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Abby Glynn blasts from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole, in her round of 16 match vs defending champion Marissa Wenzler.
IT’S NOT OVER.
The long day of match play at the 122nd Women’s Western Amateur is not over.
A lightning delay was the cause of not one-but two delays late in the afternoon at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield.
Afternoon play in the Round 16 was stopped when lightning struck or did it. With four afternoon matches already complete, and four more on the golf course. A weather siren went off in the vicinity of the Sunset Ridge and there was some confusion if it was meant to clear the golf course. First yes-then-no, and then yes.
But the delay was expected to be 15-20 minutes, and that’s what it was. Just before the first blast went off, defending champion Marissa Wenzler (Dayton Ohio-U Kentucky golf team) had tied her match with Abby Glynn from Kansas (Kansas Golf team).
Glynn was 2 Up on Wenzler with six holes to play and seemed in command. But her approach on par-5 13th sailed long and she could not get up and down, while Wenzler made par closing the gap to 1 Dn.
Wenzler hit a 300 yard drive plus on 14, but missed a birdie putt to tie the match. Wenzler had another chance to tie with birdie or par on the par-3 15th hole, but three-putted. Still one down on 16 Wenzler had a 20 foot birdie for yet another tie that lipped out. But finally on the par-3 17th hole, Wenzler’s approach shot was 20 feet under the cup. But after a missed birdie attempt, her par putt was conceded. Glynn then 3-putted from the left side of the green and the match was tied.
Then things got crazy as a horn was heard that did not seem to be from the golf course. The course was cleared. But after the short delay, play continued. Wenzler answered with another long drive the fairway, while Glynn pulled her tee shot in the left fairway bunker.
Glynn hit an amazing sand shot that appeared headed for the green. But on the second bounce, it clipped the corner of the greenside bunker and dropped into the sand. Wenzler then hit a wedge to 30 feet over the cup. But as Glynn lined up her bunker shot, shockingly the siren went off again. This time there was no doubt it came from the Sunset Ridge Clubhouse.
No lightning was seen or heard, and sometimes that’s the case. But after 30 minutes of sitting around, with no lightning, and the light rain had not yet arrived. Bystanders wondered why Glynn and Wenzler weren’t allowed to finish. At least in the end they did finish. Being close to 100 feet short of the pin, Glynn’s bunker blast came up some 25 feet short of the cup.
Wenzler putted for birdie, leaving her putt less than two feet short of the cup, her par was then conceded. Then Glynn’s attempt to force a playoff slid past the cup, and Wenzler escaped 1 Up.
CLICK HERE to hear from defending champion Marissa Wenzler on moving on to the quarterfinals, after surviving tough matches in the Round of 32 and 16.
The other three matches were well behind the Glynn-Wenzler match. In fact some 4-5 holes behind. Grace Curran of New Lenox Illinois had a 4 Up lead during the delay through 12 holes, the match finished with Curran winning 4 Up.
Two matches, one with 2021 runner-up Maddison Hinson-Tolchard leading 1 Up through 13 holes, was stopped for the day. Brooke Bierman (Michigan State) from Wildwood Missouri had a 1 Up lead after 13 holes on Zoe Slaughter (Texas A&M) of Houston Texas, also decided to halt play for the day and finish on Friday morning.
Annabelle Pancake of Zionsville Indiana (Clemson) was the first player to reach the Quarterfinals after a 6 & 4 win over Casey Weidenfeld of Pembroke Pines Florida. Pancake is the daughter of Crooked Stick Golf Club head golf professional Tony Pancake.
Play resumes at 7 Am Friday morning.