Mahar into quarterfinals of U.S. Women's AmateurMahar into quarterfinals of U.S. Women's Amateur
Women's Golf

Mahar into quarterfinals of U.S. Women's Amateur

Opens in a new window Tournament Central

RYE, N.Y. – Virginia Tech women's golfer Emily Mahar advanced to the quarterfinals of the 121st U.S. Women's Amateur, which is being played at Westchester Country Club. Mahar delivered an 80-foot chip-in from just off the green on No. 18 to advance to Friday afternoon's quarterfinal round. Her inspiring run ended in the quarterfinals following a 6&5 loss to Jensen Castle. Best friend and former teammate Jessica Spicer was on the bag for the duration of the tournament.
 
Entering match play as the No. 42 seed after carding rounds of 77 and 70 on the par 72, 6,423-yard course, Mahar posted two come-from-behind victories in the rounds of 64 and 32. In her Round of 64 match against fellow Australian Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Mahar chipped in on the 17th hole to claim a 1-up lead, then won No. 18 to secure the 2-up victory.
 

 
Trailing two down with four holes to play in her Round of 32 match Thursday morning, Mahar went on to win three of the final four holes to seal her second straight victory. In perhaps was a foreshadowing of things to come in the afternoon, her approach shot to No. 18 landed just short of the green, which put her in position to get up-and-down for birdie to advance past Sophie (Yixian) Guo.

Mahar raced out to a 2-up lead through the first three holes of the Round of 16 match vs. Rianne Mikhaela Malixi, who was the second-youngest golfer in the field and youngest to advance to match play. The All-ACC performer won back-to-back holes at 13 and 14 to build a 3-up lead with four holes to go.
 

 
Malixi would not go down quietly. The 14-year-old dwindled Mahar's lead down to one after sinking a birdie on No. 17, which set the stage for the dramatic finish. Mahar pulled her tee shot into the left rough, then hit her layup too far into the right rough before she hit her approach shot in almost the same pitch mark she had in the morning round. After finding the fairway off the tee, Malixi pulled her layup into the left rough, then hit her approach shot about 15 feet short of the pin for birdie. Cue the "Chipping Master."
 


Mahar, who played in her third U.S. Women's Amateur, advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in her career. Her previous best finish was the Round of 32 last year.

By advancing to the quarterfinals, Mahar earned an exemption into the 2022 U.S. Women's Amateur at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.