Pacific Northwest players come up just short at U.S. Women’s Am; WJGA crowns 2021 champs

Three players from the Pacific Northwest qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. and all three qualified for the match play part of the championship.

Unfortunately, none of the three made the finals but all three had impressive showings surviving the qualifying rounds and advancing to match play.

Kennedy Swann of McKenzie Bridge, Ore. went the furthest in the tournament, falling in the quarterfinals to Valery Plata of Colombia 1-up. Swann played well, going 3-under-par but couldn’t match a birdie from Plata on the 15th hole.

Ellie Slama of Salem, Ore. made it to the round of 16 where she fell to Alyaa Abdulghang of Malaysia 2-up while Therese Warren of Kennewick, Wash, lost It was the first appearance in the championship for Swann, while for Slama and Warner it is their second appearance. Slama was named the 2019 PNGA Women’s Player of the Year and was previously named the PNGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year in 2015-16.

Of the 132 players who began the two days of stroke-play qualifying, 64 advanced to the match-play bracket.