Ephrata's Peters advances to quarterfinals

FLORENCE, Ore. — The thing about playing golf on the coast, weather dictates and sometimes the biggest opponent is Mother Nature.

Fourth-seeded Kenedee Peters of Ephrata mastered the course, the wind and May Wang of Portland 5 & 3 to advance to the quarterfinals at the 62nd PNGA Junior Girls Amateur Championships at Sandpines Golf Links in Florence, Ore., on Wednesday.

“These are probably the toughest conditions I’ve ever played in. If you look at the scores on the first day, I was tied for first at 4-over,” said Peters, who advanced to the Round of 16 with two-day total of 151. “The conditions make this course. As a player, you have to evaluate what you can do. I have to club up three or club down almost every hole depending on which way the wind is blowing. I had to hit a 7-wood from 150 out one time because that’s what it took to get it there.”

At this level where the field is comprised of the best junior golfers in the Pacific Northwest, it’s as much a mental game as it is hitting the shot.

“The big thing is not to second guess yourself,” said Peters, who has given a verbal commitment to Washington State. “You have to believe in your club selection. If it takes 7-wood from 150 with that much wind in your face, then that’s what you hit.

“I think confidence and how well you know your game is going to do it down the stretch.”

Peters is playing the most consistent golf of her career. In the stroke play, she was tied for the first-day lead with a round of 76. She followed that up with 3-over-par 75 on Tuesday to advance to the Round of 16 and the match play portion. She had little trouble with Wang, controlling the match from the opening shot.

“Match play is just a different animal. You can double bogey while your opponent makes birdie and still only be one hole down,” Peters said. “I’ve always been a gutsy player. I am not afraid to make those risky shots when I need to. It just depends on the circumstances. I can play conservative when I have to, but I can also throw in clutch shots when I need to.”

She took the match to Wang, the No. 13 seed, from the opening shot, going 4-up after four holes. Peters, who will be a senior at Ephrata High School, bumped it up to a five-hole lead at one point, but Wang birdied No. 8 to bring it back to four holes. But Peters, who is a two-time 2A state medalist, closed in dominating fashion to advance to the quarterfinals.

She will face Phoebe Yue of West Vancouver, B.C. in her quarterfinal match today.

“I think I’ll have to go a little bit lower to contend just because of the field and who’s left,” Peters said. “The back side plays a lot harder than the front because you’re more exposed to the wind. So it’s important to play well early on, because I know I can. The first four holes are real birdie opportunities. I want to get a hold of it quickly so I don’t have to fight back down the stretch.”

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Cassie Kim, Yakima vs. No. 8 Samantha Hui, Kennewick

No. 4 Kenedee Peters, Ephrata vs. No. 5 Phoebe Yue, West Vancouver, B.C.

No. 2 Brittany Kwon, Bremerton vs. No. 10 Alyssa Nguyen, Renton

No. 3 Montgomery Ferreira, University Place vs. No. 11 Tabetha Kang, Tigard, Ore