United States women's amateur championship at Portland, Oregon
Bronte Law Navigating Way Through
By Lisa D. Mickey
Two-time
Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup competitor Bronte Law safely
qualified for match play at the Women's Amateur. (USGA/Steven Gibbons)
She laughs now, but Bronte Law’s week at the 115th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship got off to a bumpy start.
Traveling on her own without friends and family, she started the week in a downtown Portland hotel that required twice-a-day cab fares to and from Portland Golf Club. Law changed her accommodations and can now take a club-provided shuttle to and from the course.
She also needed to extend her stay after advancing into Wednesday’s Round of 64 with rounds of 73-73. The UCLA (University of California-Los Angeles) junior’s performance continued a productive summer of championship golf.
“To come here and play well would mean a lot because this is such a well-known event,” said Law, 20, of Stockport, England.
“To call yourself a U.S. Women’s Amateur champion is very special – something maybe I wouldn’t have realized until I came and spent time in America.”
Law enjoyed a fruitful sophomore season for the Bruins. She finished the 2014-15 season as the Pacific 12 Conference Golfer of the Year and was a first-team All-America selection. Her year included two wins and seven top-10 finishes, including runner-ups in the Pac-12 Championship and NCAA regionals.
Law also produced a 71.9 stroke average and recorded 17 under-par rounds, with nine under 70.
By July, when she returned home to defend her English Women’s Amateur Championship title, Law was on fire. She scorched Hunstanton Golf Club in her opening round with a career-low, 9-under 63 and went on to win by 16 strokes at 13-under 275.
“It was something very special because my family was there, including my granddad, who is 91,” said Law.
“It meant a lot to shoot my all-time low round and to win with him there.”
Additionally, Hunstanton bestowed the two-time champion with an honorary membership.
“It’s a very prestigious course and to be honoured with something like that meant a lot to me,” said Law. “It’s something that I will treasure forever.”
Last year, Law won the English Women’s Amateur by three strokes, and while she was on the 2014 Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup Team that lost to the USA Team, she did help GB&I end a USA streak of seven consecutive Match victories in 2012 at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland. The Americans had owned the Cup in the biennial competition since 1996, the year after Law was born.
Next June, Law has her eyes on another Curtis Cup when it takes place at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in Dublin, Ireland.
“I definitely want to play a third Curtis Cup in 2016,” said Law, currently No. 5 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking™. “I want to play two Curtis Cups on home soil because we’ve won one at home, and we’re in Ireland next year.”
When Law returns to UCLA this fall, she will take on a greater leadership role, as some of the Bruins’ top players have graduated or turned professional. It’s a position she happily embraces.
“For me, it’s an honor to be in that position,” said Law, a psychology major. “To be able to have an impact on younger golfers and to help guide them through the college experience is good. I think we’re going to have a really solid team this fall.”
Because UCLA is on the quarters system and the spring session extends until June, Law could not compete in the Ladies British Open Amateur, and likely won’t play in another big British stroke-play event due to this week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur.
But Law is happy about the past year and is optimistic about the upcoming college season.
“I’m going back this year for my junior season and we’ll see what happens,” she said. “I’m not going to commit to any decisions ahead of time. I plan to just enjoy college.
“I work really hard and even now, building on the experiences I’m having at tournaments like the U.S. Women’s Amateur, it allows me to be in the position I’m in.”
Lisa D. Mickey is a Florida-based freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on USGA websites.
Traveling on her own without friends and family, she started the week in a downtown Portland hotel that required twice-a-day cab fares to and from Portland Golf Club. Law changed her accommodations and can now take a club-provided shuttle to and from the course.
She also needed to extend her stay after advancing into Wednesday’s Round of 64 with rounds of 73-73. The UCLA (University of California-Los Angeles) junior’s performance continued a productive summer of championship golf.
“To come here and play well would mean a lot because this is such a well-known event,” said Law, 20, of Stockport, England.
“To call yourself a U.S. Women’s Amateur champion is very special – something maybe I wouldn’t have realized until I came and spent time in America.”
Law enjoyed a fruitful sophomore season for the Bruins. She finished the 2014-15 season as the Pacific 12 Conference Golfer of the Year and was a first-team All-America selection. Her year included two wins and seven top-10 finishes, including runner-ups in the Pac-12 Championship and NCAA regionals.
Law also produced a 71.9 stroke average and recorded 17 under-par rounds, with nine under 70.
By July, when she returned home to defend her English Women’s Amateur Championship title, Law was on fire. She scorched Hunstanton Golf Club in her opening round with a career-low, 9-under 63 and went on to win by 16 strokes at 13-under 275.
“It was something very special because my family was there, including my granddad, who is 91,” said Law.
“It meant a lot to shoot my all-time low round and to win with him there.”
Additionally, Hunstanton bestowed the two-time champion with an honorary membership.
“It’s a very prestigious course and to be honoured with something like that meant a lot to me,” said Law. “It’s something that I will treasure forever.”
Last year, Law won the English Women’s Amateur by three strokes, and while she was on the 2014 Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup Team that lost to the USA Team, she did help GB&I end a USA streak of seven consecutive Match victories in 2012 at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland. The Americans had owned the Cup in the biennial competition since 1996, the year after Law was born.
Next June, Law has her eyes on another Curtis Cup when it takes place at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in Dublin, Ireland.
“I definitely want to play a third Curtis Cup in 2016,” said Law, currently No. 5 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking™. “I want to play two Curtis Cups on home soil because we’ve won one at home, and we’re in Ireland next year.”
When Law returns to UCLA this fall, she will take on a greater leadership role, as some of the Bruins’ top players have graduated or turned professional. It’s a position she happily embraces.
“For me, it’s an honor to be in that position,” said Law, a psychology major. “To be able to have an impact on younger golfers and to help guide them through the college experience is good. I think we’re going to have a really solid team this fall.”
Because UCLA is on the quarters system and the spring session extends until June, Law could not compete in the Ladies British Open Amateur, and likely won’t play in another big British stroke-play event due to this week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur.
But Law is happy about the past year and is optimistic about the upcoming college season.
“I’m going back this year for my junior season and we’ll see what happens,” she said. “I’m not going to commit to any decisions ahead of time. I plan to just enjoy college.
“I work really hard and even now, building on the experiences I’m having at tournaments like the U.S. Women’s Amateur, it allows me to be in the position I’m in.”
Lisa D. Mickey is a Florida-based freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on USGA websites.
Labels: Amateur Ladies
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