Paik Eliminated in United States Amateur Match Play
Clemson, SC—Allison Paik, a graduate on the 2024-25 Clemson women’s golf team, was defeated Wednesday afternoon by Catherine Rao of Princeton in 24 holes in the first round of match play at the United States Amateur championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Club in Bandon, OR.
It was a long, but successful day for Paik, who started the morning by making a birdie on the first hole of a 15 players for six spots playoff at 7:45 am local time. After over a three-hour break, she then started the marathon match with Rao.
The Paik and Rao match was a battle of former and current Ivy League golfers. Paik transferred to Clemson prior to the 2024-25 season after playing three years at Columbia. Rao just finished her junior year at Princeton. It was the second time Rao defeated a Clemson golfer in the US Amateur. In 2022 she eliminated Clemson All-American Annabelle Pancake in the round of 16 at Chambers Bay in the state of Washington.
Paik won the first hole of the match, but Rao came back to win the second hole. Paik had a one-up lead through the 10th hole, then expanded the lead to 2-up as she stood on the 15th tee. Rao then won the next three holes (15,16,17) by playing those three holes at three-under par. That included an eagle two on the 314-yard par four 16th.
After Rao won those three holes, Paik stood on the 18th tee, trailing 1-down, the first time and only time she would trail in the match. But the Clemson Tiger from Boston, MA won the 508-yard par five 18th hole with a birdie to send the match to extra holes.
Each golfer made par on the first five extra holes, holes 1-5 on the course, before Rao finally won the match with a birdie on the 125-yard par three sixth hole. The match was just six holes short of tying for the longest match in the history of the women’s US Open. Former Clemson golfer Lauren Stephenson had been the loser in that 30-hole match in 2017.
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