Emily Doyle Grabs First Round Lead with a 74 at Dutchess
Poughkeepsie, NY – July 15, 2014. The first round of the 2014 N.Y.S. Women’s Amateur Championship took place at Dutchess Golf Club under mostly overcast skies. Emily Doyle, an incoming freshmen and golfer at Niagara University, shot 74, the low score. She is one stroke clear of Kit Creighton (75) and two strokes clear of Rebecca Studin (76). The conditions proved tough today as only 11 golfers broke 80 on the par 71 layout that played 5,887 yards.
Results - Round 1
Photo Gallery - Round 1
Also in the field today was Ellen Oswald, who won the championship in 2012 and finished 7th in 2013. She shot 78 today and finds herself once again in contention for the championship. The doglegs at Dutchess reward a player who can shape the ball both ways, something that bodes well for Oswald, who said, “…in the past year I’ve been working on shaping shots, so I feel pretty comfortable hitting the ball right to left and left to right.”
Many of the players near the top of the leader board knew going into the round that the course would play tough and they managed their expectations accordingly. Doyle said, “Actually, after playing yesterday [practice round], I thought it [Dutchess] was pretty tough. I just wanted to play my best. I didn’t expect anything. I knew that the scores were going to be high.”
Steady play kept Studin close to the lead today – she recorded nothing worse than a bogey. And despite some rain at the course the last few days – including today – players such as Studin have been able to save strokes on the still well-conditioned greens. “Putting was a big thing. I had a couple saves on the front nine and then a couple birdie putts that were just outside of where you want to be…and I made a lot of those inside of ten feet,” Studin noted after her round.
The second round begins tomorrow at 8:00 AM (tee times can be found here). The low 40 and ties will advance to the final round on Thursday, capping the 85th playing of N.Y.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Second round results and final round tee times will be posted online tomorrow shortly after completion of the second round.
Ben Picone, NYSGA
