Emily Odwin became the first Barbadian female to qualify for the US Women’s Amateur Championships yesterday (Monday, 21st June) at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, New York. Emily placed 2nd in the New York State sectional qualifying event. Her score of 5 under par, 66, was one shot behind the winner, Jackie Rogowicz from Pennsylvania. Tied in third place on 2 under par were Argentinian, Valentina Rossi and Samantha Yao from Pennsylvania.
The difficult Sunningdale course measured 6150 yards with a par of 71. “It was a really tough course,” Emily remarked after her round. “The rough especially is a challenge because the ball sits right down in the grass. I tried to hit as many fairways as I possibly could and it paid off because I hit 17 greens and made six birdies along the way.”
The seventeen-year-old Barbadian played in four events in the USA over the past six weeks. She won three of them, including the US Girls’ Junior Sectional Qualifier, and completed her Spring Tour as runner up in this last qualifier.
Emily will return to Barbados this week before taking on the best female amateur players in the world over the next few months when she will compete in the 72nd US Girls’ Junior Championships at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland from July 12 – 17 and the 121st US Women’s Amateur Championships at Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York from August 2 – 8. Emily is the first golfer from the Caribbean to qualify for these championships.
