26 April 2021: A steady mind and a rock solid partnership. Meghan Royal and Anika Varma played with great composure on Sunday to progress into the match play round of the USGA U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball. The duo combined for a 71 in the second round to finish the stroke play section at 1-under 143, enough to be well inside the four-over measure that separated the teams as the cut was made to identify the 32 teams that make the match play round. Anika and Meghan will take on Jordan Fischer and Chloe Kovelesky, who finished at even par after making a 70 on Sunday.
Three teams share the lead at 6-under 138. Paris Hilinski and Alexa Pano made their way into the lead with a 68. Ami Gianchandani and Kaitlyn Lee shot a second straight 69 to secure a share of the lead, retaining their position at the top. 13-year-old Gianna Clemente produced a hole-in-one as she combined with Avery Zweig for another 69. All three teams earn co-medallist honours for topping the stroke play rounds.
“It means a lot. I’ve been medalist before and its always great going into the next round as the person who has played the best. It gives us confidence because we both struggled to get birdies and get leads this year. Right now it feels like it is all coming together for us,” said a clearly delighted Pano.
Jillian Bourdage and Casey Weidenfeld enjoyed solitary ownership of the lead for a brief while, before settling for a 70 to slide into second from their overnight stay on the top. The other team that enjoyed a share of the lead after the opening round, Sophie Linder and Karoline Tuttle slipped to T9 after they made a 73.
Five teams vied for a spot in the match play, during the early hours of Monday. They were all at 148, four-over, fighting for the last spot. On Sunday, the teams that could not be separated despite playing three playoff holes are those of Carlota Palacios, 19, of Spain and Jennifer Rosenberg, 21, of Laurel Hollow, N.Y.; and Ariel Gonzalez and Vania Simont, both 17 of Mexico, will resume the contest for a chance to take on Hilinski and Pano.
Anika and Meghan got off a strong start, with a birdie on the par-4 fourth hole. However, a six on the par-5 seventh hole meant that the Indo-American duo made the turn at even par.
Birdies at the par-5 eleventh and the par-3 fourteenth pushed them inside the top ten. But a five on the 18th meant that they had to settle for a 71, still good enough for a match play ticket against a lower rated team from stroke play.
Only two pairs of siblings proceed into the round of 32. Jasmine and Janae Levao of Oceanside, Calif., twins, combined for a 1-under 143 tied in 12th alongside Anika and Meghan. Maria Fernanda Martinez and Maria Jose Martinez, of Mexico, shot the best round on Sunday, a 68 to stay in contention with an even-par 144.
Leading Scores
Paris Hilinski, Palm Beach, Fla. & Alexa Pano, Lake Worth, Fla. 70 – 68 — 138
Ami Gianchandani, Watchung, N.J. & Kaitlyn Lee, Scarsdale, N.Y. 69 – 69 — 138
Gianna Clemente, Warren, Ohio & Avery Zweig, McKinney, Texas 69 – 69 — 138
Jillian Bourdage, Tamarac, Fla. & Casey Weidenfeld, Pembroke Pines, Fla. 69 – 70 — 139
Lauren Greenlief, Ashburn, Va. & Katie Miller Gee, Oakmont, Pa. 70 – 70 — 140
Lauren Cox, Orange, Texas & Katie Finley, Ardmore, Okla. 70 – 70 — 140
Tiffany Cao, Midlothian, Texas & Chelsea Romas, Coppell, Texas 71 – 70 — 141
Thienna Huynh, Lilburn, Ga. & Sara Im, Duluth, Ga. 71 – 70 — 141
Lauren Clark, Orlando, Fla. & Kaitlyn Schroeder, Jacksonville, Fla. 70 – 72 — 142
Reagan Gray, Missouri City, Texas & Jacqueline Nguyen, Houston, Texas 70 – 72 — 142
Sophie Linder, Carthage, Tenn. & Karoline Tuttle, Lake Mary, Fla. 69 – 73 — 142
Anna Davis, Spring Valley, Calif. & Lucy Yuan, San Diego, Calif. 70 – 73 — 143
Meghan Royal, Carlsbad, Calif. & Anika Varma, India 72 – 71 — 143
Sarah Beqaj, Canada & Britta Snyder, Ames, Iowa 72 – 71 — 143
Tiffany Le, Covina, Calif. & Kate Villegas, Arcadia, Calif. 72 – 71 — 143
Janae Leovao, Oceanside, Calif. & Jasmine Leovao, Oceanside, Calif. 74 – 69 — 143
Melena Barrientos, Plano, Texas & Rylie Heflin, Avondale, Pa. 73 – 70 — 143
Sydney Bryan, Mesa, Ariz. & Grace Summerhays, Scottsdale, Ariz. 73 – 71 — 144
Sophie Simon, Potomac, Md. & Rebecca Skoler, Needham, Mass. 73 – 71 — 144
Jordan Fischer, North Ft. Myers, Fla. & Chloe Kovelesky, Boca Raton, Fla. 74 – 70 — 144
Maria Fernanda Martinez, Mexico & Maria Jose Martinez, Mexico 76 – 68 — 144
