Taiwan’s Huai-Chien “Cindy” Hsu showed why she’s one of the most elite amateurs in the game, closing with two blemish-free rounds of 67 last Wednesday and Thursday to win the Ladies National Golf Association Amateur Championship at the Home Course in DuPont, Washington. With a 12-under-par total for 54 holes, the University of Texas senior finished six strokes ahead of Caroline Smith and Zi Ge “Rebecca” Wang.
Hsu, the reigning Women’s Elite Amateur Cup champion, is ranked No. 41 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She was clinical from tee to green, not dropping a single shot to par over her final 39 holes.
“I tried to stay present and focus on myself and be patient on every single shot,” said Hsu, who had four-time LPGA winner Candie Kung on her bag. The former LPGA standout is a fellow native of Taiwan who has worked with Hsu for the past five years. This was Kung’s first win as a caddie, and she celebrated with Hsu in style, keeping the 18th hole flag to mark the milestone.
Smith started Thursday’s final round with a birdie that cut Hsu’s lead to one stroke. She applied steady pressure all day and posted a closing 71, but she couldn’t overtake Hsu.
Wang, a 16-year-old from Beijing, China, who has committed to attend Northwestern University, holed her second shot on the first hole in the final round to jump to within two strokes of Hsu. Her closing 69 matched her first-day score and secured her the Dorothy Pease Junior Medalist Trophy as the top junior in the field.
Hsu and former University of Texas golfer Bentley Cotton (5-under par) won the tournament’s Howell Team Trophy for the second consecutive year.
RESULTS
Staff report