Yale’s Gianchandani gains a spot in U.S. Women’s Amateur
Ami Gianchandani was hopeful the email invitation would come, but that didn’t make the wait any less stressful for the Yale University standout.
“I was biting my nails whether or not I would get in. I was hoping all of the scores (she posted) the past few years were good enough to get me in the tournament,” Gianchandani said.
Gianchandani, 20, received that email from the United States Golf Association in mid-July. She was in the U.S. Women’s Amateur field for the second straight year.
“I knew I would be very close to making it,” Gianchandani said. “It was beyond excitement, especially this year having been at home stuck in my house most of the spring. It’s something to look forward to and get passionate about.”
Gianchandani qualified to get in to the event last year, but all of those were eliminated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So she had to gain entry on the World Amateur Golf Rankings — how she performed in past tournaments, collegiate events or otherwise.
This is the first time the USGA has strictly used exemptions to fill out the field for all of its championships, including the U.S. Open.
This will be the sixth straight year Gianchandani is playing in a national championship. She competed in the U.S. Girls Junior from 2015-18. Last year, she failed to qualify for match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
So suffice to say, getting past the opening two rounds of stroke play is one of Gianchandani’s goals at this year’s event, to be held Aug. 3-9 at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland.
“I think having played in the amateur event before will be a big help and two years of college under my belt, a lot of competition,” Gianchandani said. “The first goal is to play good golf, golf I know I’m capable of playing. Goal No 2 is get to match play. Goal No. 3 is to go as far as I can.”
Getting to this point hasn’t been an easy process. Gianchandani’s sophomore season at Yale ended in March while the team was in Oahu, Hawaii. She has been home in New Jersey ever since and is still unsure if she will be back on campus for the fall semester.
The Ivy League has postponed the entire fall sports season, so Gianchandani and her teammates have lost another season on the links.
“We were all devastated,” said Gianchandani, the 2019 Ivy League Player of the Year. “We really hit our stride towards the end of (last fall) season. I was looking forward to playing the Ivys (last spring) and hopefully winning it. If the worst problem is I can’t play golf, I’m a lot better off than a lot of people.”
Gianchandani said she will compete in the New Jersey Women’s Amateur this week before making the relatively short trip to Rockville. The 132-player field is reduced to 64 for match play. There are no state residents competing.
SARRAZIN, DUFFY SET TO DEFEND
Westport’s Sophia Sarrazin will be trying to win a tournament for the second straight week when she attempts to defend her title at the 51st Borck Junior Tournament.
Sarrazin, 15, won the Women’s Amateur by four shots Thursday at Fairview Farm GC in Harwinton. She rallied to defeat Mia Scarpati at last year’s Borck held at Brooklawn CC.
“I’m very excited, I feel confident. I’m playing to shoot good scores. If that means I win, that’s great,” Sarrazin said.
Sarrazin (The Patterson Club) and Scarpati (Ridgewood CC), the 2018 champion, are playing in the same group Monday, teeing off along with Mia Holbrook (Silver Spring CC) at 10:30 a.m. at CC of New Canaan.
The two boys finalists from 2019 are also returning. Charlie Duffy (Tashua Knolls GC) defeated Ashton Lewis (unattached) last year. Lewis goes off at 8:20 Monday morning and Duffy at 9:10.
This is the first year CC of New Canaan is the host club at the Borck. Three boys players are competing for the host club.
“It will be neat to see how it plays in a big tournament like this,” said third-year head pro Adam Rainaud. “People will look at the scorecard and think it’s really easy because it is short (6,327 yards from the back tees, a par-70). The greens are small and pretty difficult, really fast and really tricky. We want to get the golf course back to tournament-hosting shape. This is really the first time in several years the course is hosting an event.”
The top 16 boys and top eight girls move on to match play beginning Tuesday.
NEW ENGLAND AMATEUR
James Sheltman from Alling Memorial GC in New Haven was the low state finisher at last week’s 91st New England Amateur, tying for eighth place.
Sheltman shot a threeround total of 4-over-par 214 at Concord CC in Concord, Massachusetts, eight strokes behind winner John Broderick. Cody Paladino was the next-best state finisher, tying for 11th place (215). Only three other state players made the 36-hole cut.
The New England Amateur is normally a 72-hole event, but a five-hour weather delay on Thursday reduced it to just three rounds.
NORTHERN JUNIOR CANCELED
The 19th Northern Junior was scheduled for this week at Great River GC in Milford, but was canceled back in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament draws from several states and provinces each year. Connecticut was in the beginning of its re-opening phases when the tournament committee made the decision.
The tournament will be held at New Haven CC next year from Aug. 2-4, 2021.