Spanish Springs alum Katrina Prendergast is going to golf in the premier women’s amateur tournament in the country: The U.S. Women’s Amateur.
The to-be sophomore at Colorado State fired a 1-over 72 at Thursday’s qualifier in Fort Collins, Colo. to finish fifth in the field of 65. The top six golfers earned a bid to the tournament that began American women’s competitive golf way back in 1895.
Prendergast is one of 156 golfers from around the world who will compete.
“It feels really good,” Prendergast said over the phone on Friday after returning home to Spanish Springs. “It’s the biggest women’s amateur tournament I’ve ever played in. I’ve always played the junior tournaments so this is a big step for me. I’m super excited.”
The U.S. Women’s Amateur will tee off Aug. 1-7 at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa. Prendergast understandably said she’s letting Thursday’s success linger before she looks ahead to the first week of August, one of the biggest of her young golf career.
“Not yet. I’m still letting it sink in that I get to go,” she said. “I’m super excited. It’s going to be a good tournament. A lot of good people are going to play in that. It’s going to be a really good experience, an opportunity.”
Earning a spot at the table in the Amateur is a continuation of a strong freshman season at CSU. Prendergast took second in the Mountain West tournament – the best finish by a Ram since 2011 – and earned an at-large bid to one of four NCAA regionals.
It’s also the continuation of a dominant high school career. She won individual state titles her junior and senior seasons at Spanish Springs.
At the Stanford regional, she turned in a three-day score of 10-over to finish in a tie for 33rd, out of 96 golfers.
“Yeah I think (the big freshman season) actually did help, especially going to regionals as an individual,” Prendergast said. “You kind of put a little bit of pressure on yourself. I think putting myself in that situation at that time and then coming into the qualifier, I had a little bit of nerves, but I knew what the experience was like and how to handle it. I think that really helped me out.”
The first two days of the Amateur will be in a 36-hole, stroke-play format where the field will be trimmed to 64, for match play.
Fox Sports 1 will provide television coverage for match play, which starts Wednesday and concludes on Sunday with the championship match.
It may be the first televised look at Prendergast, who hopes to one day make it a reoccurring theme on the LPGA Tour.
“I’m not sure exactly how I get there yet,” Prendergast said. “I’m hoping just to try to get myself qualified for some tournaments. That will help me out.”
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