Around the Green

McMyler, Winans to Play for 100th Women’s Texas Amateur Title

Emma McMyler, 19, of San Antonio, a sophomore at Xavier University, will face incoming University of Oklahoma freshman Meagan Winans, 18, of Richardson, in the championship match of the 100th Women’s Texas Amateur at River Crest Country Club.

McMyler, the No. 4 seed from stroke play, earned her spot in the final on Thursday afternoon by knocking out Auburn University sophomore Elina Sinz, 19, of Katy, 3 and 2. In the morning quarterfinal match, McMyler defeated Oklahoma State University junior Hailey Jones, 21, of Dallas, 7 and 6.

Winans took down No. 6 seed and University of Texas commit Bohyun Park, 18, of Farmers Branch, in the other semifinal match, 2 and 1. Winans defeated her big sister, Libby, a 21-year-old senior at OU, in the morning quarterfinal, 6 and 4.

McMyler, who two weeks ago won the TGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship at Comanche Trace in Kerrville, never trailed in her semifinal match. She grabbed a 2-up lead after nine holes on Sinz and then went 3-up with a birdie on the par-4 12th. McMyler’s lead was back to 2-up when Sinz birdied the par-3 15th. On the long par-4 16th, McMyler hit a hybrid from 200 yards out to 20 feet. A tap-in par ended the match when Sinz failed to get up and down from right of the green.

“My strategy has been to hit fairways and greens and give myself a chance on every hole,” McMyler said. “I’m going to keep trying to make pars and if I happen to make a birdie, all the better.”

Winans, who was ranked by Golfweek as the No. 13 recruit in the country and No. 2 in the state of Texas, also never trailed in her afternoon match. She was 1-up through nine holes on Park and retained her lead as the two players tied the next six holes with pars. The difficult 16th again proved to be decisive when Park hit her approach shot into the water hazard guarding the left side of the green. Winans blocked her second shot out to the right and then mishit her chip shot short of the green. She got up and down from there for bogey, which was good enough to win the hole and go 2-up. Winans secured her spot in the championship final when the two tied the 17th.

“I’ve driven the ball well this week and the times when I have missed the fairway or green, I’ve managed to recover thanks to my putting which has been very solid,” Winans said. “The greens are very difficult, but for some reason I feel very comfortable on them.”

The 18-hole championship match is scheduled to begin at 10:10 a.m. on Friday.

The players who didn’t qualify for the Championship Bracket were divided into seven match play flights based on their World Handicap System Indexes as of July 23. All seven flights played their semifinals on Thursday with the winners advancing to the finals, which will start at 8 a.m.

In the First Flight, Trinity King of Arlington defeated Hanna Liu of Austin, 20 holes. Patricia Sinolungan of Denton defeated Jordan Dusckas of Highland Village, 6 and 5. King and Sinolungan will meet in the First Flight final on Friday.

In the Second Flight, Hunter Nugent of Irving defeated Madison Goldberg of Austin, 2 and 1. Aysis Azarcon of Grand Prairie defeated Anna Takahashi of Grapevine, 3 and 2. Nugent and Azarcon will meet in the Second Flight final on Friday.

In the Third Flight, Rebecca Reed of Midland defeated EG Messenger of Montgomery, 8 and 6. Gabriella Tomanka of Grapevine defeated Madison Head of Haslet, 2 and 1. Reed and Tomanka will meet in the Third Flight final on Friday.

In the Fourth Flight, Eubin Shim of Woodway defeated Elle Fox of Copperas Cove, 1-up. Meagan Pistone of Montgomery defeated Sarah Kmiecik of Houston, 6 and 5. Shim and Pistone will meet in the Fourth Flight final on Friday.

In the Fifth Flight, Brandee Fleming of Magnolia defeated Caitlyn Lindell of Grand Prairie, 2-up. Paige Wood of McKinney defeated Gracie Heinle of Conroe, 6 and 5. Fleming and Wood will meet in the Fifth Flight final on Friday.

In the Sixth Flight, Simone Campise of Lewisville defeated Jennifer Hoyt of Horseshoe Bay, 3 and 2. Meghan Meserole of Austin defeated Ellie Rippee of McKinney, 1-up. Campise and Meserole will meet in the Sixth Flight final on Friday.

In the Seventh Flight, Piper Frisbie of Flower Mound defeated Anna Schultz of Heath, 3 and 2. Olive Henry of Ennis defeated Mallory Matthews of Hondo, 19 holes. Frisbie and Olive will meet in the Seventh Flight final on Friday.

Live scoring updates will be available once the action gets underway from River Crest Country Club.

In celebration of its Centennial Championship this year, the Women’s Texas Amateur has returned to the place where it all started. Opened in 1911, River Crest Country Club hosted the first-ever Women’s Texas Amateur in 1916 and then again in 1922, 1932 and 1949. The historic club on the western edge of downtown also was the site of the Texas Amateur in 1917, 1922 and 1954.