Craig Shines at U.S. Women’s Amateur
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – In the first ever appearance of a WKU women’s golfer in the United States Women’s Amateur, junior Catie Craig took the Lady Topper Golf program to new heights.
Both Craig and fifth-year Sarah Arnold became the first-ever WKU female golfers to qualify for the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur, a testament to the program’s rising success under head coach Adam Gary.
Craig posted a 1-over 141 through 36 holes of stroke play at Bel-Air Country Club to advance to the match play portion of the event.
The Sautee Nacoochee, Ga., native first defeated Arizona’s Julia Misemer 1 Up in the Round of 64 on Wednesday in a back-and-forth match.
Craig advanced to the Round of 32 on Thursday morning where she faced off against Oregon’s Briana Chacon. In stroke play, Chacon had set a new 36-hole scoring record for the U.S. Women’s Amateur, posting a 9-under 131, claiming stroke-play medalist honors and the top seed in match play.
Craig got up early on the All-Pac-12 honorable mention, claiming a 3 Up lead through seven holes. Chacon only ever got one hole back on Craig as the Lady Topper closed out the match on hole 16, winning 4 & 2 over the No. 1 seed.
In her Round of 16 match on Thursday afternoon, Craig held a lead for most of the front nine before Princeton’s Catherine Rao tied it up on the ninth hole. The two went back and forth across the back nine and Rao tied the match on the 18th hole to force extras. Rao claimed the match on the 19th hole with a birdie.
Out of the Round of 16, there were 12 women who play collegiate golf in the United States. Craig was just one of four competitors who play for a non-Power 5 school.
