Mika Liu and Rinko Mitsunaga won the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship with a 4-and-3 victory over Robynn Ree and Hannah O’Sullivan at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore.
Liu, 16, from Beverly Hills, and Mitsunaga, 18, from Roswell, Ga., lost the first hole in the final but bounced back with a birdie at No. 2 and took charge by winning three consecutive holes through No. 8, all on birdie putts by Liu.
Mitsunaga virtually clinched the match when she holed her third shot from 88 yards for an eagle on the 12th hole to increase the lead to 4 up. Liu and Mitsunaga were 8-under-par for the 15 holes.
“I just really wanted to knock it close since I knew someone was going to make a birdie,” Mitsunaga said of her eagle. “It just happened to go in.
” … I knew this morning that no matter what, we were going to take home that trophy. It really has not hit me. Right now we’re just happy to be here. We’re so thankful for the golf course and all the volunteers for having us this week. It’s been a long, tough week.”
Said Liu: “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but definitely my putting, it was so hot today. I feel like I pretty much made everything, so I was really happy with that.”
Liu and Mitsunaga reached the final by beating Alyaa Abdulghany of Newport Beach, and Ellen Takada of Irvine, 3 and 2, in the semifinals, while Ree, of Redondo Beach, and O’Sullivan, of Chandler, Ariz., defeated Madelein Herr of New Hope, Pa., and Brynn Walker of St. Davids, Pa., also by 3 and 2.
