BARRINGTON, RI – LSU’s Austin Ernst showed the determination that earned her an NCAA Women’s Golf Championship as she captured her first match Wednesday in the United States Women’s Amateur at the Rhode Island Country Club.
Ernst, after a spectacular approach shot on the 18th hole in an all-square match, completed a comeback from two down at one point to win over Scotland’s Sally Watson, 1-up, after a par putt was conceded on the final hole. Watson hit her approach into a sand trap to the right of the green and pushed her shot out of the bunker some 30 feet past the hole. Watson’s par putt failed to drop and Ernst had two putts from six feet to win.
The win advances Ernst into the round of 32 against Michelle Piyapattra of Corona, Calif., who was a 3 & 2 winner in her opening round. Piyapattra is a sophomore-to-be at Columbia University where she won the Ivy League Championship last season and was named first team All-Ivy League. She previously participated in the US Women’s Amateur at the age of 14.
Ernst, of Seneca, S.C., who will be a sophomore to be at LSU this coming year, was making her first tournament appearance since winning the NCAA individual title in Bryan, Texas, last May. Joined in her match play round by 2010 Women’s Amateur Public Links champion Emily Tubert of the University of Arkansas who served as her caddy, Ernst showed her steady play as she posted a 2-under round of 69 in rallying for the win.
Ernst jumped out quickly with a birdie on the opening hole but by the sixth hole was down two holes after Watson took advantage of an Ernst’s bogey and then birdies by the Stanford player on holes five and six. Watson then bogeyed the eighth hole to cut her lead to 1-up and then Ernst tied the match with a par on the 193-yard par 3 10th hole.
Ernst turned right around and took a 1-up lead of her own with a birdie on the par 5, 522 yard, 11th hole, an advantage that stayed until Watson birdied the 16th hole, setting the stage for the 18th hole drama on a day when several matches went extra holes in the first round.
Two rounds are scheduled, the round of 32 and 16, are scheduled for play on Thursday. The round of 16 will be televised by The Golf Channel beginning at 2 p.m. CT. Ernst and Watson’s match was one of the featured attractions on Wednesday’s coverage, giving LSU and their NCAA champion a national exposure.
Live scoring for the Amateur can be found at www.usga.org and LSU women’s golf can be found on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUwomensgolf and on Twitter @LSUwomensgolf.