Lucena romps, Thibault battles for finals berth

Writing from Frankfort, Illinois

Friday, July 24, 2020

Often in a tight match, it isn’t one brilliant shot that wins, but an error that turns the tide.

So it was in Friday’s second semifinal in the 120th Women’s Western Amateur at Prestwick Country Club, where Sophie Burks of Tallassee, Ala., rinsed her tee shot on the 21st hole, effectively handing a berth in Saturday’s championship match to Quebec City’s Brigitte Thibault.

Before that, a pair of brilliant shots kept Thibault in the match. She had driven to the left rough on the first extra hole, the ball nearly against the base of a tree. A daring sweeping cut shot not only got her to the green, but over it, into thick rough. Then a brilliant touch lob – hit just hard enough to float into the air, and not too much to run away – to three feet set up a routine par. Thibault lived on, halved the 20th hole with a par, and won with par on the 21st.

The dramatic unscheduled golf came after 18 holes that featured five lead changes in the first 15 holes, and a series of up-and-down par saves by Thibault down the stretch. Her 60-foot two-putt on the 18th might as well have counted as a par save.

“From 13 on, a made a bunch of them that were kind of crazy,” Thibault said. “A made one from a ledge, another from 25 yards out. But that one was definitely crazy because I was so close to the tree. But I could see an angle, I was playing a cut, and if it didn’t, it was in a bunker – and I like bunkers. I was fine with that.

“I felt I made so many up-and-downs, it was just meant to be.”

Burks, a senior at Middle Tennessee State, said she did all she could against the Fresno State senior.

Her miscue on the 21st, a pulled tee shot that tumbled into Hickory Creek along the left side of the fairway, came after Thibault had belted a tee shot straight down the middle to the edge of where the fairway stops and the creek crosses. It had the gallery of about 40 Prestwick members in awe.

“Just got outplayed, which is always how you want to go down,” Burks said. “I played well all week, so I can’t be disappointed about that.

“She had been making some great up-and-downs all day.”

Thibault’s reward for the performance is a match with Jackie Lucena of Chico, Calif, whose 7 and 6 dissection of Chelsea Dantonio had her back and the clubhouse while the second semifinal was still on the 13th hole. The margin was the largest in a Women’s Western Am semi since eventual winner Meredith Duncan’s 6 and 5 romp over Katie Futcher in 2000 at Flossmoor.

Lucena won the first four holes, then birdied the eighth and 10th holes to go 6-up. A par on the par-3 12th finished Dantonio off. 

“I’ve been playing great the whole tournament,” Lucena said. “I knew that if I stayed consistent and didn’t back off when I got to an early lead, I could get it done quickly. I knew I didn’t need to do anything more than what I was doing, so I just stuck with it."

Dantonio had eliminated Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C., in the morning quarterfinal, ending the possibility of an all-Canadian final.

Should Thibault win, she’ll be the second Canadian to win the title in four years. Dual citizen Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Tyler, Tex., triumphed at River Forest Country Club in 2017.

The two finalists guaranteed themselves berths in the upcoming U.S. Women’s Amateur with their victories. Thibault said she was already in the field, but Lucena’s romp earned her a spot.

Lucena’s tough match was in the morning, a 20-hole test against 16-year-old Taylor Kehoe. She moved on by making a birdie on the par-5 second hole. Kehoe missed a four-footer to tie and extend the battle.

Thibault was eliminating Ellen Secor of Portland, Ore., 6 and 4, while Burks took the measure of two-time USGA champion Erica Shepherd, 3 and 2.

Thibault made it to the Women’s Western Am quarterfinals at Mistwood two years ago, but was knocked out by eventual champion Emilee Hoffman.

– Tim Cronin