Columbia University’s women’s golf team will have three athletes competing at the U.S. Amateur Open this year. Christine Chang and Sarah Shao, both rising sophomores, along with recent graduate Allison Paik, will play at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon from August 4 to 10.
This marks the first time in program history that three Columbia golfers have qualified for the event in the same year. The last Lion to qualify was Nancy Yu in 2018. Since Amy Weeks became head coach in 2014, six players from Columbia have reached the U.S. Amateur.
The tournament begins with stroke play for all 156 participants on August 4 and 5. The top 64 golfers will move on to match play starting August 6. The championship match is set for Sunday, August 10.
Chang earned her place by finishing among the top five at a qualifying event in Florida. She was named First Team All-Ivy League as a first-year student and recorded a season stroke average of 74.32—the lowest single-season average in Columbia women’s golf history. Chang also finished second at the Ivy League Championship with a three-round total of six-under-par (210), setting another program record for lowest score over 54 holes.
Shao qualified through an event in New Jersey and recently won the state’s Women’s Amateur Championship in July. In her first year at Columbia, she posted a stroke average of 75.45 across 22 rounds, ranking among the top ten single-season averages for the team’s history and earning All-Ivy League Honorable Mention honors.
Paik secured her spot after performing well at a qualifier in Massachusetts. A former Second Team All-Ivy League selection, she had four career top-10 finishes and ten top-25 finishes while playing for Columbia. Her best season came during her junior year when she averaged a score of 76 per round and finished tenth at the Ivy League Championship.
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