Tolentino and Liu Set to Battle for the 101st New Jersey Women's Amateur Championship
ESSEX FELLS, N.J. - The stage is set for the finale of the 101st Women’s Amateur Championship with a matchup between Ysabel Liu and Angelina Tolentino will meet Wednesday morning at Essex Fells Country Club.
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In one of the day's most competitive quarterfinal matches, Grace Lu edged the 2024 Women’s Amateur champion Katie Li, 1 up, after holding off a late rally. The pair traded blows throughout the front nine before Lu seized momentum by winning holes 8 and 9 to take a 2-up lead at the turn. Lu extended her advantage to 3 up with birdies on holes 14 and 15, but Li, an incoming senior at Duke, responded by winning holes 16 and 17 to trim the deficit to one. Needing a win on the final hole to force extra holes, Li matched Lu with pars on 18, allowing Lu to advance to the semifinals.
Megan Meng led from start to finish in her quarterfinal matchup against Taylor Oberparleiter, earning a 2-and-1 victory. Meng, 19, built an early 3-up advantage through the opening five holes before Oberparleiter responded with wins on holes 8 and 9 to cut the deficit to one at the turn. Meng regained control by winning holes 13 and 14 to restore a 3-up cushion. Oberparleiter claimed the 15th to keep the match alive, but Meng held steady over the closing stretch to clinch her spot in the semifinals on the 17th hole.
Angelina Tolentino never relinquished the lead in her quarterfinal victory over Samantha Galantini, closing out the match 3 and 2. Tolentino raced out to an early advantage with birdies on holes 2 and 3 before adding another hole with a par on the fifth. Galantini, an incoming senior at Quinnipiac University, answered by winning holes 7 and 8 before tying the match with a birdie on the 11th. Tolentino quickly regained control, winning the next two holes to rebuild her lead before sealing the match on the 16th hole.
In a tightly contested semifinal match, Tolentino rallied late to win the match against the stroke play medalist Lu, 1 up. The pair exchanged the lead through the opening three holes before Lu drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the sixth to move 1 up. Lu carried that advantage through the front nine, but Tolentino answered with a birdie on the 10th to tie the match.
“I knew Grace was going to be a tough competitor,” Tolentino remarked. “I decided to keep my game plan and mentality the same. Stay very laid back, relaxed and, again, having a lot of trust and confidence in my game and having Angelina Kim on my bag as well helps so much. We had a lot of fun out there.”
The two stayed tied, tying holes 11 through 15, before Tolentino seized the momentum with a birdie on the 448-yard par-5 16th to take her first lead since the opening holes. After the players split the 17th, the match came down to the final hole, where Tolentino made a steady par to secure her spot in Wednesday’s championship match against a close friend in Liu.
“I have a lot of trust in my game, so I just used that to my advantage of playing Grace, who’s just such a great player,” Tolentino said. “To play against Ysabel tomorrow, a really good friend, will be fun and I’m looking forward to it.”
After back-to-back quarterfinal exits in 2024 and 2025, Tolentino finally broke through and earned a spot in Wednesday’s finale.
“I’m feeling super happy. I’ve always come up short,” Tolentino said. “I have a lot of trust in my game now.”
Ysabel Liu staged the comeback of the morning in her quarterfinal round, rallying from a 2-down deficit to defeat Anushka Sawant, 2 and 1. Sawant controlled much of the front nine and carried her advantage into the back side, but Liu mounted her charge by winning three consecutive holes to take her first lead of the match on the 15th. She then delivered the decisive blow with a birdie on the 17th, closing out the match and punching her ticket to the semifinals.
With experience playing at Essex Fells during her high school matches for Millburn High School, Liu felt comfortable through the adversity that the first round brought her.
“Having played here a few times, visually, I am kind of used to the layout. That helps me feel comfortable. The course set up has been good and my putting has been pretty good this week so hoping to keep that going,” Liu said.
“I know it’s a great course and I just want to play my game without many expectations.”
Liu continued her run to the championship with a decisive 6-and-5 semifinal victory over Megan Meng. After relinquishing the first hole, Liu seized control early and built a commanding 5-up lead through the first 10 holes, highlighted by a lengthy 30-foot putt that found the bottom of the cup on No. 10.
“I didn’t do too much,” Liu added “In the morning, I also started down for a little while, so I knew there was so much golf to play. I just stayed calm and played my own game and [knew that] whatever happens, happens.”
Liu had an opportunity to extend the lead to 6 up on the par-5 11th hole but missed an eagle putt that made room for the pair to tie the hole with pars. Liu and Meng also matched scores on 157-yard par 3 12th before Liu closed out the match on the 13th. After narrowly missing a long uphill birdie attempt, Liu calmly rolled in a 5-foot downhill birdie putt to secure her place in Wednesday’s championship match.
An incoming freshman at Princeton University, the opportunity for Liu to compete in the championship match is another step in her development.
“I’m happy to be out here and I’m learning a lot,” Liu said. “Whatever happens, it’s all experience gained.”
The final match between Tolentino and Liu will begin at 7:50 a.m. at Essex Fells on Wednesday, July 15. The champion will gain exemption into the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn.
Quarterfinal Results
Ysabel Liu def. Anushka Sawant, 2 and 1
Megan Meng def. Taylor Oberparleiter, 2 and 1
Angelina Tolentino def. Samantha Galantini, 3 and 2
Grace Lu def. Katie Li, 1 up
Semifinal Results
Ysabel Liu def. Megan Meng, 6 and 5
Angelina Tolentino def. Grace Lu, 1 up
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