2022 Golfweek Awards: Female amateur of the year

The 2022 Golfweek Award winner for Female Amateur of the Year goes to …

When it came time for the Golfweek staff to decide the Female Amateur of the Year, there wasn’t much conversation.

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Sure, there were talented athletes across the world who made their mark during the 2022 calendar year. There were first-time winners, young stars shining on the brightest stage and others cementing their legacy, But one female golfer stood out among them all.

In the end, it came down to three athletes, two who made honorable mention and the Golfweek Female Amateur of the Year. The best women’s amateur in the game has held this title for some time, and she’s going to make plenty of splashes in the professional ranks before long. The 2022 Golfweek Award winner for Female Amateur of the Year goes to …

U.S. Women’s Amateur: Japan’s Saki Baba routs Canada’s Monet Chun in final at Chambers Bay

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.

U.S. Women’s Amateur: Scoring | Photo gallery

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.”

It’s the largest margin of victory in a U.S. Women’s Amateur final since Anne Sander in 1961.

By virtue of reaching the final, Baba and Chun are each exempt into the 78th U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in July 2023.

Golfers from eight countries (U.S., Australia, Canada, China, England, Ireland, Japan, Korea) have now won USGA titles in 2022.

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U.S. Women’s Amateur: Saki Baba, Monet Chun advance to championship final at Chambers Bay

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.

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.

U.S. Women’s Amateur: Scoring | Photo gallery

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.

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U.S. Women’s Amateur is down to the final four: Meet the 2022 semifinalists at Chambers Bay

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.

U.S. Women’s Amateur: Scoring | Photo gallery

Chambers Bay opened in 2007 and previously hosted three U.S. Golf Association championships, including the 2015 U.S. Open.

Quarterfinal results

The quarterfinals featured five girls from the United States and one each from Canada, Ireland and Japan. Of the eight, only one was a top-10 seed.

  • 33 Annabel Wilson, Ireland, def. 8 Catherine Rao, Camarillo, California, 3 and 1.
  • 53 Monet Chun, Canada, 19 holes over 45 Brianna Navarrosa, San Diego.
  • 34 Saki Baba, Japan, def. 39 Lauren Lehigh, Loveland, Colorado, 4 and 3.
  • 54 Bailey Shoemaker, Dade City, Florida, def. 30 Leigh Chien, Irvine, California, 5 and 3.

The 33, 34, 53 and 54 seeded players will make up the semifinals.

Semifinal matches

  • Annabel Wilson vs. Monet Chun, 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. local time)
  • Saki Baba vs. Bailey Shoemaker, 2:15 p.m. ET (11:15 a.m. local time)

How to watch

Saturday, Aug. 13, 3-6 p.m. ET, Golf Channel

Sunday, Aug. 14, 7-10 p.m. ET, Golf Channel

Get to know the four semifinalists: