Richmond’s Ball to face No. 1 seed Hossler in quarterfinals
Columbia’s Bryana Nguyen had a 3 up lead with four holes left in the round of 32 in the 63rd U.S. Junior Girls Championship on Thursday, but let it slip away and fell to Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif. 1 up in a devastating reversal of fortune at the South Course at Olympia Fields Country Club (Ill.).
Nguyen, a sophomore at Atholton, never trailed in the match until the 18th hole. With Lee playing the first eight holes in 7-over-par, Nguyen took a 3 up lead without making a birdie. Nguyen, the Maryland public schools runner up last fall, still led by the same margin through 14. But that’s when rough going ensued as she played the last four holes in 5-over, handing the match to Lee, who started and finished the back nine with birdies on par-5 holes.
Lee went on to lose in the round of 16 on Thursday afternoon, 1 up, to another Californian named Lee – Amy Lee of Brea.
Friday’s quarterfinals will have plenty of international flavor as the round includes players from China, the Philippines, and the medalist and No. 1 seed Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, the only one of the top six seeds remaining.
In the boys competition, at Golf Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash., Richmond’s Adam Ball advanced to the U.S. Junior Amateur quarterfinals with a pair of comeback victories on Thursday.
Ball, a junior at St. Christopher’s School, won five of the final seven holes in his morning match with Korea’s James Park to win 2 and 1. In the afternoon, Ball was 3 down before winning five of the final six holes to topple Juan Yumar of Venezuela, 2 up. Ball closed with a rush against Yumar, playing the final five holes in a spectacular 6-under-par.
Ball, son of Virginia Commonwealth golf coach Matt Ball, has a tough task on Friday against No. 1 seed Beau Hossler of Mission Viejo, Calif., who played in the U.S. Open last month at Congressional, and shot 68-67 – 135 on Sunday and Monday to capture medal honors by four strokes.
If Ball wins, he could face 2009 champion Jordan Spieth of Dallas. Spieth, who has challenged twice in the PGA Tour’s Byron Nelson Championship, will play local favorite Andrew Whalen of Ephrata, Wash. Spieth is trying to join three-time winner Tiger Woods as the only player in history to capture the U.S. Junior Am more than once.
In the other half of the bracket, Chelso Barrett of Keane, N.H. eliminated defending champion Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y., 2 up, and will take on another formidable foe Friday in No. 2 seed William Starke of Chapin, S.C.
