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Vines Leads after First Round of 2011 WAPL

Kelsey Vines, a 20-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, withstood constant rain and wind to card an even-par 71 and take the lead after one round of stroke-play qualifying at the 2011 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. The first round of qualifying was conducted at the 6,098-yard, par-71 Old Macdonald at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

Vines, who recently transferred to Oklahoma State University, played steadily despite the wind, rain and chill that plagued Old Macdonald. Her three birdies, including back-to-back ones on Nos. 11 and 12, balanced out her three bogeys for a 34-37-71 scorecard.

Vines admitted that, despite the adverse weather conditions, it was a pretty easy day. "I just kind of had to take it one shot at a time," said Vines, who won the 2011 UNLV Spring Invitational as a member of the Brigham Young University golf team. "Off the drive, I said let's get it on the fairway. Second shot, I said let's get it on the green and just two-putt.

"It makes it sound simple but it kind of was today. You just have to play with the wind and play with the hills and the bounces that this course gives you."

Vines credited some of her apparent comfort with the Old Macdonald links to her experience at another USGA championship - the 2008 Women's Amateur Public Links conducted at Erin Hills, another firm-and-fast, Scottish-inspired track outside of Milwaukee that will host the 2011 U.S. Amateur and the 2017 U.S. Open.

"I played Erin Hills a couple of years ago and they're kind of similar, both links," said Vines. "I feel it helped me prepare for this and what to expect."

While Vines ended the day as the only player able to stay at par, several players are close behind. Right on her heels are Julie Yang, 15, of Mesa, Ariz., and Cheyenne Woods, 20, of Phoenix, Ariz., whose 1-over 72 rounds paced the morning wave.

Both Yang and Woods took to Old Macdonald early, before the biting wind and rain became more than a small nuisance.

"I was lucky because I teed off in the morning, so the wind was a lot calmer than it is now," said Yang, a native of Korea who competed at the 2010 Ricoh Women's British Open and won the 2010 English Women's Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship. "I managed to stay steady and keep focused and just had solid pars all the way through. So I managed to get a good score in."

Woods, 20, of Phoenix, Ariz., played a slightly more up-and-down round, carding three birdies to go with four bogeys. Woods felt that her game finally came together, particularly considering she came into the championship after working on her swing mechanics.

"I felt really good," said Woods, the winner of the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and the niece of nine-time USGA champion Tiger Woods. "I knew going in that this course wasn't the easiest. I knew that I needed to take advantage of my good tee time, since there wasn't much wind on the first nine holes."

Defending Women's Amateur Public Links champion Emily Tubert is also very much in the mix. The 19-year-old from Burbank, Calif., bounced back from a bogey and double-bogey on her first three holes to finish at 2-over 73, two strokes behind Vines.

Tubert, who just completed a stellar freshman season at the University of Arkansas that included three tournament victories, came into the first round a bit intimidated by the challenge of Old Macdonald. The first-day success helped calm her championship nerves.

"During the practice round, I was a little overwhelmed I think by the whole thing, as I'm sure many of the contestants were," said Tubert. "But after today, I really enjoyed it. It's a beautiful golf course. Playing it now and keeping score, you know why it's such a world-renowned golf course."

2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier Christine Wolf of Chattanooga, Tenn., opened her round with a two-under-par 32, but cooled over her second nine to finish at 3-over 74. She is followed by a group of nine players at 4-over, including Scotland's Sally Watson, who has represented her home country at the last two Curtis Cup Matches.

The 2011 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links will continue with the second round of stroke-play qualifying on Tuesday at the 6,095-yard, par-71 Bandon Trails. Following stroke play, the 155-player field will be trimmed to 64 for match play, with the champion scheduled to be decided in a 36-hole final on Saturday. The U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

For the completing scoring, visit http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScore.aspx?id=17179869344&year=2011&type=stroke.

The above report was written by Christina Lance and is courtesy of the USGA. For more information, visit www.usga.org.

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