If Sunday was a preview for next month’s U.S. Women’s Open at the Broadmoor, the main event could be a real doozy.
At Sunday’s Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying — which was played at the same Broadmoor East Course that will host the national championship — the stroke average for the field was a whopping 85.5 and no one shot lower than a 3-over-par 74. The co-medalists in the event posted 9-over-par 151 totals for two rounds, and the third qualifier checked in at 156.
To say it was difficult doesn’t do the conditions justice. The length of the setup for the qualifying was 6,939 yards for a par-71 course — a monster for a women’s tournament. In addition, the rough was thick, the Broadmoor greens were at their deceptive best, and the windy conditions in the afternoon didn’t help matters any.
“This is by far the toughest course I’ve ever played,” said one of the three players who qualified for the Women‘s Open, Mallory Blackwelder of Lexington, Ky., the daughter of former LPGA Tour regular Myra Blackwelder. “This is by far the longest course I’ve ever played, the rough is up, (and) the greens are super tricky. You really have to concentrate so hard on every single shot. There’s not an easy shot out there.”
All three of the players who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open did so for the first time in their careers. Garrett Phillips (pictured) of St. Simons Island, Ga., and Anya Sarai Alvarez of Tulsa, Okla., tied for medalist honors at 151, with Phillips going 74-77 and Alvarez shooting the reverse. They’ll be joined at the national championship — set for July 7-10 at the Broadmoor — by Blackwelder, who went 78-78 and managed just one birdie in 36 holes.
“It’s a great setup to prepare someone to play in an Open,” said Phillips, a 24-year-old former University of Georgia golfer who now competes on the Ladies European Tour. “This is set up like it’s the U.S. Open. Usually a qualifier is not set up as difficult, but this one I felt like I played an Open course.”
Alvarez, a former University of Washington golfer, just made her professional debut earlier in the week at the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open, where she finished 23rd.
“I never won in college,” said the one-time Oklahoma state high school champion. “I had so many (victories) in my grasp but would lose by one or two. So it‘s nice to be medalist here — to win a tournament again. … I’m pretty ecstatic. I told my mom I might throw up if I make it.”
But making it wasn’t easy, especially for a golfer who had played just one previous round at the Broadmoor’s East Course, which usually puts a premium on local knowledge.
“This definitely is one of the tougher courses I’ve ever played,” Alvarez said. “I was really lucky with the caddie I got because it’s the greens that makes this difficult. You think it’s breaking to the left and it’s actually breaking to the right. Once I started trusting my caddie, it made things a lot easier.”
Blackwelder has some good golf genes going for her as her mother Myra was the LPGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 1980. Mallory herself, who graduated from the University of Kentucky, gained some status on the LPGA Tour last year, playing in three events.
On Sunday, two players out of the original field of 69 finished just a stroke behind Blackwelder for the final U.S. Women’s Open berth. Rachel Rohanna of Waynesburg, Pa. (76-81–157) defeated Colorado Women’s Open runner-up Joy Trotter of Chino Hills, Calif. (80-77–157) in a two-hole playoff to earn the first alternate position.
At another recent U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifier, an LPGA Tour Hall of Famer earned a spot into the Broadmoor field. Betsy King shot a 144 total of 36 holes in Mesa, Ariz., to advance on Thursday.
U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying
At Par-71 Broadmoor East Course in Colorado Springs
Qualified for U.S. Women’s Open
Anya Sarai Alvarez, Tulsa, Okla. 77-74–151
Garrett Phillips, St Simons Island, Ga. 74-77–151
Mallory Blackwelder, Versailles, Ky. 78-78–156
Alternates (in order)
Rachel Rohanna, Waynesburg, Pa. 76-81–157
Joy Trotter, Chino Hills, Calif. 80-77–157
Failed to Qualify
Emma Jandel, Dayton, Ohio 79-80–159
Russamee Gulyanamitta, Thailand 79-80–159
Calli Ringsby, Denver, Colo. 84-76–160
Jenny Coleman, Rolling Hills Estate, Calif. 82-80–162
Lauren Mielbrecht, Gulf Stream, Fla. 79-83–162
Kelly Jacques, Longmont, Colo. 83-79–162
Kelly Gillum, Fort Collins, Colo. 78-84–162
Anna Kim, Chandler, Ariz. 83-80–163
Tamara Beckett, Australia 83-80–163
Elizabeth Burkholder, San Diego, Calif. 77-86–163
Lanny Whiteside-Deroeck, Castle Rock, Colo. 79-84–163
Meaghan Kari, Windsor, Calif. 82-82–164
Somin Lee, Denver, Colo. 80-85–165
Jessica McKay, Grand Junction, Colo. 85-80–165
Kristin Walla, Aspen, Colo. 80-85–165
Lauren Hunt, Little River, S.C. 84-82–166
Marisa Mauldin, Utopia, Texas 82-84–166
Andrea Baxter-Bretz, Meridian, Idaho 82-84–166
Erin Houtsma, Denver, Colo. 81-85–166
Laura Korus, Parker, Colo. 83-84–167
Brittany Benvenuto, Langhorne, Pa. 87-81–168
Angela Jerman, Lagrange, Ga. 87-81–168
Ginny Brown, Austin, Texas 87-82–169
Moah Chang, Korea 85-84–169
Julia Potter, Granger, Ind. 85-84–169
Catherine Matthews, Colorado Springs, Colo. 86-85–171
Kristin Coleman, Rolling Hills Estate, Calif. 77-94–171
Stefanie Ferguson, Broomfield, Colo. 88-83–171
Shannon Lubar, Littleton, Colo. 85-88–173
Molly Dorans, Erie, Colo. 90-84–174
Tonya Choate-McCall, Mount Vernon, Mo. 82-92–174
Salimah Mussani, Canada 87-88–175
Christin Thomson, Canada 86-90–176
Maggie Neece, Colleyville, Texas 91-86–177
Gina Larson, Longmont, Colo. 91-87–178
Amber Ward, Westminster, Colo. 87-91–178
Bryce Schroeder, Pueblo, Colo. 87-91–178
Taylor Smalley, Pierre, S.D. 88-90–178
Paige Crawford, Colorado Springs, Colo. 90-88–178
Katie Purcell, Ames, Iowa 86-93–179
Lynette Duran, Lakewood, Colo. 90-89–179
Taylor Buck, Littleton, Colo. 87-92–179
Alexandra Andersen, Kansas City, Mo. 98-82–180
Allie Johnston, Castle Rock, Colo. 95-85–180
Samantha Stancato, Colorado Springs, Colo. 86-94–180
Brittany McKee, Chandler, Ariz. 88-93–181
Hannah Wood, Centennial, Colo. 96-88–184
Flavia Torres, Farmington, N.M. 93-91–184
Amy Hodgkinson, Longmont, Colo. 94-95–189
Melissa Martin, Grand Junction, Colo. 93-97–190
Angela Kay King, Broomfield, Colo. 95-95–190
Blair Hamilton, Newton, Kan. 99-94–193
Raman Saran, Canada 96-99–195
Elena Robles, Redondo Beach, Calif. 85-WD
Sami Crouch, Park City, Utah 88-WD
Janet Moore, Greenwood Village, Colo. 87-WD
