Jo Takes Final U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links


Fumie (Alice) Jo vanquished Eun Jeong Seong 3 and 2 in the 36-hole championship match of the 2014 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash.

Jo, a 15-year-old from the People's Republic of China, took a 1-up lead with a birdie on the seventh hole against the 14-year-old South Korean and never relinquished her lead, closing out the match when both players parred the par-5 16th - the 34th hole.

Playing in her first USGA championship, Jo made the trip to the United States on May 20 accompanied by her mother and caddie, aptly named Joy.

After Jo beat Cindy Ha, 17, of Demarest, N.J., in Friday's semifinal, she said of her American adventure, "I just tried to play my best. I didn't have very high expectations."

On Saturday, Jo tipped the figurative cap to her mom. "She kept telling me to relax, not feel too nervous," said Jo. "She was a big help."

Jo and Seong both received exemptions into the 2014 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, which will be held August 4-10 at Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, N.Y. They also received exemptions into the 2014 U.S. Girls' Junior, to be held next week (July 21-26) at Forest Highlands Golf Club in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Seong already qualified for both championships, but Jo declined the Girls' Junior exemption due to the quick turnaround required between the WAPL and Girls' Junior.

This - along with the U.S. Amateur Public Links, completed Saturday and won by Byron Meth of San Diego at Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kans. - is the final year of the Public Links events. They will be replaced in 2015 by new amateur four-ball championships for both men and women.

For details of the championship match, visit http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScore_newFeed.aspx?id=17179869344&year=2014&type=match6.