Chen reaches US Women's Amateur semifinals

Chen reaches US Women's Amateur semifinals
August 9, 2013AP - Sports








CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Taiwan's Doris Chen beat Lauren Diaz-Yi 4 and 3 on Friday in the U.S. Women's Amateur quarterfinals, avenging a blowout loss in the Public Links final.

In June in the Public Links, Diaz-Yi, from Thousand Oaks, Calif., routed Chen 10 and 9.

''I did pretty well,'' Chen said ''I just changed my practice approach a bit. I'm happy it worked out.''

The 20-year-old Chen, a member of Southern California's NCAA championship team, will face 17-year-old YueerCindy Feng of Orlando, Fla., on Saturday at the Country Club of Charleston.

Feng, born in China, beat Annie Park of Levittown, N.Y., 6 and 4. Park won the NCAA individual title this year as a freshman at Southern California.


In the other quarterfinals, 18-year-old Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., beat Katelyn Sepmoree of Tyler, Texas, 4 and 3; and 19-year-old Emma Talley of Princeton, Ky., edged Su-Hyun Oh of Australia with a par on the 19th hole.

Talley is coming off freshman season at Alabama. After she holed a 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole to keep the match alive, some fans chanted ''Roll Tide! Roll Tide!''

''I don't know if they are Alabama fans or SEC fans,'' Talley said. ''There's definitely a connection there.''

Talley advanced when the 17-year-old Oh, No. 2 in the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking, missed a 4-foot par putt on the 19th hole - No. 10 on the course.

''I know everything I need to do,'' Talley said, ''So, now when I come out here, I just want to have fun and do my best because I can't do anything else.''

Lee will be a freshman at UCLA. She holed out from 75 yards for eagle on the par-5 ninth.

''I felt really confident,'' Lee said. ''I just hit a really good shot.''