In match play, it’s never guaranteed that a match will make it to 18. Several players mentioned that their goal was to never see the 18th green this week.
Brittany Altomare has nearly done the exact opposite. She won her first two matches on the final green to take two 1-up victories and made it to 17 before dropping a 2-and-1 decision to Sei Young Kim on Friday. The two immediately headed to the first hole for a sudden-death playoff, a scary situation for Altomare, who said she really struggles on Shadow Creek’s difficult opening holes.
“I feel like those first couple were the hardest holes in the world for some reason for me,” said Altomare. “I really wanted to focus literally on one shot at a time and make sure I give myself opportunities.”
Thankfully for Altomare, that focus paid off. After the pair swapped pars on the first playoff hole, Altomare dropped in another par at No. 2 to grab “sweet redemption” and a win in Group 3.
“I just feel like I haven't really started my rounds off very well. Toward the end there, I started to get in a groove and continued the last two holes in the playoff,” said Altomare, who only led on four holes in her three matches and two playoff holes. “I felt good the last couple holes. They're hard holes to start, so I felt like if I played smart, could get it done.”
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