Catie Craig uses fast start to win North & South Women’s Amateur

Catie Craig uses fast start to win North & South Women’s Amateur

Catie Craig (Matthew Gibson/Pinehurst photo)

Catie Craig went 4-up in the first four holes of the final match at the North & South Women’s Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, NC, and used that to propel her to a 4&3 victory over medalist and rising Wake Forest sophomore Macy Pate.

“The key was definitely to hone in on every single shot and forget about any shots from the past or future,” Craig said. “Having a caddy to discuss strategy helps tremendously in maintaining this mentality throughout the day.”

Craig, a rising senior at Western Kentucky, played consistently all week and earned the No. 3 seed from the stroke play portion and

“I actually didn’t change my mindset at all as my strategy in stroke play was to get the lowest score possible and I stuck to that same plan when I went into match play,” Craig said.

Craig is ranked No. 192 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women’s Rankings. She reached the match play portion of the tournament last year, but fell in the round of 32.

Pate shot two rounds of 70 lanes No. 2 and No. 8 to shoot 4-under and earn medalist honors in the stroke play portion of the North & South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst Resort.

Pate, a rising sophomore at Wake Forest, knows the feeling of success at Pinehurst, having won the 2023 North & South Junior. Pate closed the deficit to 2-down through eight holes, but Craig won holes No. 10 and 11 to get back to 4-up and maintained that lead through 15 holes, securing the victory.

“The last game was great,” Craig said. “Macy (Pate) is an incredible player and person, and I was happy to play my last match with her. I was able to go 4-up through four holes, which helped me have a cushion for the rest of the round.”

Now Craig heads into the remainder of the summer schedule with a win at one of the biggest tournaments of the year.

“It really helps my confidence for the rest of the summer, especially since I have the women’s Western Amateur, which is amateur play,” Craig said of the win. “With this win I can go into my future tournaments with more dedication and confidence in my game.”

The North & South Women’s Amateur is the third event in the inaugural Elite Women’s Amateur Golf Series.

“Since day one, it has been our goal to align the best competitive amateur events in the United States, not only for the men’s game, but for the women’s game as well,” Andy Priest said when the series was announced. “We are excited to play a leading role in elevating elite women’s golf by providing these athletes with a tailored summer schedule of competition at some of the most renowned venues in the country, operated by historic organizations and world-class resorts.”

Currently, Kendall Turner leads the Women’s Elite Amateur Golf Series through two events, finishing T13 at the Sea Island Women’s Amateur and T2 at the Southwestern Amateur. Annabelle Pancake and Leigh Chien are tied for second place.

Turner, Chien and Pancake are not in the field this week.

Nine of the last 12 North and South women’s amateur champions have received salaries as members of the LPGA Tour. The comparison is almost perfect. Win the North & South Am and advance to professional success at the highest level.

The North and South women’s champions are among the legends of the game: Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs, Peggy Kirk Bell, Hollis Stacey, Brandie Burton, Brittany Lang, Morgan Pressel and Yani Tseng.