DEFENDING CHAMPION Emma Talley pounced on Princess Superal’s shaky backside stint and fashioned out a 3 & 1 victory in a Round of 32 duel Thursday that cut short the Filipino’s bid to add the US Women’s Amateur Championship crown to her US Girls’ Junior title two weeks ago.
Superal actually took a 1-up lead with a birdie on No. 7 but Talley birdied No. 9 to tie the match then the Kentucky native moved ahead after Superal bogeyed No. 10. She went 2-up with another par on No. 13.
The top ICTSI-backed bet tried to fight back but her putts just won’t fall. She missed a couple of birdie chances from seven feet on Nos. 14 and 15 before yielding the match when Talley birdied the 17th.
Talley, however, failed to sustain her charge and bowed to second seed Oh Su-hyun of Australia, 9 &8 , in their afternoon Round of 16 match.
Despite her early ouster from the world’s premier women’s amateur championship, Superal succeeded in becoming the first Filipino-born player to win the US Girls’ Junior crown, nipping Mexican Marijosse Navarro on the 37th hole in Portland two weeks ago.
The others who made it to the quarterfinalis were No. 33 Hannah O’Sullivan, who nipped Augusta James after 20 holes; No. 8 Grace Na, who beat Lauren Kim, 2-up; No. 13 Brooke Henderson, who upset No. 4 Dylan Kim, 3 & 2; No. 5 Allison Lee, who edged No. 44 Eimi Koga on the 19th hole; No. 39 Kristen Gillman, who upended No. 10 Casey Danielson, 5 & 3; No. 3 Andrea Lee, who eased out No. 14 Jessica Porvasnik, 4 & 2; and No. 11 Eunjeong Seong, who outlasted Liv Cheng on the 19th hole.