Experiential School
It was Sophia Dyer '26 who raised the trophy on the 18th green at The Bear’s Club. Her name will be etched into FSGA history after her first championship victory. Dyer overcame a four-hole deficit in dramatic fashion to win two up on the eighteenth hole against One Kashima.
The Women’s Amateur is a marathon of golf as it began with 36 holes of stroke play seeding rounds. The field was then narrowed to the low 32 competitors in order to begin match play. The Round of 32 began on Friday afternoon, despite daunting weather and a few rain delays, the rounds were all able to finish and the field was set for the Round of 16 on Saturday morning.
Sophia Dyer defeated Ryan Donaldson 4&2 in the Round of 32, and then faced Lauren Clark on Saturday morning. Dyer defeated Clark 2&1 to advance to the Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon. Dyer’s match ended on the 16th hole where she defeated Nancy Cox 4&2. The marathon of golf continued for Dyer as she advanced to the Semifinals on Sunday morning where she defeated Kate Bibby 3&2 on the 16th hole once again.
On the other hand, One Kashima was also gliding through her matches on top. She defeated Remi Bacardi 2&1 and then onto Brianna Castaldi 2&1 to advance to the Semifinals where she faced Kayla Holden. Kashima had a tight match with Holden, starting out the first six holes one down. However, Kashima won the sixth hole and the eighth hole to take a one up lead heading into the back nine of the Semifinals. Holden grabbed the win on the tenth hole to bring the match back to tied, but after Kashima won the 12th and 13th holes Holden could not manage a comeback. The match ended on the 17th hole with Kashima capturing a 2&1 victory.
The championship stage was set with One Kashima and Sophia Dyer competing for the victory and an exemption into the 124th U.S. Women’s Amateur.
The match started off hot for Kashima as she won the second a third holes to go 2 up after three. She continued to win the fifth and sixth hole to extend her lead to four up through six holes. However, Dyer fought back with a birdie on the seventh to chisel away at Kashima’s lead. The two competitors made the turn to their final nine holes with Kashima 2 up on Dyer. However, it was the back nine where Dyer explains that she had, “tunnel vision.” Dyer pulled off an incredible up and down on the tenth hole for a birdie and a win of the hole as she diminished Kashima’s lead one hole at a time. Another win on the 12th hole and the match was brought to All Square for the first time. Dyer took the lead for the first time during the match on the 16th hole and sealed the deal with a birdie on the 18th hole.
When asked how she made a comeback after being four down, Dyer stated, “I just had to stay patient. It’s really easy to mentally give up when you’re four down, but I knew my game is absolutely good enough to win this tournament, and today I had everything to come out on top. I just had to wait and keep hitting shots and staying positive.”
To make this win even more special, Dyer had her parents there watching her make a spectacular comeback and raise the trophy on Father’s Day. Dyer said, “It’s really special. My dad is always such a huge supporter and he’s helped me through the game of golf my whole life, and it’s great to have this win for him.”
The 95th Women’s Amateur exceeded expectations not only with a fantastic host in The Bear’s Club, but also with the level of competition and talented players in the field. It was a battle against the weather for some of the rounds, however it all came down to two deserving and talented players. Dyer emerged on top as the third consecutive junior player to capture the Women’s Amateur Championship title.
Original story: https://www.fsga.org/News/Details/4198
