Incoming UCLA freshman Alison Lee lost her semifinal match Saturday at the 113th U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Country Club of Charleston.
A veteran of the USGA championship circuit, Lee, 17, lost 1-up to Alabama sophomore Emma Talley in an exciting match.
Talley threatened to run away with the match, building a 4-up lead with three birdies on the first six holes. Lee, a Valencia (CA) HS graduate, won the 7th and 8th holes to cut the lead in half before Talley birdied the par 5 9th to assume a 3-up lead at the turn. The next four holes were halved before Lee won holes 14-16 with pars to square the match. But Talley won the 17th with a par and the 18th was halved, giving the Kentucky resident the match.
Talley moves on to Sunday’s 36-hole final to meet Yueer Cindy Feng, a 3 and 2 winner against USC’s Doris Chen.