Englemann, Koo Advance To Final
Friday, July 21, 2023 – Naperville, Ill.
Sadie Englemann is no stranger to the big moment. The Stanford rising senior from Austin, Texas, has shined while representing the Cardinal, winning an NCAA Team Championship in 2022 and earning All-Pac-12 honors in 2023. Englemann also walked the fairways of Pebble Beach Golf Links at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and has competed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
On Saturday, she’ll face a new test – the championship match of the 123rd Women’s Western Amateur at White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville, Illinois.
“It’s a surreal feeling to reach the final, and I know the pressure is going to be even higher in the championship,” Englemann said after her semifinal match Friday. “I’m excited and happy to have put myself in this situation after my performance today.”
She will face standout junior Jasmine Koo, a 17-year-old from Cerritos, California, in the championship match at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Englemann’s journey to the final was far from easy, and her experience in high-pressure situations helped her navigate a pair of tight matches on Friday.
During a back-and-forth semifinal against Virginia commit Jaclyn LaHa, an 18-year-old from Pleasanton, California, Englemann took a 2-up lead with a birdie on No. 15. With the match seemingly in hand, her approach to the 17th green dunked into the water, allowing LaHa to extend the match to the final hole.
When Englemann’s tee shot on 18 found the fairway bunker, she was faced with a 130-yard sand shot over water while LaHa was safely in the fairway.
“I was thinking about my matches at NCAAs when it was coming down the stretch and I had to hit some big shots,” Englemann said. “Knowing that I pulled those off successfully gave me an uber amount of confidence under that pressure.”
Englemann promptly knocked her approach to within 15 feet of the flagstick, leaving an easy two-putt par for the victory and a trip to the final.
“Jaclyn is such a good player and made it tough on me, especially on the back nine,” Englemann said. “The intensity of that match was high and should help me tomorrow.”
While less experienced than Englemann, Koo has shined at White Eagle. After finishing third in stroke-play qualifying at 7-under par, Koo advanced through the match play bracket and punched her ticket to the final with a 1-up victory over Kelly Xu, of Claremont, California, in the semifinals.
Koo, a USC commit, traded holes with Xu across the front nine. A par to Xu’s bogey on No. 11 gave Koo a 1 up advantage that held up over the final seven holes.
“It was such a good match, and we were both playing incredible,” Koo said. “We both hit 15 out of 18 greens, so it was a tough battle with really good golf being played.”
Koo’s morning quarterfinal match sparked the stellar iron play that allowed her to hit as many greens as she did. After struggling with her irons yesterday and through the first 14 holes of the morning, Koo struck gold with two approaches hit to a combined five feet on Nos. 15 and 16.
A 3 and 2 victory over Casey Weidenfeld, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, and rediscovered confidence with her irons sparked Koo’s afternoon momentum.
“It’s a cool feeling to be in the final two of such a big event, and I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Koo said. “It’s all going to be about who can handle those pressure moments.”
Her opponent is not shy about her expectations.
“I told myself I’d be satisfied with second, but I know I wouldn’t be,” Englemann said.
Held without interruption since its inception in 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious annual championships in women’s amateur golf. The tournament is conducted jointly by the Women’s Western Golf Association and the Western Golf Association.
The championship features the top amateur and collegiate players from across the globe. The winner at White Eagle this week will join a list of past champions from legendary stars Patty Berg, Louise Suggs and Nancy Lopez to modern standouts like Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.
Semifinal Results Friday, July 21, 2023
Jasmine Koo def. Kelly Xu, 1 up
Lower Bracket Quarterfinals Friday 7/21
Kelly Xu def. Kary Hollenbaugh, 20 holes
Jasmine Koo def. Casey Weidenfeld, 3 and 2
Sadie Englemann def. Jaclyn LaHa, 1 up
Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, Friday 7/21
Jaclyn LaHa def. Rylee Suttor, 1 up
Sadie Englemann def. Savannah Barber, 1 up
Sweet-16 Results Thursday, July 20, 2023
Lower Bracket
Kary Hollenbaugh def. Bentley Cotton, 4 and 3
Kelly Xu def. Jocelyn Bruch, 4 and 2
Jasmine Koo def. Megan Propeck, 3 and 1
Casey Weidenfeld def. Annika Rathbone, 2 and 1
Upper Bracket
Rylee Suttor def. Catherine Park, 3 and 1
Jaclyn LaHa def. Caitlin Peirce, 8 and 7
Savannah Barber def. Lion Higo, 2 up
Sadie Englemann def. Taglao Jeeravivitaporn, 1 u
Round of 32 Results Thursday, July 20, 2023
Upper Bracket
Catherine Park, Santa Ana, Calif., def. Leigha Devine, Windsor, Colo., 4 and 3
Rylee Suttor, Shelbyvillle, Ky., def. Sydney Seigel, Scottsdale, Ariz., 4 and 3
Caitlin Peirce, Australia, def. Maisie Filler, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 3 and 1
Jaclyn LaHa, Pleasanton, Calif., def. Katie Lu, Plainsboro, N.J., 2 and 1
Lion Higo, Australia, def. Momo Sugiyama, Australia, 2 and 1
Savannah Barber, Fort Worth, Tex., def. Kelli Ann Strand, Challis, Idaho, 1 up
Sadie Englemann, Austin, Tex., def. Crista Izuzquiza, Spain, 3 and 2
Taglao Jeeravivitaporn, Thailand, def. Grace Curran, New Lenox, Ill., 1 up
Lower Bracket
Bentley Cotton, Austin, Tex., def. , Thailand, 2 up
Kary Hollenbaugh, New Albany Country, Ohio, def. Kan Bunnabodee, Thailand, 6 and 5
Jocelyn Bruch, Carmal, Ind., def. Nicole Neale, Trabuco Canyon, Calif., 2 up
Kelly Xu, Claremont, Calif., def. Sarah Arnold, Geneva, Ill., 4 and 3
Jasmine Koo, Cerritos, Calif., def. Huai-Chien Hsu, Taiwan, 6 and 5
Megan Propeck, Leawood, Kans., def. Lauryn Nguyen, Seattle, Wash., 4 and 3
Casey Weidenfeld, Pembroke Pines, Fla., def. Brooke Biermann, Wildwood, Mo., 1 up
Annika Rathbone, Australia, def. Emma Schimpf, Charleston, S.C., 1 up