ChAmpionShipS mediA GUide - USGA

U.S. Women’s Amateur 5Kang Wins the 2011 ChampionshipDefending champion Danielle Kang, 18, of Westlake Village,Calif., won her second consecutive U.S. Women’s AmateurChampionship, defeating Moriya Jutanugarn, 17, of Thailand,6 and 5, at the 6,399-yard, par-71 Rhode Island Country Clubin Barrington, R.I.“I feel great,” said Kang, who had 11 birdies – three of whichwere conceded – against one bogey in 31 holes. “I played thebest round I’ve played at a major championship. I played welllast year, but not this well.”The golf in the championship match was remarkable. Therewere 16 birdies combined and birdies won five of the first sixholes, despite rain showers and winds that gusted to 15 mph.Jutanugarn, the low amateur at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open,birdied the first hole with an 8-foot putt to take a 1-up lead.Her 15-year-old sister and caddie, Ariya, had won the U.S.Girls’ Junior two weeks prior. They were trying to become thefirst family members in history to claim two USGA titles in thesame year.But the day belonged to Kang. Starting at the third hole, shereeled off three consecutive birdies. The stretch was markedby sharp iron play resulting in putts of 18 inches, 4 feet and 5feet. Kang was 2 up after five holes.The sixth, shortened to 220 yards for the championship match,was a drivable par 4 and Jutanugarn drove into a greensidebunker. After blasting out to within 10 feet of the hole, shemade the birdie putt, cutting Kang’s lead to 1 up.Her success was short-lived. On the eighth, a 481-yard par5, Kang hit the green with a 3-wood second shot and was 20feet from the hole. Jutanugarn’s second shot found a waterhazard. After Kang lagged her eagle putt to within 1 foot,Jutanugarn conceded the birdie and Kang was 2 up. WhenKang went 3 up at the ninth, it was the first time in the matchthat par won a hole.Kang was a relentless opponent. Beginning on the 11th hole,she made three consecutive birdies for the second time. Thefirst came on a 15-foot putt and she went 4 up. At the 12th, shehit her approach shot to within 2 feet for another birdie and a5-up lead. Kang made her seventh birdie of the day with an11-foot putt at the 13th hole.“I played okay, but she made a lot of birdies,” said Jutanugarn.Kang was 6 up and with the usual match-play concessions,seven under par after 13 holes. “My dad, (K.S. Kang, her caddie)told me I was seven under at one point and I wanted toget to 10 under,” said the champion. “I know Moriya is a greatplayer and I knew pars weren’t going to win holes.”It was Kang’s biggest lead of the match but her opponent heldon. At the 14th, Jutanugarn hit her approach shot to withina foot of the hole, which was immediately conceded. WhenKang’s 12-footer for birdie slid by, the lead was down to 5 up.At the 15th tee, the players faced the full force of gusty windsoff Narragansett Bay. Kang’s second shot sailed into a greensidebunker. Jutanugarn drilled her approach shot through thewind and her ball bit and skidded to a stop just 10 feet fromthe hole. Kang’s bunker shot was 18 feet past the hole and shemissed the putt to make her first and only bogey. Jutanugarnwon the hole with a par, leaving Kang four holes in front.Jutanugarn was tenacious, making nice up-and-downs froma bunker on the 16th and from greenside rough on the 17thto save pars. The holes were halved and Kang remained 4 up,which is where it stayed into the lunch break.With match-play concessions, Jutanugarn’s scorecard showeda 2-under-par score of 69 and Kang a 6-under-par 65.After the lunch break, Kang continued her fireworks, holing a12-foot uphill birdie putt on the 19th to go 5 up.In the damp wind, both players took a lot of time studying thetricky slopes of the Donald Ross-designed greens. Neitherhad a three-putt green.Jutanugarn rallied over the next three holes. She won herfirst hole of the afternoon at the 21st with a 16-foot birdieputt. Both parred the 22nd hole, Jutanugarn nearly holing a40-foot pitch. At the par-3 23rd, Jutanugarn made a deuce,her second birdie in three holes, and Kang’s lead was cut to 3up.Kang surged back on the 220-yard, par-4 24th hole. Shenearly drove the green with a 3-wood and landed in greensiderough. Just as she had in the morning, Jutanugarn droveinto a greenside bunker and her recovery shot burned thehole, ending 5 feet away. She barely missed the birdie putt.From just over 2 feet, Kang made her ninth birdie of the matchand went 4 up.They halved the next three holes with pars. At the 193-yard, par-3 28th, Kang hit a soaring fairway metal to 4 feet.Jutanugarn’s shot landed in heavy grass in the slope of a bunker.From an awkward stance, Jutanugarn chipped weakly andconceded Kang’s birdie putt. Kang was 5 up.With eight holes remaining, Jutanugarn needed to chip awayat Kang’s lead. But Kang won the 29th hole with anotherbirdie, her 11th of the match, to again go 6 up.The 30th hole was halved with pars. Kang was dormie-6 andthe match was near its end. Kang and Jutanagarn halved the31st with pars and Kang won the match and her second consecutiveU.S. Women’s Amateur title.Women’sAmateur