ST. LOUIS, Mo. — LSU golfer Megan McChrystal was unable to overcome an early deficit as she dropped a 3 & 1 decision to USC sophomore Jennifer Song in the first round of match play Wednesday at the 109th U.S. Women’s Amateur tournament at the Old Warson Country Club.
McChrystal, in the match play for the second straight year, had a difficult draw, facing one of the hottest golfers in the summer. Song as a freshman had the NCAA individual championship on her club in the 18th fairway in May before a disastrous finish dropped her out of the lead and she came into the amateur off a win in the USGA Women’s Public Links event last month.
In a match in which there was only one birdie, the tone of the match was set early as pars by Song on the 353-yard par 4 second, the par 3 third, the par 4 fifth and the par 5, 515-yard sixth hole put Song four up with 12 holes to play.
McChrystal, who earned second-team All-America honors for the Lady Tigers this past season, won the par 3 seventh hole with a par before Song pared the eighth hole to go back four up.
The match pretty much stayed that way until McChrystal was able to put some pressure on her opponent with par wins on the par 4 15th and par 5 16th hole to cut the margin for Song to 2 up. But Song was able to par the 211-yard par 3 17th hole, while McChrystal bogeyed to end the match at that point and advance Song to the second round.
Song had 14 pars in the 17 holes while McChrystal had nine pars and the lone birdie in her 17 holes of play.
The LSU women’s golf team will reunite at the end of the month and quickly start their 2009-10 season, ironically in match play as the nationally-ranked Lady Tigers are one of the invitees to the 2009 NGCA Hooter’s Match Play Championship over the Labor Day weekend.