Summers, Alberto to Square Off in 98th Women’s Texas Amateur Finals
DALLAS – Faith Summers from San Antonio and Hanna Alberto from Kingwood will play 18 holes of match play against each other Friday to decide the 98th Women’s Texas Amateur. Both collegiate standouts advanced the Finals after winning two pressure-packed matches at Bent Tree Country Club on Thursday.
In her morning’s Quarterfinals match, Summers outlasted a spirited effort by Kentucky freshman Kelsey Wylie from Katy. A senior at SMU, Summers won 2 and 1.
After a short lunch break, Summers faced TCU freshman Jennie Park from Carrollton. Park defeated recent TCU graduate and the winner of the 94th Women’s Texas Amateur Annika Clark from Highlands in the Quarterfinals. Park won the first hole against Summers in the Semifinals with a birdie. The match went back and forth on the front nine; Summers was 1 up at the turn.
Summers finally pulled away on the back with wins on the 10th, 12th and 13th holes. She put Park away with a par on the 15th hole and won 5 and 3.
“I just kept a level head and made the decision that if anyone was going to beat me today it was going to be because they played really, really good golf and not because I was making bogeys,” said Summers, who scored a career-best T3 at the North Texas Bruzzy Challenge in April. “I’m excited (about playing in the Finals). It’s a really big trophy, and I haven’t won anything in a while. It’s going to be fun.”
Alberto, in her morning Quarterfinals match, staved off a back-nine charge from Arkansas freshman Julia Gregg, who was the runner-up in last year’s 97th Women’s Texas Amateur. Alberto, a senior at Sam Houston State who has seven collegiate wins on her resume, came out of the gates on fire and held a 6-up lead through six holes. Gregg fought back valiantly and cut her deficit in half before ultimately falling to Alberto, 3 and 2.
In her afternoon Semifinals match, Alberto faced SMU junior Kennedy Pedigo, who beat Madison Goldberg, the overall No. 1 seed, 5 and 4. Alberto raced out to a 3-up lead through eight holes against Pedigo, but the margin wouldn’t last. Pedigo scratched her way back into the match and drew even after the par-5 13th hole.
Alberto, ranked 50th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, won the 14th and 15th holes to get back to 2 up. Pedigo won the par-5 16th, but Alberto finally closed her out with a two-putt par on the 18th hole.
“Kennedy was playing really well,” said Alberto, who was one of 72 players invited to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April. “I was like, ‘I need to do something or I’m going to be 1 down.’ I just tried to keep calm and tried not to think about the score.”
Both Alberto and Summers said they are excited and honored to play for the oldest and most prestigious women’s amateur championship in Texas. They’ve endured four matches over the past two days in extreme heat that once again nearly reached 100 degrees Thursday. By the end of the Semifinal round, both competitors were visibly fatigued, but there’s little doubt Alberto and Summers will be rested and at their best for Friday’s Championship Match.
Players who didn’t qualify for the Championship Bracket were split up into seven flights based on GHIN Handicap Indexes. All seven flights played their Semifinals matches on Thursday.
In the first flight, Lauren Mason from Frisco defeated Camille Enright from Plano, 3 and 2. Hanna Harrison from Plano defeated Jordan Shackelford from Austin, 8 and 7. That sets up a finals match on Friday between Mason and Harrison.
In the second flight, Cameron Newhouse from Montgomery defeated Anna Schultz from Heath, 3 and 1. Janane Tan from Coppell defeated Ashton Begley from Southlake, 2 and 1. Newhouse and Tan meet in the finals on Friday.
In the third flight, Jennifer Hoyt from Horseshoe Bay advanced after Kerrville’s Casey Leigh conceded the match. Hoyt will face Launa Wilson from Lantana in the finals. Wilson defeated Iliana Stowers from Montgomery, 3 and 1, in Thursday’s Semifinals.
In the fourth flight, Nancy Beck from Dallas defeated Connor Howard from Hallsville in 19 holes. Caitlyn Lindell from Grand Prairie defeated Madison Gorman from Dallas, 2 up. Beck will square off against Lindell in the finals on Friday.
In the fifth flight, Cindy Gilkeson from Sugarland defeated Sally Sohn from Flower Mound, 3 and 2. Kelli Ann Dugan from San Antonio defeated Mackenzy Turner from Georgetown, 3 and 2. It sets up a Gilkeson-Dugan finals match on Friday.
In the sixth flight, Sherri Buster from Westlake needed 19 holes to defeat DLynn McCoppin. The other semifinal went even longer; Ryleigh McClain defeated Lori Daniel in 21 holes. Buster and McClain will meet in the final match.
In the seventh flight, Kristin Hawk from Heath defeated Cynthia Birch from Cypress, 5 and 4. Lindsey Mitchell defeated Dana Huffman from Richardson, 3 and 2. Hawk will face Huffman in Friday’s finals match.
Friday brings the conclusion of the 98th Women’s Texas Amateur begins at picturesque Bent Tree Country Club. Final matches in the flights begin at 8 a.m. The Championship Match will start at 10:20 a.m. For more information on this championship, click here.