EAST LANSING — Kimberly Dinh of Midland shot a 2-under 70 Tuesday and earned medalist honors and the No. 1 seed for match play in the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship at Eagle Eye Golf & Banquet Center.
“It’s cool to be medalist,” said the 2021 state champion and 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion.
“I haven’t won anything stroke-play wise in a little bit, but like I said yesterday, it’s still a long week and there is a lot of golf left to play. This puts a target on your back, but I am excited that I’m playing steady golf, and we will see what we can do in match play.”
As No. 1 seed she will play the No. 32 seed, who also happens to be a former champion. Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll of Haslett, a Michigan Golf Hall of Famer, two-time state champion and the head women’s golf coach at Michigan State University, almost missed the cut in the Women’s Amateur for the first time. She shot 79 for 156 to earn spot 32. Their match will be the first of 16 Wednesday starting at 8 a.m.
Dinh’s 36-hole total of 9-under 135 bested the field by three shots.
Kate Brody of Grand Blanc, who plays college golf at the University of Wisconsin where Dinh also played, shot 68 for 138 and second place.
Elise Fennell of Caledonia and Illinois State University and Bridget Boczar of Canton and Baylor University each shot 68 for 139, and Olivia Stoll of Haslett and Grand Valley State University, Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll’s daughter, rounded out the top five with a 69 for 140.
Defending champion Shannon Kennedy of Beverly Hills and Michigan State shot 70 for 143 and tied with Kamryn Shannon of Jackson and Ferris State University, who shot 71, and with Anika Dy of Traverse City, the former University of Michigan golfer who shot 75.
Elayna Bowser of Dearborn, the 2019 champion, and Macie Elzinga of Byron Center and Bowling Green State University, each shot 72 for 144.
The round of 32 is Wednesday with the round of 16 and quarterfinal matches slated for Thursday and the semifinals and final match for Friday.
Dy plays Troy’s Ava Weeks in a match slated for a 10:20 a.m. start, while Traverse City’s Grace Slocum — who tied for 13th after two rounds at 146 — takes on Ashleigh Duflo at 10:10 a.m.
Dinh, who overcame a double-bogey on No. 10 with an approach shot that found water, said she does not change her plans for match play.
“I want to play a lot of steady golf, rely on the putter and you know pars will win a lot of holes in match play,” she said. “The idea is just don’t take yourself out of the hole and play good golf, be aggressive when you have a good number or a wedge in your hand.”
Brody, who called on her mother, Michigan Golf Hall of Famer Jennifer Kangas-Brody, to caddie for the day, said she was proud of the way she played Tuesday.
“I started the tournament with a double-bogey, so to come back from that and only make two bogeys in the last 35 holes is pretty steady,” she said. “My putter was working. I switched this spring to a (L.A.B. Golf) putter and I’m feeling pretty confident with it and I’m hitting my driver pretty good.”
The junior-to-be at Wisconsin said she likes the course and that bodes well for match play.
“I’m feeling good about being the two seed,” she said. “Match play is mental so I will adjust a little bit. There’s a lot of good players out here and I know it is going to be a physical and a mental grind.”