Jane Park Wins 104th U.S. Women's Amateur

Jane Park pumps her first after sinking a birdie putt on the 23rd hole at the U.S. Women's Amateur Sunday. Park won the championship with a 2-up victory over Amanda McCurdy. (USGA/Steven Gibbons)

Erie, Pa. – Jane Park, 17, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., won the United States Women's Amateur Championship with a 2-up victory Sunday over Amanda McCurdy, 20, of El Dorado, Ark., in the 36-hole final at the 6,365-yard, par-72 course at The Kahkwa Club.

  

On a brilliant summer day the Park-McCurdy contest lured more than 4,000 spectators to a match that went the distance. It was Park's first national title after having reached the final in three USGA championships; this championship, the 2003 Women's Amateur and the 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior.

 

Park became the first USA Curtis Cupper – she played on the 2004 team – to win the Women's Amateur since Kelli Kuehne in 1996. She also is the fourth player in Women's Amateur history to win after losing in the previous year's final match and the first since Cathy Sherk in 1978.

 

Championship Final Photo Gallery

Interview with Champion Jane Park

Stats, Play By Play Of Championship Match

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Park Now Has Place On A USGA Trophy

Erie, Pa. – As Jane Park left the post-championship ceremony at the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur, winner Virada Nirapathpongporn whispered a couple of encouraging words into the young 16-year-old’s ear. “She told me, ‘next year is your time,’ ” Park recalled. It is one of those worn-out sports clichés. Wait until next year. Chicago Cubs fans have been saying that since 1908. The Boston Red Sox faithful have been waiting since 1919. The Buffalo Bills made it to four consecutive Super Bowls and never took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Jane Park didn’t want that label to follow her around. Eighty-two years ago, Margaret Gavin lost to the legendary Glenna Collett. It was the third time she had reached the championship match and her third defeat.

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Fan-Favorite McCurdy Comes Up One Match Short

Erie, Pa. – Amanda McCurdy's roots are in southern Arkansas, but she definitely left her heart in northwestern Pennsylvania this past week. A virtual unknown at the start of the 104th U.S. Women's Amateur, the 20-year-old McCurdy, a junior-to-be at the University of Arkansas, quickly became a fan favorite. Whether it was her diminutive 5-foot-1 frame or just her feistiness on the golf course, people in Erie fell in love with her. She was the underdog and Cinderella story. Too bad Bill Murray wasn't around. The girl from a small blue-collar town (El Dorado) came to the right place. Erie might have more inhabitants, but its residents can relate to that type of upbringing.