ROCHESTER — Natalie Brehm (Mount Pleasant/Michigan State University) said she played her best round in the quarterfinals of the Michigan Women?s Amateur at Great Oaks Country Club despite the brisk afternoon wind that kicked up after the morning round.
She defeated Christina Cibrario (Milford) 6&5 to advance to the semifinals tomorrow where she will face
?I just hit more greens this afternoon; it?s as simple as that,? said Brehm.
Brehm needed extra holes in the morning round to win her match against stroke play medalist Elise Swartout (Ann Arbor). But in the afternoon match against Cibrario, Brehm pulled into the lead early and never faltered.
?I just played really well in spite of the wind,? said Brehm. ?I won the 10th hole with a double so I got lucky there but I had a birdie on my last hole and I feel I played very well overall,?
This is the fourth time Brehm has played in the Michigan Women?s Amateur but the first time she has advanced to match play.
The wind seemed to help Britney Hamilton (Lake Orion/Western Michigan University) and Christine Meier (Rochester Hills/Rochester High School) too. Hamilton defeated Minjoo Lee (Clarkston/Bucknell University) 5&4 and Meier defeated Megan Bauer (Grand Blanc/U-M) 4&3.
?It was definitely different conditions this afternoon,? said Hamilton. ?It was tough because the wind would gust, then it would die down. But it was really fun.?
?The wind was definitely a factor but most of the time I didn?t have to go up more than one club,? said Meier.
For Meier, her driver came alive in the quarterfinals which she felt was the biggest factor in securing the victory over Bauer.
?I hit all the fairways so that was good,? said Meier. ?Plus I hit a lot more greens today.?
Gabrielle Yurik (Oakland Twp./Stoney Creek High School) defeated Allison Tyer (Grand Rapids/Grand Valley State) 2 up. Yurik, 14, is the youngest player to advance to this year?s semifinals.
?I had my best day overall here today,? said Yurik. ?I was pretty relaxed through 17 even though the match was close but when I got to 18 it was a little stressful.?
Tomorrow?s semifinal rounds will feature Brehm versus Yurik and Meier versus Hamilton.
She defeated Christina Cibrario (Milford) 6&5 to advance to the semifinals tomorrow where she will face
?I just hit more greens this afternoon; it?s as simple as that,? said Brehm.
Brehm needed extra holes in the morning round to win her match against stroke play medalist Elise Swartout (Ann Arbor). But in the afternoon match against Cibrario, Brehm pulled into the lead early and never faltered.
?I just played really well in spite of the wind,? said Brehm. ?I won the 10th hole with a double so I got lucky there but I had a birdie on my last hole and I feel I played very well overall,?
This is the fourth time Brehm has played in the Michigan Women?s Amateur but the first time she has advanced to match play.
The wind seemed to help Britney Hamilton (Lake Orion/Western Michigan University) and Christine Meier (Rochester Hills/Rochester High School) too. Hamilton defeated Minjoo Lee (Clarkston/Bucknell University) 5&4 and Meier defeated Megan Bauer (Grand Blanc/U-M) 4&3.
?It was definitely different conditions this afternoon,? said Hamilton. ?It was tough because the wind would gust, then it would die down. But it was really fun.?
?The wind was definitely a factor but most of the time I didn?t have to go up more than one club,? said Meier.
For Meier, her driver came alive in the quarterfinals which she felt was the biggest factor in securing the victory over Bauer.
?I hit all the fairways so that was good,? said Meier. ?Plus I hit a lot more greens today.?
Gabrielle Yurik (Oakland Twp./Stoney Creek High School) defeated Allison Tyer (Grand Rapids/Grand Valley State) 2 up. Yurik, 14, is the youngest player to advance to this year?s semifinals.
?I had my best day overall here today,? said Yurik. ?I was pretty relaxed through 17 even though the match was close but when I got to 18 it was a little stressful.?
Tomorrow?s semifinal rounds will feature Brehm versus Yurik and Meier versus Hamilton.
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