Last locals get bounced at Women's Amateur

__CHARLOTTE--__Local golf fans coming to Charlotte CC might have a tough time figuring out who to follow after the results from Thursday morning at the U.S. Women's Amateur. The two remaining North Carolina players,Cydney Clanton and Corrine Carr, were both defeated in their second-round matches.

Clanton, a favorite entering the tournament after winning the Women's North & South title last month, fell to Kristen Park, a former U.S. Girls' Junior champion, 2 and 1. The Auburn senior struggled getting any putts to drop compared to her first-round match.

"I didn't make any birdies after the fourth hole," Clanton said. "With no birdies in match play, you're doomed."

Park got off to a strong start when she birdied the first two holes to take a 2-up lead, but Clanton squared the match just two holes later. Yet Clanton couldn't capitalize on the momentum, as Park birdied the seventh hole to give her a lead she wouldn't relinquish.

"To get down early in the match and to stay down for the majority of the match kind of weighs on you mentally," Clanton said. "I hit a lot of good shots out there. I just didn't get the breaks I needed."

Carr, a Pinehurst native, found similar frustrations in her 5-and-4 loss to Sydnee Michaels, a former All-American at UCLA. The 21-year-old who plays at South Carolina made just two birdies offset by four bogeys while Michaels was four under through 14 holes.

Being a medalist also was no guarantee of success Thursday morning as two of the three golfers who shared the honor after stroke-play qualifying lost their second-round tilts. Rachel Rohanna was beaten by Marina Alex in 19 holes while Jaclyn Sweeney fell to Numa Gulyanamitta 5 and 3.

Erynne Lee, a semifinalist at the 2008 Women's Amateur, remained the only one on the plus side of the ledger, beating Moriya Jutanugarn 1 up.

Looking for a good way to close out a match? USC senior Lizette Salas figured it out when she made a hole-in-one on the 17th hole to defeat Amira Alexander, 2 and 1.