[PHOTO: Courtesy of the USGA]
Ella Scaysbrook’s fairytale run at the 125th US Women’s Amateur Championship has come to a heartbreaking end, falling to world No.7 – and the eventual winner – Megha Ganne in the semi-final.
The 19-year-old from The Australian Golf Club had caught the attention of plenty of fans with her steely determination throughout the championship, but the unforgiving winds of Bandon Dunes and the pressure of match play ultimately proved insurmountable in the cruellest way, a playoff defeat after 19 holes of captivating golf.
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Both players faced the same brutal conditions, strong north-northwest winds gusting up to 45 km/h, that made club selection a challenge.
Scaysbrook, ranked 117th in the world, showed no signs of being overawed by her higher-ranked opponent. After trading pars on the opening two holes, the NSW High Performance Program member struck first blood with a birdie at the third to take an early lead. Her confident play continued as she doubled her advantage when Ganne stumbled to bogey at the fourth.
Ganne won her first hole for the day at the 5th, but straight away Scaysbrook erased it by winning the very next hole.
The playbook from Scaysbrook’s earlier matches was again looking like a guide for this contest.
The 19-year-old Novocastrian extended her lead to a commanding 4 up through nine holes, with a spectacular 30-foot birdie putt at the eighth followed by a two-putt birdie on the reachable par-five 9th.
But in matchplay, momentum is everything, and its capacity for creating drama was on full display. With the wind strengthening and the back nine beckoning, the contest flipped.
Having lost only six of the 67 holes she had played throughout the championship, Scaysbrook appeared destined for Sunday’s final. However, Ganne – a seasoned competitor with multiple high-profile amateur victories – began her fightback.
The turning point came at the 12th hole, where Scaysbrook’s short game faltered at the worst possible moment. After missing the green, her chip shot found the bunker, and after playing her third from the sand, she was forced to concede the hole, reducing her lead to three.
What followed was a testament to why Ganne is one of the best amateurs in the game. The New Jersey tyro went on a tear, winning three of the next four holes, including birdies at the 13th and 15th, to claw back to within one.
Scaysbrook’s composure, which had been her greatest asset throughout the week, showed the first signs of strain when she missed a testing five-footer at the 13th – “The first kink in Ella’s armour,” as a few observers noted.
The final holes provided theatre worthy of a final. At the 17th, and holding a one-hole lead, disaster struck Scaysbrook when her approach shot found the penalty area. Facing what seemed an inevitable loss of hole, Ella produced another moment of magic, holing her bogey putt from 15 feet.
Ganne, however, had a nervy four-footer to square the match, and she made no mistake.
Both players battled for pars on the 18th hole. Ganne’s wayward drive into a deep bunker handed Scaysbrook a golden opportunity, but with a hanging lie in the rough, she couldn’t take advantage and also had to take a forced layup.
The pair both missed the green left for their third shots, leaving themselves lengthy chips. Scaysbrook got hers to about 35 ft, which she did manage to two-putt, and when Ganne’s 25-foot putt for the match slipped by, extra holes called.
The playoff (contested on the 10th hole) provided a gut-wrenching finish to what had been an exemplary performance from Scaysbrook.
While Ganne found the fairway with her drive, Scaysbrook positioned herself perfectly just 80 metres from the pin – well within her comfort zone.
But golf’s capacity for heartbreak was never more evident than in what followed. Scaysbrook’s wedge in the devilish winds sailed over the green into deep rough. From there, despite her best efforts with multiple chip attempts, she couldn’t recover, conceding the match to Ganne.
“One shot at a time pretty much. It did get tough out there at the end,” Scaysbrook reflected on the challenge over final holes. “Just trying to stay in the present and see what happens.”
While disappointed, Scaysbrook’s performance at Bandon Dunes represents a breakthrough moment in her young career. To reach the semi-finals of the US Women’s Amateur – one of golf’s most prestigious championships – is an achievement that few Australians have managed.
“I’m Just really proud of myself now that I am one the best I guess, I can compete with the best. After the stroke play I didn’t have a spot, so proud I made it this far,” Scaysbrook told USGA media after her loss. “It means a lot because I was 63 seed, so I didn’t actually have a spot. To make to the semifinals especially means a lot.”
The experience has also Solidified Scaysbrook’s plans for the future. “I’ll do this trip again next year, and after that trip I don’t know if I’m going to turn pro or not, but at this rate I probably will turn pro end of next year,” she revealed.
“I’ll take out of it that I am capable of competing with the best. At home it’s – Australia is quite small – so we have to come over here and get that experience. Just proves that I am one of the good ones as well.”
Regardless of the disappointment, the experience gained from battling world-class opponents in brutal conditions will serve her well.
