The Penn women’s golf team’s march into uncharted territory will continue next week in Charlotte, N.C.
Three Quakers golfers — rising sophomore Isabel Han, incoming freshman Michelle Lee and recent graduate Meredith Kotowski — will participate in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, one of the United States Golf Association’s premier events, August 9-15 at the Charlotte Country Club.
Last year, recent graduate Catherine Elliott was the first Penn player to compete in the championship, and the Quakers captured their first Ivy League and Eastern College Athletic Conference titles this spring.
This year’s Penn representatives are among 156 women who advanced from the qualifying rounds, which took place July 6-21 at courses throughout the country. A record 1049 Amateur hopefuls entered for the chance to play in this year’s event.
“To have three Penn players in the field is absolutely amazing,” Penn coach Mark Anderson, who could not be reached for further comment, told Penn Athletics.
Han in particular is at the forefront of the program’s recent rise. The Lake Mary, Fla., native was named first-team All-Ivy following a second place finish at Ivy Championships, and has now qualified for three of the last four U.S. Women’s Amateurs after shooting a 72 at Haworth (N.J.) Country Club July 12. This will be Han’s first time competing in the event since arriving at Penn.
Lee, meanwhile, is one of three members of the golf team’s prized Class of 2014 recruits. She ranks 37th on the Class of 2010 Junior Golf Scoreboard, one spot below fellow recruit Rui Li.
Han, Lee and Kotowski will need to be among the top 64 on the leaderboard after two rounds of stroke play in order to advance to three rounds of 18-hole match play followed by quarter- and semifinals. A two-player, 36-hole final will determine the winner.
The Quakers are still searching for their first match play qualifier after Elliott missed the cut by just two shots in 2009.
At the 2010 event, golfers from 14 countries will take on a par-72 course. Rounds after stroke play will be televised on the Golf Channel from 3-5 p.m. August 11-15.
