers and Gamecocks, and there was plenty of leaderboard shuffling before the conclusion of the second round.
Royal Golf Club played almost two strokes easier during the second round Tuesday compared to the first round. The five most difficult holes come on the front nine through two rounds, according to Golfstat. Meanwhile, of the six holes playing under par, four come on the back nine, with three of the four being Nos. 15, 17 and 18.
Virginia finished strong, as it leads following the second straight round at 9 under, six strokes ahead of Wake Forest. Sophomore Amanda Sambach, who shot 7-under 65 in the first round, is at 11 under for the tournament after a second-round 4-under 68 that included birdies on three of her final four holes. She leads by six strokes in the individual competition.
“The team stayed really patient on the front,” Virginia coach Ria Scott said. “There’s a stretch of really challenging holes. They did a great job of sticking to what they were doing and waiting for the opportunities on the back.”
South Carolina fell back after holding the lead alone about halfway through the second round. Mathilde Claisse and Hannah Darling both moved into the top five on the leaderboard, as the duo are tied for second with Walsh. Claisse was 5 under on the day, and Darling tied Walsh for low round of the day at 6-under 66. The Gamecocks are at 2 under, one behind Wake Forest and seven behind Virginia.
Duke had a strong back nine and sits at even par, tied with Michigan for fourth. Phoebe Brinker had four birdies, including three straight, on the back nine and she’s tied for seventh on the leaderboard at 3 under. Freshman Andie Smith birdied six holes on her back nine and shot 3 under for the day.
Florida’s Maisie Filler also finished strong, making birdie on her final three holes to finish 5 under in the second round. Filler is at 3 under for the tournament, in a tie for seventh. Michigan’s Monet Chun and Texas’ Bohyun Park are tied for fifth at 4 under. Auburn’s Megan Schofill is tied for ninth with Migliaccio at 2 under, rounding out the top 10.
What a weekend for Japan’s Saki Baba at the 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur.
What a weekend for Japan’s Saki Baba at the 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur.
On Saturday, Baba, 17, routed fellow 17-year-old Bailey Shoemaker of Dade City, Florida, 7 and 6, in Saturday’s semifinal at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington. It was the largest margin of victory in the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Am since Annika Sorenstam won by that same score in 1992.
In Sunday’s final, Baba won going away once again, this time earning an 11-and-9 win over Monet Chun, 21, of Canada, to win her first USGA title. Baba is the second golfer from Japan to win the Robert Cox Trophy. Baba was 7 up through 14 holes and held that same lead after the 18 holes of the 36-hole final. The U.S. Golf Association reports it was the biggest lead after 18 holes in 60 years.
After a lengthy break, the pair only played nine more holes. Chun cut the lead to 5 up through 21 holes, but Baba then won the next six holes to end the match after 27 holes.
“It’s just amazing. I just can’t believe it,” said an emotional Baba through a translator. “I was able to [play] my kind of golf. Yeah, everything just went smoothly.”
The winner will become the 15th first-time winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur all-time.
The week started with 156 of the world’s best women’s amateur golfers vying for the Robert Cox Trophy at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington. Now, that number is down to two.
Saki Baba of Japan and Monet Chun of Canada will face off Sunday in a 36-hole final to determine the 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur champion.
Baba won in dominant fashion, knocking off Bailey Shoemaker from the United States 7 and 6. She recorded five birdies in 12 holes to only one bogey. Baba won five of the first seven holes, and a birdie after driving the short par-4 12th sealed the victory.
Baba’s win is the largest margin of victory in the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur since Annika Sorenstam won by that same number in 1992. Baba is the second player from Japan to reach the final all-time, joining Michiko Hattori in 1985.
Only one player in the last 𝟓𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 has had a better showing in the #USWomensAm semifinals!
In the other semifinal, Chun won the first hole and played solid golf all day to hold on to beat Ireland’s Annabel Wilson 2 and 1. Wilson won the second hole, but Chun took the lead for good with a birdie on the par-4 5th hole.
Wilson birdied the par-4 10th to get to 1 down, but Chun won the par-5 13th. The duo halved their next four holes, and Chun was victorious.
Chun would be the third Canadian to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur, joining Cathy Sherk, who won it at Sunnybrook Golf Club in 1978, and Marlene Stewart Streit, who won it in 1956 at Meridian Hills Country Club. Brooke Henderson, who won the Amundi Evian Championship last month, was the last Canadian to make the final in 2014.
Sunday’s winner clinches a spot in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, which will be played at historic Pebble Beach Golf Links in Monterey, California.
Chambers Bay opened in 2007 and previously hosted three U.S. Golf Association championships, including the 2015 U.S. Open.
Semifinal results
53 Monet Chun, Canada def. 33 Annabel Wilson, Ireland, 3 and 1
34 Saki Baba, Japan, def. 54 Bailey Shoemaker, Dade City, Florida, 7 and 6
Championship match
Monet Chun vs. Saki Baba, 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. local time)
How to watch
Sunday, Aug. 14, 7-10 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
Corrections & Clarifications: This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Cathy Sherk’s name and the correct year (1978) that she won the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
The 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur is at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington.
The 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur started with 1,497 entries. A total of 156 golfers made the field at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, outside Seattle.
After the fifth day of competition Friday in the 122nd rendition of the championship, there are four golfers left.
The semifinals are now set for Saturday. There will be a 36-hole final Sunday, with the winner clinching a spot in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, which will be played at historic Pebble Beach Golf Links in Monterey, California.
