Trio of Sisters, Co-Medalist Sides Among Final 16 in Oklahoma

Sisters Kate and Meg Tilma, of Wichita, Kan., enjoyed a dominant day at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club on Monday, posting a 5-and-3 victory in the Round of 32 over Mia Clausen and Vivi Yen at the 10th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

The side dropped four birdies and an eagle over the 15 holes of the match, including a 25-footer for birdie on No. 11 by Meg.

“We kind of were both in it on all the holes. So, it's nice to know we got each other's backs,” said Kate. “If one went for par the other could go for those birdie putts. We stayed in the moment, and we didn't really think or talk about the score at all, we just played each hole.” 

Kate, 21, just completed her junior year at Wichita State and Meg, 18, is set to make her collegiate golf debut at the University of Oklahoma in nearby Norman this fall. After going 1 up on the first hole, the duo never looked back, maintaining their lead throughout the match.

Another University of Oklahoma golfer, Savannah Barber, and her partner, Alexa Saldana, who won this championship four years ago, weren’t so fortunate against co-medalists and top seeds Natalie Yen and Asia Young, falling 2 and 1. 

Barber, a Texas native, and Saldana, a University of Houston junior from Mexico, struck early with the former sinking a 15-foot birdie putt to win the opening hole. Yen, headed to Texas A&M this fall, and Young, a rising high school junior from Bend, Ore., answered by making a birdie on hole No. 4 to square the match. 

“They went all the way in 2021. They are an incredibly tough side to face,” said Yen.  “I knew they would be a tough match, but there are no easy matches at the USGA.” 

Yen and Young took the lead with another birdie on No. 8, before Saldana drove the green on the 287-yard 12th hole and the team capitalized with a winning birdie. As play progressed, Young had to take an unplayable lie after her drive on No. 13 landed right by a boundary fence, but Yen managed another birdie to tie the hole. Two more birdie putts from Yen on Nos. 15 and 16 would all but seal the match, as Yen and Young arrived at the 17th green 2 up, ultimately tying the hole to close things out.

Southern Californians Fay Jia and Cherry Zhang got off to a hot start, logging four birdies through the opening nine for a 4-up lead against sisters Emerie and Avery Schartz, from Wichita, Kan. The Schartz sisters cut the deficit in half with back-to-back birdies on No. 10 and 11 to tighten the match, but Jia and Zhang birdied Nos. 13 and 15 to post a 4-and-3 win. 

“In the beginning, Cherry did a phenomenal job hitting her irons and putting,” said Jia. “After we started getting birdies in the first couple of holes, Cherry and I were like, ‘Yeah, we're going to win today.’ The other team was trying to save par, and we were going for birdies.”

Charlotte Cantonis and Amelie Zalsman, a member of the 2025 U.S. Junior National Team, saw their run end with a 2-and-1 loss to Alisa Davidova and Raquel Walker. Davidova and Walker carded four birdies in the opening nine to take a 2-up lead, and they never relinquished the momentum. 

Co-medalists and No. 2 seeds Jasmine and Janae Leovao, twins from Oceanside, Calif., who play for Long Beach State, survived a 1-up decision against Valentina Marie Guertin and Aliya Liberatore. The Leovao sisters only won two holes – one and seven (the latter with a birdie) – but managed to tie the last 11 holes of the tight match to earn a spot in the final 16 following a 7-foot par putt from Jasmine.

“The last two years we’ve played in this championship, we haven’t made it past the first match, so I knew that putt was huge,” said Jasmine. “Those are kind of low percentage to make, so it was super exciting to see it go in.” 

What’s Next 

Match play continues Tuesday with the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. The quarterfinal matches are scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. The semifinal matches and 18-hole championship match are scheduled for Wednesday. Admission is free and spectators are encouraged to attend.

Notable

• Cherry Zhang’s uncle, Haotong Li, is one of China's most prolific professional golfers. The 29-year-old has competed in 14 major championships, with his best finish coming at the The Open Championship in 2017 when he finished third. 

• There were five 14-year-olds to start the week, with three impressively making it to the match-play portion of the championship. All would end their journeys Monday, though, as Jodie Han, Katelyn Lehigh and Mia Clausen all fell in the Round of 32. 

• Only one match went to extra holes during Monday’s Round of 32, featuring 2024 Women’s Amateur Four-Ball co-medalist Katelyn Lehigh and new playing partner Amelia Garibaldi, and Kate Hu and Zoe Jiamanukoonkit. Jiamanukoonkit made putts of 70 and 60 feet, on Nos. 15 and 20, respectively, to keep the match alive and then ultimately advance to the Round of 16.  
  

• Six of the seven sister duos competing alongside each other made it past the cut for match play, however just three remain: Chloe and Faith Johnson, Janae and Jasmine Leovao, and Kate and Meg Tilma. 
  

• 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Kimberly Dinh and her partner Mary Janiga Kartes were eliminated in the Round of 32. 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Shannon Johnson and her playing partner, Megan Buck, are the only remaining mid-ams in the championship. No mid-amateur side has won this championship. 
  

• Fay Jia, 15, is the youngest player remaining in the championship. Shannon Johnson, 43, is the oldest player remaining. 
  

• Camila De Echavarri Ramon and Miranda Garcia were the sole international players to make match play. They were eliminated in Monday’s Round of 32.

Quotable

“We like it windy, because we're from Kansas so we're used to playing in the wind. We always say the worse conditions the better for us because everyone has to play it and we’re used to it” - Meg Tilma on the windy conditions this week

“Cherry is here because she hits it 300 yards, I’m here because I save pars. I was in the bunker, and I chipped it in on hole No.9. It was a good day for both of us.” - Fay Jia on approaching the lengthy course

“When I got a nosebleed. We started playing really well after I got a nosebleed on No. 11. From then, I just kind of locked in.” – Zoe Jiamanukoonkit on the turning point in her and playing partner Kate Hu’s match against Katelyn Lehigh and Amelia Garibaldi, which went to the 20th hole

“I play the violin so I will go back and do some violin practice in my hotel room. I travel with it everywhere. I also used to play in orchestra.” - Natalie Yen on her plans to relax and recover

“We knew if we had a good round we would have a good chance of qualifying, so we stayed present, didn't panic and knew what we were capable of. We went out and saved a lot of birdies yesterday and I saved a few for par. Every shot matters, and we played that way.” - Kate Tilma on the mindset between match and stroke play