Loveland’s Katelyn Lehigh and partner Amelia Garibaldi fend off opponents’ rally and advance at U.S. Women’s Four-Ball; Team Colorado partners fall to No. 2 seeds
By Gary Baines
For the second straight year, Coloradan Katelyn Lehigh and her partner at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball had a bit of a scare thrown into them in their round-of-32 match after going in as the much better seed.
But unlike a year ago, Lehigh and Fresno State teammate Amelia Garibaldi of Stockton, Calif., lived to fight another day at the national championship.
Lehigh, a graduate of Loveland High School, and Garibaldi were 3 up after 11 holes on Monday in Charleston, S.C., against 27th-seeded Bridget O’Keefe of Palo Alto, Calif., and Julie Shin of Brambleton, Va. But the former University of Pennsylvania teammates rallied to win holes 12 (with a par), 13 (birdie and 15 (birdie), tying the match.
Lehigh and Garibaldi had never trailed on Monday, and after tying the 16th hole with a par, they chalked up a winning birdie on 17 to go back ahead. And after both teams made par on 18, Lehigh and Garibaldi advanced to Tuesday’s round of 16 with a 1-up victory.
Lehigh, a two-time 5A state high school individual champ who just wrapped up her college golf career, and Garibaldi finished 2 under par best ball for Monday’s round. In Tuesday’s round of 16, they’ll face 22nd-seeded Lucy Cook and Eliza Yelverton, two players from West Point, Miss., who scored a 2-up win on Monday.
The winner of that match will play in the quarterfinals on Tuesday afternoon.
Last year, Lehigh and Garibaldi were 3 up after 12 holes and 2 up after 16 in their opening match at the Four-Ball. But that didn’t keep them from losing in 20 holes.
The year before, in 2024, Lehigh and her older sister, Lauren, made it to the quarterfinals in this event.
Meanwhile, the other two Coloradans who made match play at the Four-Ball put up a fight against the second seeds on Monday, but ultimately fell 2 and 1 in the round of 32.
Sophia Lee of Columbine Valley and Addison Dorsey of Colorado Springs, both members of the Team Colorado junior elite squad, were 3 under par best ball — with three birdies and 14 pars — but never led against Kiley Reisner of Northridge, Calif., and Summer Schafer of San Diego.
Reisner, who plays her college golf at the University of Wyoming, and Schafer birdied holes 2 and 3 to go 2 up, and were either 1 or 2 up the rest of the way. They finished 5 under for 17 holes.
Here are the results for teams with players with significant Colorado ties at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in Charleston, S.C.:
MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 32 (Monday)
Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland/Amelia Garibaldi, Stockton, Calif., def. Bridget O’Keefe, Palo Alto, Calif./Julie Shin, Brambleton, Va., 1 up
Kiley Reisner, Northridge, Calif./Summer Schafer, San Diego, def. Sophia Lee, Columbine Valley/Addison Dorsey, Colo. Springs, 2 and 1
STROKE PLAY (Saturday and Sunday)
Advance to Match Play
6. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland/Amelia Garibaldi, Stockton, Calif. 69-68—137
27. Sophia Lee, Columbine Valley/Addison Dorsey, Colo. Springs 74-67–141
Failed to Advance to Match Play
Coloradans Ashley Kozłowski/Kirsty Hodgkins-Redner 69-73–142
Kaylee Chen, Parker/Marley Moncada, Tucson 76-74–150
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com