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July 14, 2021
Bailey Davis never led during 18 holes of regulation against Chloe Johnson in Wednesday’s U.S. Girls’ Junior round of 64, grinding around Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase just to get her match square. At times, she admitted afterward, she was fighting her swing.
So as the White Plains, Md., resident stepped up to her approach on the first playoff hole, the 369-yard par-4 No. 1, Davis told herself simply to land it within range for a reasonable birdie opportunity, especially given her opponent had overshot the green.
For inspiration, Davis’s caddie, Joe Pakaluk, told her immediately before the shot, mostly in jest, that there was $500 in it for her in the unlikely event of a hole-out.
Davis never had to take the putter out of her bag and is potentially a bit thicker in the wallet to boot. Her shot with a 60-degree wedge ended with the ball landing several feet beneath the pin, bouncing and disappearing into the hole for an eagle on the way to a exhilarating 1-up triumph.
“The moment it fell in I was pretty shocked,” said a grinning Davis, a recent graduate of North Point High in Waldorf, roughly a one-hour drive from the course. “I didn’t think that would actually happen. I was more worried about winning than the $500.”
The shot catapulted Davis, seeded third after shooting an even-par 140 over two rounds of stroke play, into Thursday’s round of 32. Davis will face Chloe Lam, who beat Faith Choi of Frederick, Md., 2 up. Choi was the only local player other than Davis to advance to match play.
No. 1 seed Rose Zhang, meanwhile, had little trouble advancing to the round of 32, defeating No. 64 seed Lauryn Nguyen, 6 and 4. Zhang is the top-ranked female amateur in the world and the prohibitive favorite to win this event. She claimed the U.S. Women’s Amateur title last year at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville.
Read more in the WashingtonPost.com
