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By Chris Lang
HAYMARKET — Two collegians, a rising high school senior and a past Women’s Stroke Play champion all advanced to the semifinals of the 96th Virginia State Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship Tuesday at Evergreen Country Club.
In Wednesday morning’s first semifinal, Virginia Tech’s Becca DiNunzio—the tournament’s top seed—will meet No. 4 seed Julie Shin of Brambleton, a rising senior at Independence High School. The second semifinal will feature rising High Point University sophomore Danielle Suh of Herndon against Burke’s Alexandra Austin, who won the VSGA Women’s Stroke Play title in 2016.
The winners will advance to Wednesday’s championship match, slated to start at noon.
For the second time in three years, DiNunzio (Virginia Beach National GC) had to survive a stern test from fellow VB resident Emma Landis (Broad Bay CC), winning a hard-fought match 2 and 1. In the morning, DiNunzio defeated another Beach resident, Amber Mackiewicz, 4 and 3 to advance.
DiNunzio ousted Landis 1 up in the first round in 2019 at Princess Anne. This year, the meeting occurred a step later, in the quarterfinals. Landis took an early 2-up lead, but DiNunzio tied the match by the turn. At that point, DiNunzio’s ball striking took over, giving her short looks at birdie and helping her to a 3-up lead by the 13th hole.
But Landis wouldn’t go away, thanks to stellar putting. She notched birdies on 14 and 16 to stay alive before DiNunzio sank a two-putt par to tie 17 and claim the match.
“She’s a great competitor, a great sportsman too,” DiNunzio said. “Also, she can make some putts. She’s never out of it. I’m always expecting her to make it. She definitely made some today, and that kept it really close.”
As has been the case throughout her career, DiNunzio preferred to walk rather than ride during the round, even in Tuesday’s stifling heat, which she says helps her maintain focus in between shots. She also got a boost from caddie Mason Carmel, who is working with DiNunzio for the first time and kept repeating one mantra over and over before she would hit a shot or a putt: “Trust it.”
“It was a really good word to keep hearing today,” DiNunzio said. “He even said he was sorry to overdo it. But it wasn’t at all. You just need to be reminded of those things. Just sticking to that process was key.”
Shin (1757 GC) was the Women’s Amateur medalist a year ago at Roanoke Country Club and advanced to the final match before falling to Tatum Walsh. She picked up two relatively stress-free wins on Tuesday, eliminating Isabel Bae 4 and 3 in the round of 16 before dispatching Vynie Chen 4 and 3 in the quarterfinals.
“I’m just trying to play my game,” Shin said. “I know I did it last year, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do this year. I’ve been super comfortable because I know just about everybody here, so it’s been really fun in these matches. Just me being comfortable, that’s helped.”
Suh, who won the 2020 VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship before heading off to High Point, is coming off a second-place showing at the VSGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship in June. She survived two tough matches on Tuesday, defeating 13-year-old Kanchana Duangsam 1 up in the morning before topping No. 2 seed Sydney Hackett in 19 holes in the quarterfinals.
Suh and Hackett both practice out of nearby 1757 Golf Club and were quite familiar with their respective games. In the quarterfinal with Hackett, Suh made a stellar par save to extend the match. Seemingly in jail in a penalty area left and short of the green, she punched out to a preferred number and hit a perfect wedge to two feet.
That came after Hackett had hit a solid pitch shot to about six feet, but on a tricky line. Hackett missed her birdie putt, sending the match back to the 1st hole.
“When I hit it into that penalty area, I was like, ‘oh no,’” Suh said. “But I just tried to play smart, punch out, try my best to make an up and down. My fourth shot, I had that distance all day, so I was pretty comfortable with what swing I had to make. Luckily, it played out like I wanted.”
Hackett’s approach on the playoff hole slipped to the right in high rough, and she was unable to get up and down to save par. Suh made her two-putt par to win the match.
“I’m just honestly going to try my best (Wednesday),” Suh said. “I’m not going to hold myself to high expectations because it’s match play and anything can happen.”
When Austin and Lauren Greenlief saw they were playing each other in the final quarterfinal, they joked that “at least an old person will get into the semis.” Age being relative in this competition, they were the only two mid-amateurs to advance to the quarterfinal stage.
Austin eliminated UVA’s Sky Sload 4 and 3 in the morning, and Greenlief needed 19 holes to top Lorton teenager Sue Lee in the round of 16.
Greenlief took a 3-up lead through six holes, but Austin won Nos. 8 and 9 to cut the lead to 1 at the turn. They tied the next eight holes before Austin’s up and down for birdie on 18 sent the match to extra holes. They tied No. 1 with a par before Greenlief caught a tough break with her tee shot on the par-5 2nd.
Greenlief’s drive went left, struck a tree trunk and landed out of bounds, forcing her back to the tee to hit another shot. Austin played down the middle of the fairway, hit her approach to just short of the green and got up and down for birdie to win the match.
“It feels good,” Austin said of advancing to the semifinals. “I didn’t have any expectations. With working now, I’m just playing for fun. Playing professionally was just so much stress. Now, I just want to play for fun.”
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.