Cheyenne Woods falls in WAPL quarters

BANDON, Ore.—Cheyenne Woods said she came into the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship uncertain of her swing as she worked on trying to making it more upright. Of course, you could have fooled all those watching her play at Bandon Dunes Resort, the rising Wake Forest senior claiming medalist honors and breezing through her first three opponents at the WAPL.

Come Friday morning's quarterfinal match against high schooler Annie Park, however, Woods' worries came to fruition. Her swing suddenly looked loose and her confidence on the greens disappeared on the Old Macdonald course. After jumping to 2-up lead through three holes, Woods lost five of her next seven holes, never able to regain the form from the previous four days.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if I played really well and lost," said a disappointed Woods after losing the match, 3 and 2. "But this was really the worst I've played all year."

While cutting Park's lead to 2 up with a par on the 14th hole, Woods made a double-bogey 7 on the par-5 15th. She then three-putted from 20 feet on the 16th hole for a bogey—after Park looked to be out of the hole when her second shot found the gorse left of the hole—that put an end to her disappointing day.

"My goal was to get to the semifinals and it happened," said Park, a 16-year-old from Levittown, N.Y., who starts he junior year of high school in the fall. "Now I'll see if I can get a little farther."

Despite playing in her fifth WAPL, Park admitted that nerves got the best of her early, losing the first two holes with bogeys. But she adjusted, concentrating on playing Old Macdonald rather than Woods.

Park must turn around quickly as she plays UCLA's Brianna Do in the Friday afternoon semifinal. For the second straight year, Do defeated fellow Bruin Stephanie Kono, this time in the quarterfinals, knocking her off 2 up.

"It's bittersweet," said Do after facing her college teammate. "Kono is a great player. I knew it was going to be a tough match."

Indeed, neither player took more than a 1-up advantage until the last hole, Do and Kono trading the lead twice during the front nine. A birdie on the par par-4 14th from Do gave her her third 1-up edge of the day, a lead she would not let slip away.

In the other WAPL semifinal, another UCLA player, Tiffany Lua, will face incoming Wake Forest freshman__Marissa Dodd__. Lua made quick work of__Brittany Altomare__ in the quarterfinals winning, 7 and 6, while need all 18 holes before putting away Sally Watson, 1 up.