Yen and Young advance at U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball
After earning co-medalist honors and the No. 1 seed at the 10th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, being held this week at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, Asia Young of Bend, Ore. and partner Natalie Yen of West Linn, Ore., defeated past champions Savannah Barber and her partner Alexa Saldana, 2 and 1, in the Round of 32.
Yen, headed to Texas A&M this fall, and Young, a rising high school junior from Bend, Ore., lost the first hole of their match, but answered by making a birdie on hole No. 4 to square the match. They never looked back.
“They went all the way in 2021,” said Yen, referring to Saldana and Barber winning this championship in 2021. “They are an incredibly tough side to face. I knew they would be a tough match, but there are no easy matches at the USGA.”
Yen and Young took the lead with another birdie on No. 8, before Saldana drove the green on the 287-yard 12th hole and the team capitalized with a winning birdie. As play progressed, Young had to take an unplayable lie after her drive on No. 13 landed right by a boundary fence, but the side salvaged par to tie the hole. Two more birdie putts from Yen on Nos. 15 and 16 would all but seal the match, as Yen and Young arrived at the 17th green 2 up, ultimately tying the hole to close things out.
Yen and Young will now face Michelle Ho and Michelle Woo, both from California, in the Round of 16.
Quotable
“I play the violin so I will go back and do some violin practice in my hotel room. I travel with it everywhere. I also used to play in orchestra.” – Natalie Yen on her plans to relax and recover
“It was just amazing, because she’s someone who I can just say anything to, talk about my feelings. It’s just the best way to do it.” – Asia Young on having her mother on the bag
What’s Next
Match play continues Tuesday with the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. The quarterfinal matches are scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. The semifinal matches and 18-hole championship match are scheduled for Wednesday.
