Split Verdict-Jessica-Spicer-Zhu-Co-Medalists-141-on-the-Peninsula

The name of the game on Sunday was survival. After a flurry of early red numbers, Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Dunes Course showed its teeth, sending scores climbing as the day wore on. Just two players managed to post rounds of 2-under 70 -- the day’s low score --and only eight competitors in the 132-player field finished under par in stroke play. On average, the course played more than a full stroke tougher than it did on Saturday.

Katherine Zhu, of nearby San Jose, Calif., battled her way through a challenging Round 2 to share co-medalist honors with Jessica Spicer. After starting the day 3 over on her opening nine, the former University of California standout steadied herself with a 1-under back nine that included a birdie on the difficult par-4 12th hole, to post a 2-over 74. The 25-year-old making her U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur debut was the 18-hole leader after carding a championship-best, 5-under 67 on Saturday.

“I want to make sure that I'm doing it in a way that keeps me really happy and fulfilled,” said Zhu, of how she approaches mid-am golf. “I mostly play in the summer, so with this championship being in early fall, it’s definitely been a goal of mine.”

Joining Zhu at the top is Jessica Spicer. The 27-year-old from Williamsburg, Va., began the championship without a caddie, but a chance encounter on the driving range Friday changed that. After meeting Monterey Peninsula C.C. member Pat Cervelli, who offered to loop for her, the new duo teamed up for a sparkling 68 on Saturday, which was capped by four straight birdies to close her round. 

Spicer carried that momentum into Round 2, playing her first 10 holes in 2 under before three late bogeys left her with a 1-over 73. Competing in her third U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, the Virginia Tech graduate and 2023 Women’s Mid-Am medalist from 2023 will be one of the top two seeds heading into match play. Spicer missed the match-play cut last year.

“It’s definitely helpful,” said Spicer of having some local knowledge on the bag. “There were a few times today, even coming into the greens, where he told me, ‘You can use this slope’ and I did, and it worked perfectly. And I never would have thought of that myself.”

Finishing just one stroke off the lead is former Stanford golfer Brooke Seay, of San Diego, Calif., another player making her U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur debut. After stepping away from competitive golf for two years due to concussions, the 25-year-old Seay returned to competition earlier this summer and quickly made up for lost time, winning the Arizona Women’s Amateur to earn her way into the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes, where she advanced to match play.

“The Am was just a great experience,” said Seay. “Super competitive. Same level of course setup and everything to this. I really haven’t played match play in a long time other than that [Round of 64] match this summer [at the Am], so I was really happy I was able to play in that.”

Joining Seay at 2 under was Ching-Tzu Chen, of Chinese Taipei, who had one of the two 70s on Sunday. Chen is the youngest player in the field, having just turned 25 last week.

For those who finished at 10-over par 154, a 12-for-4 playoff on Monday morning will determine the final spots in the match-play draw.  

What’s Next? 

The playoff for the final four spots in the match-play draw will take place Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. PDT starting at Hole No. 10. The Round of 64 is set to commence at 8:30 a.m. Match play continues through Thursday’s 18-hole final. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to attend.

Notable

• Despite clear, warm conditions, the Dunes Course played more than a full stroke harder on Sunday. Saturday’s scoring average was 77, while Sunday’s scoring average was 78.04. 

• Among the players in the playoff are 2024 champion Hana Ryskova, of Czechia, who is at risk of becoming the first defending champion since Martha Leach in 2010 to miss the cut. Also in the playoff are 2022 champion Kathy Hartwiger, 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Shelly Stouffer and 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Dawn Woodard. 

• Notables to miss the cut include 2022 champion Krissy Carman, who is the assistant women’s golf coach at the University of Oregon. 

• Judith Kyrinis, 61, of Canada, is the oldest player to make the cut. Kyrinis, the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion, became the oldest quarterfinalist in U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur history in 2023. She shot one of the eight under-par rounds on Sunday with a 71. 

• The best turnaround from Round 1 came from Mackenzie Taylor, of Hampton Bays, N.Y., who improved on Sunday by 16 strokes to shoot rounds of 90-74, but missed the cut. 

• Speaking of turnarounds, after struggling to an opening 81, Corinna Rees-Limbocker rebounded with a Sunday 71, a 10-stroke improvement that earned her a spot in match play. A true MPCC local, Rees-Limbocker got married at the club and captured the 2005 California Junior Girls’ State Championship on the same course. Her grandparents and father are longtime members. 

• The two other MPCC members in the field both made the cut. Marissa Mar sits T10 at the conclusion of stroke play after rounds of 71-75, while three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Lara Tennant avoided the playoff by one shot, finishing at 9 over par after two rounds.

Quotable

• “It’s been really fun to talk to people about the paths they took once they were out of school and how they’ve kept golf in their lives. To see all the options of how you can still be competitive and not turn pro. Or, even if you do turn pro, that you can come back to this. It feels a little more relaxed [than a Women’s Am] because everyone who is here truly is here because they love it, so that is a really fun energy.” - Brooke Seay on her first U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur experience 

• “It was so fun for me to get prep [for match play] at the Women’s Am this year. I was really excited about that after missing the cut the last two years at Women’s Am. Even just practicing like if you have a ten-footer that you have to make. Little things like that. This is a course where you really have to play the golf course, and you know, pars and birdies will do a lot.” - Emilia (Migliaccio) Doran on the championship transitioning to match play 

• Yeah, so two years ago, I was playing great, and played well in the first round [of match play] and still lost [in 19 holes]. So just going to try and go out there, it’s match play, you can play well and still get beat. So just need to take the same attitude I’ve had the last two days and see if I can keep the putter hot.” - Jessica Spicer on what she can take from her medalist experience two years ago, when she lost in the Round of 64 in 19 holes