Quotes from the four winners of Friday morning’s quarterfinal matches of the 69th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Boone Valley Golf Club:
Jennifer Chang, who defeated Calista Reyes, 4 and 2, and has not trailed in any of her four matches: “I can't believe I haven't made it to 18 yet, but my game right now is just really solid. Putting has just been the key all week so far, and my ball-striking, it's pretty good, but I think it comes down to putting.
Chang, on competing in her second U.S. Girls’ Junior: “I have no words because last year I lost in the Round of 32 to Yu-Sang Hou, and this year I made it to the semifinals, and that's just amazing. I just can't imagine right now.”
Taylor Roberts, who defeated Celeste Dao, 3 and 2, after trailing through 10 holes: “I just kept going. Hole 11 has kind of been my hole for the week. I think I've birdied it four out of five times, so I knew going into Hole 11 that I still had this, and I've hit really good shots into the par-3 [12th], as well. I love that four-hole stretch [11-14].”
Roberts, on reasserting control of the match by winning Holes 13-15: “On 13, she hit it in the left rough, which is really thick, and instead of taking an aggressive line, I just went a little left because I just wanted to make par, which I did, and that got me to 1 up. Then I parred the next hole, and she bogeyed, so I got back to 2 up, and then the next hole was pretty crazy. She hit it in the right bunker, which is really hard to hit out of, and kind of chunked it out of there, then she hit it to the back of the green and made like a 50-foot putt [for par]. I was on the fringe and I knocked it in from the fringe [for birdie], so that got me to 3 up.”
Erica Shepherd, who defeated Youngin Chun, 3 and 1: “I just really had to grind out there. I just wasn't hitting it good the first four holes and she was hitting it pretty close. She wasn't making all her putts, but I was 1 down at one point, and then I hit it in the water two holes in a row, but I still made par, so that was the entire turning point.”
Shepherd, on what she did well in advancing: “I actually used my anger to make myself hit good shots. I never really calmed down. I just made all the putts that I had to make. I had some par putts to tie the holes on the holes I hit in the water, and I made those, and then just – I just putted really solid.”
Shepherd, on what it will take to reach the championship match: “If I can just keep focused and not really pay any attention to anything that's going on around me and just make putts and hit the ball solid, I'll be fine.”
Elizabeth Moon, who won the last three holes of her match to edge Ami Gianchandani, 1 up: “Actually my swing has been off and on, and that's kind of why – I should have been winning throughout the match, but my ball-striking was just not with me today like yesterday, so I just had to scramble.”
Moon, 17, on playing less golf in her early teen years: “Up until 13 I was really good, and then I didn't play as well, and I guess that was a turning point in my golf career. I didn't quit, but I just didn't play as much. It can't be fun when you're playing bad. I mean, I practiced but I didn't practice as much as I am this year. Then I saw like all of my friends who I used to compete with when I was like 11, 12, and they were like doing great, winning AJGA tournaments and just playing fantastic.”
Moon, on using a caddie for the final nine holes of the match, and for the first time all week: “He's a volunteer, Mr. [Charlie] Curtis. Before that, I did it by myself the entire way. They kept on offering me one, and I was getting really tired, and it was really helpful to have a caddie.”
