Marin Warring advances to VSGA Women's Amateur championship semifinals

By John Harvey

HarveySports757@yahoo.com

Photo courtesy of Bridgewater College

SALEM – Marin Warring birdied the first hole of a playoff Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the 89^th annual Virginia State Golf Association Women’s Amateur championships held at Hidden Valley Country Club in Salem.

Warring, who finished fourth this spring at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships, won two grueling stroke-play matches to earn a berth in the semifinals.

“Everything was working out for me,” Warring said. “I had to play this morning in a match and won that one and played a second one (this afternoon) and won that.”

The former Lafayette High standout carded a round of 157 to defeat Charlottesville’s Lauren Eklund (162) 4 and 3 in the first round.

In the quarterfinals, Warring led Virginia Beach’s Elizabeth Cheng heading into the final two holes. Cheng won the final two holes to force a playoff.

Warring struggled with her driver on the final two holes ran into trouble again on the first hole of the playoff. She hit bad shot off the tee and struggled on her second shot as well, landing in the rough 30 yards from the hole.

She admitted that she felt good about her short game on Thursday and figured she could hit a shot close to the hole and try and extend the match.  Warring used her 58-degree wedge and went to work.

“I didn't think it would go in,” she said. “I just needed to get it close and it happened to fall I was in good shape. I was pretty shocked and I just laughed when it went in.”

Warring will face Chesterfield’s Lyberty Anderson, who will play at the University of Virginia this year, in Friday in one of two semifinal 18-hole matches. The winner will play another 18-holes to determine the champion. Tee time is 8:10 a.m.

This is Warring’s first appearance in this prestigious event and she’s just happy to be a part of it. “This is the biggest event I’ve ever played in,” she said. “My goal (Friday) is to just go out there and have fun.”

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