Thompson, Song Lead Second-Round Winners

At 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur

St. Louis, Mo. – Alexis Thompson was quick to admit she didn’t have her best game in her second-round match against Jodi Ewart at the 109th U.S. Women’s Amateur Thursday morning at the par-71, 6,468-yard Old Warson Country Club.

But it was enough to advance, as Thompson, 14, of Coral Springs, Fla., earned a 2-and-1 victory over the 21-year-old Ewart of England, a member of the 2008 Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team.

Both players struggled during the match – Thompson, with the usual match-play concessions, was five over par, while Ewart was the equivalent of nine over.

“That was not good golf by me,” said Thompson, the 2008 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion. “We were halving holes with bogeys and that’s just not good.”

Alexis Thompson survived some less-than-stellar play in beating Jodi Ewart in the second round Thursday at the 109th U.S. Women's Amateur. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)

Thompson, who will face Cyna Marie Rodriguez of the Philippines in Thursday afternoon’s third round, planned to work on a few things between matches.

“I’m going to hit balls and putt,” said Thompson. “I’ll try to get it down for my next match because I don’t think I can play like that again and win.”

Jennifer Song, 19, of Ann Arbor, Mich., made birdie putts on the first and second holes, from 15 and 30 feet respectively, to gain the early advantage in her second-round match against her University of Southern California teammate Lizette Salas, 20, of Azusa, Calif. Song would never trail en route to a 4-and-2 win.

Song, who won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links in June, is trying to join Pearl Sinn as the only players to win the WAPL and Women’s Amateur in the same year.

“Of course, that would be great to have two prestigious championships in my hand,” said Song, who also earned low-amateur honors at the U.S. Women’s Open last month. “But I am not thinking about that right now. I’m just focusing on each day and each shot and hopefully that will get me there.”

Also easily advancing was Jessica Korda, 16, of Bradenton, Fla., a 6-and-5 winner over Aimee Neff, 20, of Carmel, Ind. Korda, who doesn’t play match play very often, said she’s enjoying the format.

“I like that you’re playing against an opponent,” said Korda, who has made the cut at the last two U.S. Women’s Opens. “You don’t have to worry about what everybody else is doing. It’s just you and your opponent.”

Korda’s third-round opponent will be 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur semifinalist Erynne Lee, 16, of Silverdale, Wash.

The 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur continues with the third round Thursday afternoon. The quarterfinal matches will be played Friday, the semifinal matches are on Saturday, and the 36-hole championship final will be played Sunday.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association each year, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Story written by Beth Murrison, manager of communications for the USGA. E-mail her with questions or comments at bmurrison@usga.org.

St. Louis – Results from the second round of match play Thursday at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur being conducted at the 6,468-yard, par-71 Old Warson Country Club:

Round of 32

Upper Bracket

Jennifer Johnson, La Quinta, Calif. (147) def. Amelia Lewis, Jacksonville, Fla. (151), 3 and 2

Sydnee Michaels, Temecula, Calif. (149) def. Whitney Neuhauser, Charlottesville, Va. (145), 3 and 2

Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Canada (150) def. Stacey Keating, Australia (146), 4 and 2

Candace Schepperle, Birmingham, Ala. (148) def. Molly Aronsson, Shelburne, Vt. (150), 4 and 3

Alexis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. (150) def. Jodi Ewart, England (148), 2 and 1

Cyna Marie Rodriguez, Philippines (148) def. Leanne Bowditch, Australia (149), 1 up

Lindy Duncan, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (141) def. Taylore Karle, Scottsdale, Ariz. (147), 2 up

Han Jungeun, Korea (146) def. Victoria Tanco, Argentina (143), 1 up

Lower Bracket

Jessica Korda, Bradenton, Fla. (139) def. Aimee Neff, Carmel, Ind. (147), 6 and 5

Erynne Lee, Silverdale, Wash. (144) def. Natalie Sheary, West Hartford, Conn. (149), 3 and 2

Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (142) def. Brooke Beeler, Butler, Ill. (148), 3 and 1

Michelle Shin, Cape Coral, Fla. (143) def. Caroline Masson, Germany (146), 3 and 1

Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, Hawaii (147) def. Stephanie Sherlock, Canada (150), 2 and 1

Allie White, Lancaster, Ohio (149) def. Mariko Tumangan, San Jose, Calif. (144), 2 and 1

Jennifer Song, Ann Arbor, Mich. (146) def. Lizette Salas, Azusa, Calif. (142), 4 and 2

Cydney Clanton, Concord, N.C. (150) def. Nannette Hill, Pelham Manor, N.Y. (146), 2 and 1

St. Louis – Pairings and starting times for the third round of match play Thursday at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur being conducted at the 6,468-yard, par-71 Old Warson Country Club (All times CDT):

Round of 16

Upper Bracket

1:00 p.m.          Jennifer Johnson, La Quinta, Calif. (147) vs. Sydnee Michaels, Temecula, Calif. (149)

1:10 p.m.          Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Canada (150) vs. Candace Schepperle, Birmingham, Ala. (148)

1:20 p.m.          Alexis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. (150) vs. Cyna Marie Rodriguez, Philippines (148)

1:30 p.m.          Lindy Duncan, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (141) vs. Han Jungeun, Korea (146)

Lower Bracket

1:40 p.m.          Jessica Korda, Bradenton, Fla. (139) vs. Erynne Lee, Silverdale, Wash. (144)

1:50 p.m.          Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (142) vs. Michelle Shin, Cape Coral, Fla. (143)

2:00 p.m.          Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, Hawaii (147) vs. Allie White, Lancaster, Ohio (149)

2:10 p.m.          Jennifer Song, Ann Arbor, Mich. (146) vs. Cydney Clanton, Concord, N.C. (150)