PINEHURST, N.C. — LSU women’s golfer Alexis Rather won her third straight match Thursday in the first flight of the Women’s Southern Amateur and will play for the flight championship on Friday.
Rather, who unintentionally became a national golfing magazine notebook item with her efforts to play through a stomach virus at last month’s NCAA Women’s Division I Championships, just missed playing in the championship flight for the second consecutive year when her qualifying round of 80 missed the 32-player cut by one shot.
But since advancing to the 16-player first flight, the senior to be from Tupelo, Miss., has come through with three wins. In the opening round, she defeated Jessie Vincent of Burlington, N.C., 2 and 1 and Mina Hardin of Fort Worth, Texas, 4 and 3, to advance to Thursday’s semi.
In that match, Rather had her easiest win, downing Kelly Calkin of St. Charles, Ill., 5 and 3. She now faces Lecia Alexander of Stafford, Texas on Friday in the first flight title match. Alexander defeated Maggie Weder of Greenville, N.C., 5 and 4.
Last year, Rather advanced through to the semifinals of the championship flight of this same tournament.