Indian Creek Village, Fla. – Day Two is in the books as stroke play concluded in the morning at the 96th Women’s Amateur Championship, finalizing the 32-player match play bracket. An 8:00 AM shotgun start sent 82 competitors into motion, with match play tee times extending into the afternoon as the race for the Sweet 16 took shape.
Round Two Stroke Play Seeding
The second round of stroke play at Indian Creek Country Club saw Siuue Wu emerge as the No. 1 seed, thanks to an opening-round 70 (-2) and a follow-up round of 69 (-3), giving her a two-day total of 139. Wu finished two strokes ahead of the field, riding a wave of momentum into the head-to-head format that soon awaited.
Remi Bacardi clinched the No. 2 seed with rounds of 72-69--141, while the No 3. Seed was a tie between Sophia Dyer and Alexandra Gazzoli. Gazzoli used a round two 70 to move 15 spots up the leaderboard and clinch a favorable position heading into the Round of 32.
The cutline, which initially populated at 6-over, would bobble slightly but ultimately stayed at 6-over by the end of the round. A 5 for 3 playoff would determine the final players heading to the Round of 32. Karoline Tuttle, McKenna Murphy, and Leah Gram claimed the final spots as the tournament shifted completely to match play.
Round of 32
The opening round of match play got underway at 2:00 PM, capped by a matchup between top-seeded Siuue Wu and No. 32 seed Leah Gram. Wu gained an early advantage, going 1-up on the third hole and holding that margin through much of the match. Gram made determined pushes, but Wu capitalized on her momentum from stroke play to pull away late, closing out the match with a 4 & 2 victory.
Second-seeded Remi Bacardi faced a tough test in McKenna Murphy. Bacardi came out strong, winning the first two holes, but Murphy, fresh off a playoff victory, fought back and cut into the lead. In the end, Bacardi held steady and secured a narrow 1-up win to advance.
The first match to conclude featured Kayla Bryant, who earned the day’s first ticket to the Round of 16 with a 3 & 2 victory over Brianna Castaldi. Madison Moman followed soon after, leading throughout her match against Layla Pedrique and finishing with a convincing 4 & 3 win.
One of the more thrilling matches saw Caroline Patterson build a 3-up lead through 15 holes against Yvette O'Brien. O'Brien mounted a late comeback, winning the 16th and 17th to close the gap to just one hole. But Patterson held firm on the 18th to claim the match and move on.
Charlotte Cantonis delivered one of the most commanding performances of the day, racing to a 6-up lead through 12 holes over Mara King. King fought back with wins on the 13th and 14th, but Cantonis ended the match on the 15th hole for a 5 & 3 victory.
Defending Women’s Amateur Champion Sophia Dyer showed her championship form, defeating Kate Bibby 5 & 3.
Two matches required extra holes to determine a winner. Hailey Davis and Evyn Cannon battled in a match that remained tied after 18. Davis ultimately won with a birdie on the second playoff hole, completing a 38-hole day. The final match on the course featured Alexandra Gazzoli and Karoline Tuttle, who also needed two extra holes. Gazzoli defeated Tuttle, claiming the last spot in the Round of 16.
Quotable
“Off the tee, I was putting myself in the fairway as much as possible. I was trying to give myself the best opportunities for birdie. The course was a lot windier today, and the greens were much more firm. It was a bit more challenging.” – Siuue Wu on her 3-under (69) which earned her medalist honors
“My driving was definitely the best part of my game. I hit almost every fairway and I was always set up for a nice approach. I’m going to do the same thing in match play. Try to keep my driver in the middle of the fairway and hit the greens.” – Remi Bacardi on her approach heading into match play
