In photo: Priscilla Harding is one of the eight golfers remaining, and one of three Harding sisters who made the Sweet 16.
REDFORD – Eight
golfers, including six college golfers, one high school golfer and an assistant
manager at a family leasing business, have advanced to the quarterfinal round
of the 102nd Michigan Amateur Championship at Western Golf & Country Club.
That list also
includes the defending champion, Aya Johnson of Muskegon and the University of
Wisconsin, and last year’s runner-up Katie Chipman of Canton and Grand Valley
State University, who will rematch this time in the round of eight on Thursday
morning.
Joining Johnson and
Chipman in the final eight are stroke play medalist and top seed Sarah Shipley
of Hastings and the University of Kentucky, 24-year-old Nuggett Leasing
Assistant Manager Chelsea Collura of Riverview, Kerrigan Parks of Flushing and
Marshall University, 16-year-old Danielle Staskowski of Clarkston and Notre
Dame Prep, Dearborn’s Elayna Bowser of Loyola University of Chicago and South
Lyon’s Priscilla Harding of Michigan State University.
All but Johnson and
Chipman are in the final eight for the first time in the state championship
presented by Carl’s Golfland.
Priscilla Harding,
20, is one of three sisters, all daughters of Michigan Golf Hall of Fame golfer
Tom Harding, who won their first matches Wednesday to make it to the “Sweet 16.”
Caroline, 21 and Elizabeth, 18, like
Priscilla part of the Michigan State women’s golf program, lost their round of
16 matches to Shipley and Johnson, respectively.
“It’s really cool
that all three of us made it to the Sweet 16,” Priscilla said. “I don’t think
we’ve all made it to match play in the same year before. It was great to see
them across the fairways, and wave and I kept getting updates on their scores
from the official.
“At one point my
match caught up to Elizabeth’s group and my sister Caroline showed up to caddie
at the 15th hole, so for one hole the whole family was there and that was
great,” she said. “We are a golf family, and my dad has been amazing. He’s
taken time away from his game to help us, take us to tournaments, work with us,
and caddie for us, just everything.”
Priscilla outlasted Kay
Zubkus of Ada 1-up in the round of 16, and topped Elizabeth Marlinga of Grand
Blanc 1-up in the round of 32.
She meets Bowser in
the morning, who she lost to last year in the first round.
“I tried to mess up
my leads in both matches, but I made it through,” Priscilla said. “I’m just
going to take it one shot at a time, one hole at a time. That’s what worked
today.”
Bowser, who last
week played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in Tennessee, had an
interesting day with a win over Brooke Gibbons of Lapeer in 21 holes in the
morning, and then a 7 and 5 win over Mia Sooch of South Lyon in the afternoon.
“I played solid really all day,” she said. “I
was even-par for 21 holes this morning, and still had to go 21 holes. That was
a tough match. I just kept working. The afternoon match – I just kept playing
solid.”
The
defending champion made it to her rematch with Chipman with a pair of 5 and 3
wins, the first over Sydney Martens of Washington Township, and the second over
Elizabeth Harding.
“I struggled through stroke play, but played
better today,” she said. “The greens here are a lot like those at Muskegon
Country Club (her family’s club), so I feel pretty comfortable on them. They
are fast though. I’m adjusting to the speed.”
Chipman topped Erin
Kerr of Yale 4 and 2 in the morning, and beat Shannon Kennedy of Beverly Hills
2 and 1 in the afternoon.
“I’m ready for
tomorrow, feeling good,” said Chipman who was the GLIAC Player of the Year at
GVSU in 2017-18. “I can’t get ahead of myself. I have to focus on one shot at a
time and go from there. I want to win. I’m not thinking about last year. Last
year just gives me confidence I can do it.”
