Hail(ey) to the U.S. Women’s Am Semifinalist Borja

During her USGA Pathways Internship in June at The Los Angeles Country Club, Southern California native Hailey Borja learned every aspect of the U.S. Open operation. She saw how the Association sets up a course to test the game’s best players as well as all the outside-the-ropes responsibilities that makes the experience special for fans, media, officials and those watching from home. But one thing the University of Michigan fifth-year senior didn’t get the chance to do was sneak away for a practice round at nearby Bel-Air Country Club. At the time, Borja, 21, of Lake Forest, hadn’t even qualified for the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur. In fact, Bel-Air was one of the few Los Angeles-area venues Borja had yet to experience. But she is more than making up for that this week as she has advanced to the semifinals where she’ll face Auburn University graduate student Megan Schofill. This is the second consecutive year a Wolverine has made the final four of the Women’s Am; Monet Chun lost in the championship match at Chambers Bay. Borja now has a chance to become the first Wolverine to etch her name on the Robert Cox Trophy.