PROVO -- Two current Cougar Sophomores Juli Wightman and Ashley Childers are both competing at the 2005 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links this week in Kansas City, Mo. at the Swope Memorial Golf Course.
Wightman and Childers are among the 144 amateurs competiting in one of the nation's premier women's amateur tournaments. Wightman tied for 29th place and earned a spot among the final 64 who will compete in the match play portion of the event after posting a 75-73--148 in the tournament's stroke play portion on Monday and Tuesday. Childers also was among the top 64 players after Tuesday's stroke play action. She finished tied for 64th place with five others after carding a 77-76--153, but lost in a playoff for the final spot.
In Wednesday's round of 64 Wightman advanced after defeating her opponent, Lacey Jones of Idabel, Okla. 6 and 5. She will face Angela Park, who lost to Michelle Wie in the Semifinals of last year's Public Links semifinals. Park, a 16-year-old teenage golf sensation finished second in the stoke play portion of the tournament. Wightman and Park will tee of at 7:34 a.m. MST in the round of 32.
Wightman qualified for the prestigious Public Links tournament by carding a 75 and a second-place finish at the USGA qualifying round in Flanders, N.Y. at the Flanders Valley Golf Course. Wightman, from Chicopee, Mass., was the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and help lead BYU to its first NCAA Championship finals appearance in 20 years. Earlier this summer Wightman captured the New England Women's Amateur Championship in her first appearance in the tournament. Wightman birdied the 10th, 11th, 13th, 17th and 18th holes, all on putts from inside 12 feet, to force a playoff. She had a solid par in the playoff to win and finish the tournament at 9-over 225.
After the Public Links tournament Wightman will travel to Roswell Ga. where she will compete in the U.S. Women's Amateur to be held at Ansley Golf Club on Aug. 1-7.
Childers won the USGA qualifying round at Thanksgiving point on June 14th with a 78 to advance to the U.S. Public Links tournament for the first time in her career. The sophomore-to-be from Menifee, Calif. competed in six tournaments for the Cougars during her freshman season including a 28th place finish at the Bay Area Classic back in February.
Both Wightman and Childers with join their teammates on a tour of Ireland later in August before fall semester begins.