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Brooke Nolte Wins Medalist Honors in 97th WTGA State Am Qualifying Round
SAN ANTONIO – Brooke Nolte from Melissa rolled in six birdies Tuesday to post a 1-under-par 71 at San Antonio Country Club and earn Medalist honors during the Qualifying Round of the 97th WTGA State Amateur Championship.
(Click here for Qualifying Round Scores.)
Nolte, a recent transfer to UT-San Antonio from Colorado State, showcased superb ball-striking and iron play on the old school parkland course that sits less than four miles from The Alamo. Over and again Nolte stuck her approaches next to flagsticks. She said the longest birdie putt she made was about 10 feet. She poured in a 4-footer for birdie on No. 16 to get back to even-par and followed it by draining a 6-foot birdie on No. 17 that got her into the red numbers.
“I hit some solid shots coming in,” Nolte said. “I was pretty happy with that. You have to know where to hit your tee shots here, and I play to the middle of the greens (on approaches). That’s a strategy I like to play.”
Nolte credited a recent switch to the AimPoint green-reading system, along with slight tweaks to her grip and arm positions, for her solid putting performance.
“Mostly it’s the AimPoint,” she said. “I’m learning how to read greens better.”
Nolte, along with 31 other competitors, advanced to the Championship Match Play Bracket, which starts Wednesday morning with the Round of 32. The winners in this round will advance to the Round of 16 later that afternoon. The tournament concludes Friday with the Championship Match.
Tied for second place at even-par 72 in the Qualifying Round were Jenna Phillips, a Sam Houston State senior from Leander, and Lauren Cox, a senior at North Texas from Orange. Phillips made four birdies on the day. Cox, who played in the Quarterfinals last year at the 96th WTGA State Am, dropped in two birdies.
Sixteen-year-old Sadie Englemann, a junior at Austin Westlake High School, shared fourth place with Allen’s Amber Park, a Texas A&M sophomore who advanced to the State Am semifinals last summer. Englemann, the 2017 Texas Junior Amateur champion, made three birdies on her way to winning Junior Medalist honors.
“I played pretty well,” Englemann said. “I made some good birdies, but I had a couple mistakes, too. I think that happens. I hit some good drives and iron shots and the greens are running really fast. I think I dealt with that pretty well. Overall, a pretty good day.”
Six players tied for sixth place at 2-over 72. Kelley Nittoli, a San Antonio CC member, won Senior Medalist honors with a 10-over 82.
Exactly 32 players recorded scores of 80 or better to move into the Championship Match Play Bracket. The remaining competitors will be divided into four Match Play flights, and all the first matches begin Wednesday.
For more information on this championship, click here.
(Click here for Qualifying Round Scores.)
Nolte, a recent transfer to UT-San Antonio from Colorado State, showcased superb ball-striking and iron play on the old school parkland course that sits less than four miles from The Alamo. Over and again Nolte stuck her approaches next to flagsticks. She said the longest birdie putt she made was about 10 feet. She poured in a 4-footer for birdie on No. 16 to get back to even-par and followed it by draining a 6-foot birdie on No. 17 that got her into the red numbers.
“I hit some solid shots coming in,” Nolte said. “I was pretty happy with that. You have to know where to hit your tee shots here, and I play to the middle of the greens (on approaches). That’s a strategy I like to play.”
Nolte credited a recent switch to the AimPoint green-reading system, along with slight tweaks to her grip and arm positions, for her solid putting performance.
“Mostly it’s the AimPoint,” she said. “I’m learning how to read greens better.”
Nolte, along with 31 other competitors, advanced to the Championship Match Play Bracket, which starts Wednesday morning with the Round of 32. The winners in this round will advance to the Round of 16 later that afternoon. The tournament concludes Friday with the Championship Match.
Tied for second place at even-par 72 in the Qualifying Round were Jenna Phillips, a Sam Houston State senior from Leander, and Lauren Cox, a senior at North Texas from Orange. Phillips made four birdies on the day. Cox, who played in the Quarterfinals last year at the 96th WTGA State Am, dropped in two birdies.
Sixteen-year-old Sadie Englemann, a junior at Austin Westlake High School, shared fourth place with Allen’s Amber Park, a Texas A&M sophomore who advanced to the State Am semifinals last summer. Englemann, the 2017 Texas Junior Amateur champion, made three birdies on her way to winning Junior Medalist honors.
“I played pretty well,” Englemann said. “I made some good birdies, but I had a couple mistakes, too. I think that happens. I hit some good drives and iron shots and the greens are running really fast. I think I dealt with that pretty well. Overall, a pretty good day.”
Six players tied for sixth place at 2-over 72. Kelley Nittoli, a San Antonio CC member, won Senior Medalist honors with a 10-over 82.
Exactly 32 players recorded scores of 80 or better to move into the Championship Match Play Bracket. The remaining competitors will be divided into four Match Play flights, and all the first matches begin Wednesday.
For more information on this championship, click here.
