LOS ANGELES — Olivia Duan conversed with her caddie for nearly a minute while lining up her putt.
The Princeton commit was in a terrible position only five minutes before, seemingly needing a miracle to happen. And she got it.
Duan lined up, smacked the ball and watched it roll into the hole before giving a huge fist pump. After a bogey on the first playoff hole Wednesday morning at Bel-Air Country Club, Duan made par on the second, the par-4 11th, to advance as the 64th seed in match play at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Duan was one of 10 players who went to a playoff for the final nine match-play spots Wednesday morning in a cloudy Los Angeles. Players began on the par-3 10th, the 205-yard behemoth over a canyon. Eight of the 10 made par or better, leaving Duan and Texas rising sophomore Angela Heo fighting for the final spot.
U.S. Women’s Amateur: Photos
They moved on to the 11th, a downhill tee shot with water running along the left of the hole. Duan’s ball was on a severe downslope in the rough while Heo was in the middle of the fairway. All Duan could do was put her ball into the left greenside bunker. Heo found the green.
Duan got out of the bunker, leaving herself about seven feet for par. Meanwhile, Heo’s birdie putt raced past the hole and outside of Duan’s marker. Duan had to move her mark for Heo to attempt her par putt, which she missed.
Duan stalked Heo’s ball as it left her putter and raced past the hole. Then she conversed with her caddie, stepped up and knocked hers in.
The Round of 64 gets underway at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET) Wednesday. Duan will face Oregon fifth-year Briana Chacon, who set a record Tuesday en route to winning medalist honors in stroke play.
One match was decided before play began Wednesday, however. Rin Yoshida, the 24th seed, advanced to the Round of 32 without hitting a shot. Her opponent, Lauren Miller, had to withdraw Wednesday morning because of an illness.
To see the entire bracket, click here.
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…