Eastern Michigan Athletics
Fleet Advances to Championship Final At U.S. Women’s Amateur Publinx
6/22/2007 4:31:14 PM | Women's Golf
EMU junior to play Mina Harigae
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Eastern Michigan University junior golfer Stephany Fleet (Dewitt. Mich.-Dewitt) is one match away from becoming a national champion.
The 20-year-old Fleet advanced to Saturday’s (June 23) championship round of the 31st Annual U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship here at Kearney Hills Golf Links with a 5 and 4 semifinal win over 16-year-old high school junior Michele Shin of Cape Coral Fla. in a match held Friday, June 22, afternoon. She will now square off against 17-year-old Mina Harigae of Monteray, Calif. for the chance to be the U.S. Women’s Amateur Publinx champion.
Fleet quietly advanced this week, playing well under the radar of fellow Division I stars Amanda Blumenherst, from Duke, along with Michigan State’s Sara Brown, whom she beat in the third round. She was the last collegian left heading into the semifinals. That doesn’t bother her at all. In fact, she relishes being anonymous.
"I think it’s easier as far as just going out there and playing," said Fleet, who owns one college victory (Southern Illinois tournament this past spring). "Nobody expects anything of you. I don’t really get nervous about anything in life, so people who know me would say I don’t worry too much about anything."
Four of the last seven WAPL winners have been players under the age of 18. Prior to 17-year-old Catherine Cartwright’s victory in 2000, the previous 23 WAPL champions were all college-aged players. No player over the age of 23 has won this championship, although a couple of mid-amateurs (25 and older) have reached the final, the last being Missy Farr-Kaye in 2001.
Earlier this week, Fleet shot a 74 in the final round of stroke play qualifying to make the cut for match play. She finished the stroke play qualifying rounds with the 36th best score of 149.
Fleet earned a berth for the event after shooting an 80 at The Meadows Golf Course in Allendale on May 31 in a sectional qualifier. A total of 155 players advanced from the sectional qualifiers which began with a record field of 735.
She began the quest for medalist honors with a 3 and 2 win over No. 27 Alexandra Bodemann from Palm City, Fla. in the first round. Fleet then came up with a 1 up win over No. 6 Glory Jooyoung of Korea in round two. She followed with a 3 and 1 victory over No. 22 Brown and then added a 5 and 4 win over No. 14 Kayla Mortellaro of Phoenix, AZ to advance to the final four against No. 23 Michelle Shin of Cape Coral, Fla. Fleet dispatched Shin, 5 and 4, to set up the final match against Harigae.
The winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links receives a lengthy list of awards including:
· A gold medal and custody of the Robert F. Dwyer Trophy for one year
· A 10-year exemption from sectional qualifying for U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championships
· A two-year exemption from sectional qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship
· A one-year exemption from sectional qualifying for the next U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship
· An exemption from local qualifying for the next five U.S. Women’s Open Championships
During the 2006-07 season, Fleet helped the Eagles to the school’s best finish with a runner-up showing at the 2007 Mid-American Conference Women’s Golf Championship. In 2007, Fleet played 30 rounds and averaged 77.3 strokes per round, good for eighth best in the MAC during this season. The Dewitt, Mich. native finished in the top 20 in nine events, including placing in the top five four different times.
She claimed medalist honors at the Saluki Invitational (March 26) by firing a 36-hole total 145 (72-73), leading the Eagles to victory. With her victory she became just the ninth Eagle in school history to claim medalist honors. Fleet twice collected MAC Golfer of the Week accolades along with earning the MAC’s Scholar Athlete of the Week for the period ending Oct. 1.
Thanks to the USGA’s David Sefter for portions of the above story.
For more information on the tournament visit http://www.uswapl.org
