Copeland low am in U.S. Women's Open qualifying

Writing from Aurora, Illinois

Monday, May 9, 2022

Lisa Copeland came into the 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open qualifier at Stonebridge Country Club just hoping to break 80 twice.

That was before she knew the wind would blow a hoolie.

The southwest gale brought warmth – it hit 81 degrees – but with afternoon gusts to 41 mph and a steady zephyr of 28 mph.

Copeland, a 13-year-old who adds a year next month, nearly blew over on one putt, but played lights out to capture low amateur honors with a total of 3-over-par 147, five strokes off the medalist and sole qualifier for Pine Needles, Ingrid Guiterrez Nunez of Cuautla, Mexico, whose even-par 72 in the afternoon included four birdies in her last nine holes and brought her to 2-under 142 for the day.

Wind? What wind?

“That played a part,” Copeland admitted. “I’m a shorter ball-hitter, so I’m coming in with longer clubs and it’s penetrating into the wind.”

Before the wind went off the rails, Copeland was the leader, having birdied the second, third and fourth holes. She remained in or tied for the lead for over an hour.

“I was kind of surprised,” Copeland said. “My dad (Jeff, who caddied) was reminding me just to breathe. And I was putting great and taking it one shot at a time.”

She kept breathing and, while she didn’t know she was in the lead, knew she was playing well.

“I wanted to make sure I didn’t change anything in my routine, especially in putting, because I was putting so well. I didn’t want to go too fast or too slow.”

Copeland, who finished third in her division of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship last month at Augusta National, scored six birdies across the day, but only two in the afternoon round, which was offset by a double-bogey. Count the wind a contributing party to that. She went up two clubs on the par-3 third, dead into the teeth of the gale, and still flew the green, landing in the gunch instead.

Gutierrez Nunez, on her fourth year on the Epson Tour, the LPGA’s developmental circuit, has seen her share of windy days. She opened with a birdie in the morning en route to an opening 2-under 70, the day’s best round, and closed with a 3-under 33 on Stonebridge’s front nine, including the aforementioned quartet of birds.

Finishing about an hour ahead of Jillian Hollis, that burst brought her the title and the ticket to Pine Needles. Hollis, a former Women’s Western Amateur champion from Rocky River, Ohio, scored 71-72–143 to Gutierrez Nunez’s 142 for first alternate status. Katherine Hamski of Durham, N.C., was third, and second alternate, at 73-71–144.

Then came Copeland, whose future is off the charts.

At Cantigny Golf, 2000 Illinois Open champion Bryce Emory of Aurora scored 1-under-par 71 to grab medalist honors and lead five players advancing to the 36-hole sectional test. Others advancing are Timothy Lim (72), Hoffman Estates; Kyle Kochevar (73), Glen Ellyn; Varun Chopra (73), Champaign, and Daniel Hudson (73), Chicago. Playing in the same wind that buffeted the ladies, Hudson survived a double-bogey and triple-bogey to advance thanks to five birdies. Chopra and Kochevar also had doubles and lived to tell about it.

– Tim Cronin