(Reuters) - Chia Yen Wu of Taiwan set two records on her way to the semi-finals at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in southern California.
At 13, Wu became the youngest semi-finalist, while her quarter-final match on Friday stretched for 12 extra holes, the longest in U.S. Golf Association championship history.
Wu, the 63rd seed, sank a 20-foot putt to finally end her match against American Lauren Stephenson as the sun was slipping below the horizon at San Diego Country Club.
Earlier, at the eighth extra hole, Wu drained a 75-foot birdie putt to match Stephenson's birdie and extend the marathon match.
"My caddie just told me, ‘I want to go eat dinner,’” said a smiling Wu, referring to club champion Scotty Patel, who put his local knowledge to good use.
“He reads the lines pretty well, and he tells me, ‘You can make it,’ and gives me confidence,” Wu said.
Patel said he tried to keep Wu loose throughout the playoff.
"She says she has 14 boyfriends in her bag. Every single club in her bag is her boyfriend,” he joked.
Wu also dodged a bullet in qualifying, emerging from an 11-woman playoff for eight spots in the championship proper.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Charlotte, North Carolina)
