LAYTON — A beautiful birdie on the second playoff hole of her quarterfinal match Wednesday gave 18-year-old Tara Green a spot in the Women's State Amateur semifinals for the second straight year.
And made up for a painful case of the shanks that nearly cost her a match she seemed to have well in hand.
Green's 20-hole victory over Kelsey Chugg put her in Thursday morning's semifinals against Lachell Poffenberger with the chance to play in Thursday afternoon's finals against the winner of the Annika Afoa-Julie McMullin match.
The 18-hole final will begin at noon at the scenic Valley View Golf Course.
Green was relieved to have survived her quarterfinal match that she said, "almost gave me a heart attack" when she suddenly couldn't hit the ball straight.
After beating Amanda Snyder in a morning first-round match, Green never trailed against Chugg, a junior-to-be at Weber State, who had knocked off Jenteal Jackson in 19 holes.
With four holes left she was 3 up and with two holes left she was "dormie" — 2 up with two to play. However, that's when an inexplicable case of the shanks suddenly crept into her game.
From 50 yards out at the par-5 17th hole, she shanked it right, up on a hill that left her with an impossible downhill chip shot, She double-bogeyed and lost the hole.
Then at No. 18, a shank out of the bunker went right, into another bunker and resulted in another double bogey.
Now it was time for extra holes and wouldn't you know it, after a perfect 250-yard drive down the middle, Green shanked her approach shot short and right of the green. When Chugg chipped on within 20 feet, it looked like the match was hers to win.
However, Green made a delicate chip shot that ended up five feet away and she sank the putt to prolong the match. Then at the par-5 No. 2 hole, after hitting a grounder with her 3-wood (hey, at least it wasn't a shank), she hit a wonderful wedge shot from 88 yards to within 12 feet of the pin and drained it for the winning birdie.
"Oh my gosh, that was probably the most fun round of golf I've ever had," said Green, a Weber High grad who will attend the University of Montana next year.
Did she say fun?
"It was the most intense and the most nerve-wracking, which are the most fun," she clarified.
She had no explanation for the shanks, a golfer's worst nightmare — shots that fly off on about a 45-degree angle to the right.
"I had been shanking the past few weeks and thought I recovered from it," Green said. "I guess I decelerated and it went off the hosel. But it made the round more intense."
Green will play three-time champion Lachell Poffenberger, who came from behind to defeat Weber State golfer Nyomy Obcemea 2 & 1.
The 42-year-old Poffenberger, who last won the Women's Am in 1998, was two holes down on the front nine, but tied the match with a birdie at No. 11 and took the lead with a par at No. 12. She went 2 up with another par at 14 and closed out the match at 17.
On the other side of the bracket, McMullin was a hole down to BYU golfer Amanda Keith when she won three straight holes to close out the front nine. She lost No. 15 with a bogey, but won 16 and closed out the match at 17. McMullin had to work hard, getting several "up-and-downs" on the day.
"I feel really old and tired," said McMullin, a 43-year-old who lives in Park City. "I've been playing extremely well this year, probably the best golf I've played in my life."
She'll play the long-hitting Afoa, a sophomore-to-be at BYU, who is from Murray. Afoa was two down to Salt Lake's Nicole Gaddie, who plays for Seattle U., before winning the last three holes.
"I was very consistent with my driving and I made a lot of saving putts," said Afoa.
The semifinal matches will be at 7:30 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. with the finals set for noon.
Women's State Amateur
Wednesday's first-round matches
Annika Afoa def. Kelsey Adams 3 & 2
Nicole Gaddie def. Sue Nyhus 2 & 1
Amanda Keith def. Selu Fotu 2 & 1
Julie McMullin def. Annette Gaiotti 3 & 2
Tara Green def. Amanda Snyder 3 & 1
Kelsey Chugg def. Jenteal Jackson 19 holes
Nyomy Obcemea def. Emily Copier 1 up
Lachell Poffenberger def. Mikayla Williamson 3 & 2
Second-round matches
Afoa def. Gaddie 1 up
McMullin def. Keith 2 & 1
Green def. Chugg 20 holes
Poffenberger def. Obcemea 2 & 1
Today's semifinal matches
Afoa vs. McMullin 7:30 a.m.
Green vs. Poffenberger 7:45 a.m.
Finals
Semifinal winners, noon
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