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NEW JERSEY, FLORIDA SHARE LEAD AFTER SECOND ROUND OF 2013 USGA WOMEN'S STATE TEAM

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By Christina Lance, USGA
September 18, 2013

Alice Chen, of Princeton, N.J., shot a championship record-tying 6-under 67 in Wednesday's second round on the South Course at NCR Country Club to vault New Jersey into a share of the 36-hole lead with Florida at 5-over 297. (USGA/Chris Keane)

 Buoyed by Alice Chen’s record-tying round, New Jersey vaulted into a tie for the lead with Florida at 5-over-par 297 following Wednesday’s second round of the 2013 USGA Women’s State Team Championship, being conducted on the par-73, 6,153-yard South Course at NCR Country Club.

Chen, 17, of Princeton, led the New Jersey charge with a 6-under 67. Reinstated amateur Tara Fleming, 46, of Jersey City, added a 6-over 79 in the 3-count-2 format. Cindy Ha, 17, of Demarest, added a non-counting 81.

Chen carded six birdies and an eagle, along with two bogeys, en route to her 6-under 67. She joins Brenda Corrie Kuehn (1997), Kathy Hartwiger (2009) and Rachel Dai (2011) with the lowest 18-hole score in championship history. Chen’s two-day total of 7-under 139 also ties the low mark set by Marla Jemsek-Weeks in 1997.

“It was tracking really nice and it just dropped,” said Chen of her 50-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th (her seventh hole). “I was kind of shocked.”

Consecutive bogeys at Nos. 17 and 18 threatened to derail Chen’s momentum. But back-to-back birdies at the first and second holes, including a tap-in at the par-3 second, put her back on track.

“I just hit good approach shots in,” said Chen, who will attend Furman University in the fall of 2014. “It was just hit the fairway, hit the green and then try and make the putt.”

Wednesday’s round was yet another highlight in Chen’s 2013 resume, most of which has taken place in her home state. She won the New Jersey high school individual championship and earned player of the year honors. Chen then won the New Jersey State Golf Association’s Women’s Amateur and Junior Girls’ Championships, and tacked on a victory at the American Junior Golf Association’s Lessing’s AJGA Classic, also conducted in the Garden State.

Stasi, who started at No. 10, stepped to the sixth tee at three under with four holes to play. But then it all went horribly awry. Stasi’s tee shot at the par-5 sixth flew left, leading to a double bogey. She carded bogey at the par-4 seventh, and after needing two attempts to clear a fairway bunker at the par-4 ninth, Stasi missed a 5-foot bogey putt to drop five shots in four holes and finish at 2 over par for the round.

“It's unfortunate, but just a bad few holes,” said Stasi, who last week won Florida’s inaugural Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship by one stroke over Joy-Connelly.

Christina Lance is an assistant communications manager at the USGA. Email her at clance@usga.org.

Results

KETTERING, Ohio – Results from Wednesday’s second round at the 2013 USGA Women’s State Team Championship, being conducted at the 6,153-yard, par-73 NCR Country Club:

Florida - 146-151—297; Meghan Stasi, Oakland Park - 73-75—148; Ericka Schneider, Bradenton - 76-76—152; Tara Joy-Connelly, Palm Beach Gardens - 73-81—154 

New Jersey - 151-146—297; Alice Chen, Princeton - 72-67—139; Cindy Ha, Demarest - 79-81—160; Tara Fleming, Jersey City - 85-79—164 

Arizona - 144-158—302; Hannah O'Sullivan, Paradise Valley - 71-73—144; Stephanie Kim, Tempe - 73-85—158; Kylee Duede, Glendale - 82-87—169 

Virginia - 152-152—304; Abby Portyrata, North Chesterfield - 72-75—147; Lauren Greenlief, Oakton - 80-77—157; Lyndsey Hunnell, Troutville - 85-84—169 

Maryland - 150-155—305; Bryana Nguyen, Columbia - 71-72—143; Andrea Kraus, Baltimore - 79-85—164; Lisa Schlesinger, Laytonsville - 87-83—170 

Georgia - 154-153—307; Laura Coble, Augusta - 75-76—151; Brenda Pictor, Marietta - 83-77—160; Mercedes Huarte, Suwanee - 79-83—162 

Colorado - 155-152—307; Hannah Wood, Centennial - 78-77—155; Melissa Martin, Grand Junction - 81-75—156; Jennifer Kupcho, Westminster - 77-80—157 

Indiana - 148-160—308; Tobi Herron, Columbus - 75-77—152; Nina Whalen, Indianapolis - 73-83—156; Michelle Smith, Fort Wayne - 86-91—177 

New Mexico - 147-162—309; Dominique Galloway, Rio Rancho - 74-81—155; Shania Berger, Socorro - 79-81—160; Darian Zachek, Deming - 73-93—166 

Tennessee - 152-158—310; Blakesly Warren, Chattanooga - 73-78—151; Courtney Chandler, Franklin - 79-80—159; Corinna Rees, Nashville - 82-81—163