HINSDALE, Ill. – If you wanted to win the 97th Women’s Western Junior – and hoist the Icely Cup – you had to survive a long Thursday at Hinsdale Golf Club.

Inclement weather forced delays throughout the Sweet 16 and quarterfinal matches, testing Harper Anne Hinckley, of McComb, Mississippi; Samantha Brown, of Westfield, Indiana; Angel Yin, of Hong Kong; and Isabel Emanuels, of Austin, Texas, as they advanced to Friday’s semifinal round.

Hinckley’s journey was longer than most.

After defeating Martha Kuwahara, of Northbrook, Illinois, 3 and 2 in the Sweet 16, Hinckley faced stroke-play medalist Hsin Tai Lin, of Taiwan, on Thursday afternoon. The 17-year-old Mississippi State commit jumped out to a 3-up lead through five holes before Lin fought back to win four of the next five. Hinckley rolled in a par to win the 18th and force extra holes, where the two stellar juniors matched pars in four straight holes.

After Lin’s birdie look slid by on the fifth playoff hole, Hinkley rolled in a birdie to seal the match in 23 holes.

“Today was probably the funnest round of golf I’ve played in a very long time,” Hinckley said. “Hsin was playing so well and is a good friend, and every shot meant something. It was just so fun.”

Hinckley will face Brown in the semifinals on Friday morning. The Purdue commit defeated a pair of top-ranked players to reach her first Women’s Western Junior semifinal after coming up short the past three years.

Samantha Brown – who played in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open – defeated Jenna Madden, of McKinney, Texas, 2 up in the Sweet 16 and dispatched defending champion Suzie Tran, of Poulsbo, Washington, 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals.

“It just feels so good to make it through and get to the semifinals since I haven’t been able to these last couple years,” Brown said. “I started to feel the momentum today, but tomorrow is a new day and I just need to keep hitting fairways and greens.”

On the opposite side of the bracket, Isabel Emanuels also needed extra holes to reach the semifinals.

After defeating Taiwan’s Sophia Lin 4 and 3 in the morning, the 16-year-old Emanuels jumped out to a 4-up lead through eight holes against Taylor Baker, of Sacramento, California.

Baker battled all the way back to tie the match on the 17th and force extra holes with a par on No. 18. Baker and Emanuels traded pars on the first playoff hole before Emanuels rolled in a 16-foot birdie putt to win in 20 holes.

“My game felt really good today, and I kept hitting really good lag putts, but nothing would fall,” Emanuels said. “When I had that birdie putt on the second extra hole, I just told myself that all it would take is one more good putt. Seeing it go in and making the semifinals was really exciting.”

Emanuels’ semifinal opponent, 15-year-old Angel Yin, emerged from a pair of close matches against two formidable 13-year-olds on Thursday.

Yin defeated Niuniu Zhao, of Woodinville, Washington, 2 and 1 in the Sweet 16, making a par on No. 17 to decide the match. She went on to top Aleah Shields-Rodipe, of Calgary, Canada, 1 up in the quarterfinals thanks to three birdies in the final nine holes.

Hinckley and Brown will tee off at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, with Yin and Emanuels following at 7:40 a.m. The championship match will be played on Friday afternoon after the semifinals.

The winner at Hinsdale Golf Club will join a list of past champions that includes Candie Kung (1998), Christie Kerr (1994), Grace Park (1993) and Nancy Lopez (1972, 1973, 1974). First played in 1920, the Women’s Western Junior is one of the oldest junior golf tournaments in the United States.

Match Play Results

Round of 16
Hsin Tai Lin, Taiwan, def. Sophia Ellestad, Houston, Tex, 1 up
Harper Anne Hinckley, McComb, Miss., def. Martha Kuwahara, Northbrook, Ill., 3 and 2
Samantha Brown, Westfield, Ind., def. Jenna Madden, McKinney, Texas, 2 up
Suzie Tran, Poulsbo, Wash., def. Sayers Allen, Spring Branch, Texas, 1 up
Aleah Shields-Rodipe, Calgary, Canada, def. Lauren Timpf, Macomb, Mich., 2 and 1
Angel Yin, Hong Kong, def. Niuniu Zhao, Woodinville, Wash., 2 and 1
Isabel Emanuels, Austin, Texas, def. Sophia Lin, Taiwan, 4 and 3
Taylor Baker, Sacramento, Calif., def. Sehee Sim, Seoul, South Korea, 1 up

Quarterfinals
Hinckley def. Lin, 23 holes
Brown def. Tran, 3 and 2
Yin def. Shields-Rodipe, 1 up
Emanuels def. Baker, 20 holes