Oklahoma State University Athletics
Julie Yang Advances At WAPL
June 20, 2013 | Cowgirl Golf
June 20, 2013
NORMAN, Okla. - Julie Yang needed extra holes in both of her matches to emerge victorious on Thursday at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. With her two victories, she advanced to Saturday's quarterfinal round.
Yang's quarterfinals appearance marks her best showing in five career Public Links starts. She advanced to the round of 16 in 2011.
In her second-round match, Yang needed 20 holes to move past Jade Staggs. The rising sophomore won the second and fourth to go 2-up before Staggs drew even by taking the seventh and eighth holes. She won her third hole in a row at the ninth to go 1-up before Yang squared the match at the 10th.
With a win at the 11th, Yang moved back in front before Staggs again won three consecutive holes, taking the 13th, 14th and 15th to build the largest lead of the match at 2-up with three to play. Yang answered with a win at the 16th and used a birdie at the par-5 closing hole to send the match to extra holes.
The two players halved the 19th hole, the par-4 first, to move on to the par-3 second, which Yang won with a bogey to advance.
Former Cowgirl Kelsey Vines was eliminated, 1-up, in the round of 32 by Krista Puisite in a match that was tight throughout. Vines won the first with a birdie before the duo halved the next four holes.
Puisite squared the match with a birdie at the sixth and took her first lead with a par at the ninth. She then pushed the margin to 2-up with a par at the 12th before Vines won the 13th with a par to draw within one. However, the final five holes were halved to close out the match.
Yang returned to action during the afternoon's round against Kelly Shon. After halving the first three holes, Yang won the fourth with a par, but the match went back to all square on the next hole with a Shon par.
Yang took her biggest lead after winning the ninth and 10th, but Shon leveled the match once again with pars at the 11th and the 15th. After the final three holes were halved, Yang advanced with a par on the first extra hole, the par-4 first.
She will begin her quarterfinal match against Karen Chung tomorrow at 8 a.m.
