Tubert advances; Vela fifth

FAYETTEVILLE – University of Arkansas incoming freshman Emily Tubert has advanced to the finals of the U.S. Woman’s Amateur Public Links Championship at the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, Ind. Friday.

The Burbank, Calif., native inked with the Razorbacks and will join the team as a freshman this fall.

Tubert opened play shooting a 141 in the stroke play qualifier heading into the match play in fifth place. She won her first match defeating Maggie Yuan of the Peoples Republic of China 3&2 and picked up a 4&3 win over Anna Kim of Canada in the second round.

Tubert next defeated Annie Park of Levittown, N.Y. yesterday, winning 4&3. In her Thursday match in the round of 16, Park took an early lead going 1 up on the first hole. She held the lead until Tubert squared the match on the fourth hole. Tubert then took the lead on the seventh and would never trail again.

She faced Victoria Sungmin Park of Irvine, Calif., Friday with a chance to move into the semifinals and needed extra holes to earn the win.

Park opened strong and went 1 up on the first hole but Tubert squared it on the fifth hole. The future Razorback grabbed the lead in the back-and-forth battle on the ninth hole and hung on until Park squared the contest on the 12th.

Tubert looked to be in trouble when Park took the lead on the 15th and held on for two holes but she rallied winning the 18th hole to force extra play.

Tubert wasted no time winning on the 19th hole with a par on the 360-yard par-four.

After a brief break, Tubert returned to the golf course facing Sara Grantham of Wilsonville, Ala., in the semifinal. Tubert took the early lead on winning the first hole but Grantham squared the match on the second. Tubert again went 1 up on the seventh hole but her opponent rallied to square it on the 10th. Grantham took the lead on the 12th, Tubert squared it on the 14th and took the lead on the 17th. Grantham won the 18th to square the match for the fourth time and force extra holes for the second time of the day for Tubert.

Just as she did in the first match of the day, Tubert won the first hole winning 1 up in 19.

With the win, Tubert advances to the finals where she faces Lisa McCloskey of Houston, Texas, Saturday.

In other summertime action, sophomore-to-be Victoria Vela drained a 33-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole finishing as the top amateur at the Texas Women’s Open in Garland, Texas. Vela finished tied for sixth overall in the field and was the top finishing amateur at the event.

Vela, who traveled extensively in her first season with the Razorbacks, opened play with a72 followed by a second-round 73 for 145.