Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur golf: Coatesville’s Sammie Staudt beats defending champ in first round
Staudt was the last person to qualify for the 16-woman championship flight. She got off to a 3-up lead after four holes and advanced to Friday's quarterfinals.
Sammie Staudt of Applecross, the 16th seed, defeated top seed and defending champion Kristen Obush of Ligonier, 5 and 4, in Thursday’s opening round of match play in the 83rd Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur over the Militia Hill course at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
Staudt, a Coatesville High School graduate who is entering her senior season at Seton Hall, took an immediate advantage by winning the second through fourth holes to go 3-up. After Obush got her first win at No. 7, Staudt extended her lead to 5-up by winning holes 8, 10 and 13, and closed the match with a par at No. 14.
Co-medalist Kaitlyn Lees of Philadelphia Country Club needed to go extra holes to advance, defeating Katie James of Fox Chapel on the 19th hole. Lees, a sophomore at Dartmouth, trailed after 14 holes but squared the match with a birdie at the par-5 17th, and won with a par on the first extra hole.
Navy senior Morgan Frazier of Carlisle, the other co-medalist who tied Lees at even-par 72, won her first five holes and eliminated Laura Hilger of Treesdale, 3 and 2.
Results of other first-round matches in the championship flight:
Olivia Zambruno of Pleasant Valley defeated Megan Adelman of Bala, 8 and 6; Julia McLaughlin of Saucon Valley beat Lauren Freyvogel of Treesdale, 4 and 3; Katie Miller of Ligonier defeated Julianne Lee, a Pennsylvania Golf Association individual member, 2-up; Jackie Rogowicz of Yardley eliminated Casey Oppenheimer of Whitemarsh Valley, 6 and 5; and Cassidy Gavaghan of Sandy Run beat Madelein Herr of Jericho National, 2-up.
In the championship flight of the Senior Women’s Amateur, defending champion Lisa McGill of Sunnybrook defeated Karen Hazleton of Wyoming Valley, 9 and 7.