Basalone Into Round of 32
6/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
NESHANIC STATION, N.J. - Seton Hall women's golfer Hannah Basalone (Brea, Calif.) defeated Cindy Ha, 2&1, in the first round of match play at the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship (WAPL) on Wednesday.
Basalone advances to the round of 32 and will face Kristine Odaiyar of Ocala, Florida in the second round of match play on Thursday. The ladies will tee off at 9:40 am.
"Hannah is really opening eyes this week," said Seton Hall Head Coach Sara Doell. "She defeated a very talented golfer today and for her to be among the final 32 golfers in a field that started with 156, it's really a testament to how hard she's worked on her game. I'm incredibly proud of her."
Basalone trailed early in her match with Ha after bogeys on holes one and three put her 1 down. But she pulled even by winning hole five and pulled ahead with a victory on hole eight. The match was even again after Basalone lost hole 10, but the All-BIG EAST performer took control on the back nine, winning holes 11 and 13 to take a commanding two-hole lead. Basalone won the match, 2&1, meaning she led by two holes with only one to play. She finished at 2-over-par through 17 holes.
On Tuesday, Basalone tied for 43rd place among 156 golfers with a 3-over-par, 77-70-147, over the two rounds of stroke play to qualify for the match play rounds. Her victory over Ha in the first round of match play was considered an upset as Ha tied for 13th in stroke play with a 1-under-par, 68-75-143.
Odaiyar joined Basalone in the second round with a 1 up victory over Hillary Wood on Wednesday. She shot a 1-under-par, 143, in stroke play.
Should Basalone get past Odaiyar, she'll face a third round opponent also on Thursday at Neshanic Valley Golf Course in Neshanic Station, N.J. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on Friday, and the championship concludes with a 36-hole final on Saturday.
The championship is being played over a course measuring 6,195 yards to a par of 72. Defending champion Brianna Do did not return, but, USA Curtis Cup Team members Tiffany Lua, Lisa McCloskey (2010 WAPL runner-up) and Emily Tubert (2010 WAPL champion) are competing and are looking to add their names to the illustrious list of champions that includes Yani Tseng (currently No. 1 player in the world), Michelle Wie, Pearl Sinn and Tiffany Joh.
This year, Basalone led the Pirates with a 77.08 stroke average for the year and became the program's first individual tournament champion when she fired a 3-over-par, 73-74-147, to win the Lehigh University Invitational in the fall.
Basalone notched four, top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments this year and tied for third at the Siena Invitational, a key contribution in Seton Hall's first team tournament victory. Most recently, she placed 11th with a 15-over-par, 74-79-78-231, at the BIG EAST Championship. At Seton Hall's Student Athlete Advisory Council Awards Banquet on April 26, Basalone was named Sophomore Female Athlete of the Year.
Her hard work earned her placement on the 2012 All-BIG EAST Team, the first recognition of its kind in program history.
BASALONE vs. HA SCORECARD
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Yards | 372 | 367 | 156 | 509 | 399 | 158 | 298 | 368 | 518 | 390 | 312 | 130 | 381 | 530 | 364 | 327 | 149 | 493 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| 1 up | AS | 1 up | 1 up | AS | AS | AS | | | AS | | | | | | | | | |
| HA | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | X |
| BASALONE | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | X |
| | | AS | | | AS | AS | AS | 1 up | 1 up | AS | 1 up | 1 up | 2 up | 2 up | 2 up | 2 up | 2 up | X |
