Jasmine Koo Wins 123rd Women’s Western Amateur
Saturday, July 22, 2023 – Naperville, Ill.
Jasmine Koo navigated White Eagle Golf Club in nearly flawless manner during the 123rd Women’s Western Amateur.
The 17-year-old from Cerritos, California, continued her stellar play during Saturday’s final match, hitting 15 out of 16 greens en route to a 4 and 2 victory over Sadie Englemann, of Austin, Texas. The USC commit made six birdies on Saturday to etch her name on the W.A. Alexander Cup and become the first junior to win the Women’s Western Amateur since 2015.
“I came into the week not knowing what to expect, and to win the whole thing is such an honor,” Koo said. “This is the biggest win I’ve had, so I’ll always remember this week.”
Koo played 116 holes at the Naperville, Illinois, club this week. The rising high school senior played those holes in a combined 27-under par with just seven bogeys against 34 birdies. Koo finished stroke-play qualifying in third place and won five matches against collegiate standouts.
She faced a formidable foe in the championship match in Englemann, a rising senior at Stanford.
After both players traded early hole wins, Koo had the opportunity to take the lead with a three-foot putt for birdie on No. 6. The putt slid by the hole, but the miss would be a turning point.
“I got kind of angry with myself that I missed that, so I made up for it by actually making a birdie on seven, then stuck another on eight,” Koo said. “I told myself I just need to keep this going.”
Trailing by three on the 12th, Englemann began to battle back by hitting her tee shot on the 135-yard par 3 to five feet and making birdie. Koo responded with her own approach to five feet from 120 yards on No. 15. After sinking the birdie putt, Koo walked to the 161-yard, par-3 16th needing only a tie to claim the title.
She stepped up and hit a hybrid to 15 feet, then rolled in the birdie putt to cap a breakout week.
“I think that was the best shot I hit all week and one I’ll never forget,” Koo said of her tee shot on the 16th. “I wanted to win it in style with a birdie. Walking down the 16th, I kept telling myself I hadn’t won yet,” she added. “It was just a big rush when the putt dropped, and all I could think was, ‘I won.’
Englemann couldn’t help but walk away from the championship match feeling proud of her performance.
“I really cannot be disappointed because we both played incredible golf today,” Englemann said. “I’m just really happy to have got into the final match and will use this good experience for next time.”
Englemann, a national champion on the star-studded Stanford lineup and previous competitor in the U.S. Women’s Open and Augusta National Women’s Amateur, was impressed by the young Koo.
“I knew coming in that she’s a strong golfer, and I definitely know that now after watching her make six birdies,” Englemann said. “She’s really good for the future of the game, and it was fun to watch her win a tournament like this.”
With the victory, Koo joins a list of past champions that spans from legendary stars Patty Berg, Louise Suggs and Nancy Lopez to modern standouts like Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.
“It’s really cool to see how accomplished the winners are,” Koo said. “Hopefully, I’ll be just as good or even better than those names and can add my name to the trophy again in the years to come.”
Koo will have the opportunity to become the first player since Meridith Duncan (2000, 2001) to repeat as champion when the Women’s Western Amateur travels to Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Illinois, in 2024.
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.
Championship Final Saturday, July 22, 2023
Jasmine Koo def. Sadie Englemann, 4 and 2
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