Kim-Schaad Returns to the Final, Long Joins Her After Dominant Semifinal Win

Ina Kim-Schaad, 42, of Jupiter, Fla., the 2019 champion, earned her place back in the final match of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, defeating co-medalist Katherine Zhu, 25, of San Jose, Calif., 3 and 2 on Wednesday afternoon at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. She will face Henley Long, 27, of Clarksville, Tenn., in Thursday's 18-hole final.

“Pinch me,” said Kim-Schaad. “I mean, this was obviously my goal coming in for sure. I've worked ready hard this year to try and get here. But, yeah, it's still pretty unbelievable. I'm super excited and grateful that I get to play this course one more time. I'm excited.” 

Zhu, who played her college golf at the University of California, Berkeley, struck first, winning the opening hole with a par. 

But from there, Kim-Schaad took control of the front nine. She reeled off four straight wins on Nos. 3 through 6, playing 1-under-par golf over that stretch. Zhu stumbled with a series of miscues—coming up short of the green and into the natural area on No. 4, short again on No. 5 and long on No. 6—while Kim-Schaad capitalized. The mental performance coach punctuated the run by draining a 25-foot birdie putt on the Dunes Course’s par-4 6th hole.  

"It's just all a blur,” said Kim-Schaad. “I just tried to stay super committed to every shot and I honestly couldn't even tell you what I was shooting, what she was shooting. I was really immersed in what I was doing.” 

Her hot putter nearly struck again on the par-3 7th, where her 20-foot birdie try hung on the lip. Zhu briefly swung the momentum back her way with a birdie on the par-5 9th, rolling in a six-footer to trim the deficit. But Kim-Schaad immediately answered with a 15-foot birdie on the scenic, oceanfront downhill, par-3 10th hole. The match turned into a birdie exchange from there—Zhu sank a 30-footer on No. 11 to stay within striking distance, then birdied the par-5 13th to cut Kim-Schaad’s lead to one, her closest margin since the 4th hole. 

But Kim-Schaad responded yet again, steadying herself on the course's signature par-3 14th with a par to push the advantage back to 2 up. Zhu closed the gap once more with a win on No. 15, but Kim-Schaad sealed the match on the 16th to advance to her second U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur final. 

The victory gives Kim-Schaad a chance to become the first two-time champion since Julia Potter-Bobb in 2016, and, at 42, the fourth-oldest winner in championship history.  

She will face Long, who rolled into the championship match with a dominant 6-and-4 victory over Shannon Fish-Martin, 37, of Spring, Texas, in the semifinal. The early going was tight—Long took the opening hole, but Fish-Martin responded with wins on Nos. 4 and 5 to briefly grab the lead. 

But that momentum didn’t last long. Long won three straight holes starting at No. 6, including back-to-back birdies on 7 and 8, to seize control of the match. She never looked back, closing things out with four consecutive wins on Nos. 11 through 14. 

Long has her brother on the bag this week—it’s only his second time caddying for her, the first coming in last year’s championship, where she exited in the Round of 32. Their mom, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, is also on-site.  

“This last year has been so difficult from a family standpoint, so for me to play this well and make it to the end,” Long said, “it’s something that has brought us all together. We’ve found the joy and the light at the end of the tunnel.” 

What’s Next? 

Thursday’s 18-hole final will begin at 8:30 a.m. PST. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to attend. The winner will receive a spot into the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Riviera Country Club. 

Notable

• Semifinalists Shannon Fish-Martin and Katherine Zhu received bronze medals as well as exemptions into the next two U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships, scheduled for Montclair Golf Club, in West Orange, N.J., and Country Club of Buffalo, in Williamsville, N.Y. 

• Each of the finalists are now exempt into the 126th U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Honors Course, in Ooltewah, Tenn.

• France’s Justine Fournand was the last international player remaining, advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to Hanley Long on Wednesday morning. Only two international players have ever won the championship: Mary Ann Lapointe in 2004 and Hana Ryskova in 2024. 

• This is Ina Kim-Schaad’s eighth start in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and her 20th USGA championship overall. In addition to her two Mid-Amateur final appearances, she was also the runner-up in the 2000 U.S. Girls’ Junior. 

Quotable 

“I think everything about this week has been positive for me. Starting in March, this was my only goal, and it was just to make it here, so to make it to the semis was -- I'm just very proud of that.” - Shannon Fish-Martin on what she takes from the week 

“This year was a lot about enjoying playing again. Took some time off after a few years of college golf and just competitive golf, so I'm definitely more eager to get practicing again. I think this year, next year, next two years will look pretty similar. Definitely play in the offseason just casually for fun. I wouldn't just put the clubs away for months at a time anymore. This is an overall really positive experience that's really encouraging inspiring for myself to keep playing.” - Katherine Zhu on her first U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur experience 

“Yeah, I never really got stressed when I lost a hole or hit a bad shot. You know, it's nice having my family here and my husband on the bag. It's pretty easy here to just look around and appreciate what you're looking at. It was easy to let everything roll off and not stress about it.” - Ina Kim-Schaad on her mindset for the semifinal match 

“Yeah, the biggest thing is my brother is caddying for me this week, and so he and I had a really good process. We're just following the process and the game plan and executing, and I think the biggest thing is this golf course can be a monster. So just knowing if you have one bad hole it's match play, so just move on to the next with short-term memory like we talked about yesterday.” - Hanley Long on what worked well in her win today