WOMEN'S AM: Akin, Rose top qualifying (06/24)

Neal Cardin

Beverly Games keeps her eye on the ball as she chips from the rough on the fourth hole at Elizabethtown Country Club on Monday during the Women's State Am qualifying round. Games shot an even par 72.

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Neal Cardin

Lydia Gumm tees off on the third hole Monday morning in the Women's State Am. Gumm shot par 72 in the qualifying round.

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Neal Cardin

Caitlyn Wilkerson and her caddie/father discuss her upcoming tee shot on the fifth hole at Elizabethtown Country Club in the qualifying round of the Women's State Am. Wilkerson qualified for the Championship Flight with an 81.

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Neal Cardin

Karissa Akin uses a little body English trying to coax her ball into the cup on the second green Monday morning during the qualifying round of the 82nd annual Women's Kentucky State Amateur Championship at Elizabethtown Country Club. Akin parred the hole

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By GREG CREWS gcrews@thenewsenterprise.com ELIZABETHTOWN — Old rivalries always die hard, and for Karisa Akin and Ashlee Rose, it appears there is no exception. The recent Central Hardin and West Jessamine High School graduates, respectively, have locked horns in the past three high school state golf tournaments — both taking top-10 finishes each year, while leading their teams to a state title or runner-up finish — and now they are side-by-side once more. In Monday’s qualifying round of the 82nd Women’s Kentucky State Amateur Championship at the Elizabethtown Country Club, Akin and Rose both turned in one-under-par 71s to lead the field of 97 and finish as co-medalists. “I was wanting that low medalist by myself, personally. … It’s probably frustrating for both of us because we both know we left strokes out there,” Akin said. “I could have played better today. I played pretty solid, but I made a few mistakes that I am aiming not to make (today).” Akin and Rose enter today’s round as the No. 2 and 3 seeds, behind defending champion Jessica Grace of Henderson, in the 32-player championship flight as the tournament moves to match play format. In all, seven area golfers shot 81 or better and qualified for the championship flight. “Getting one of those top seeds can be a big advantage,” Rose said. “Especially in match play, which is so much different than stroke play, it can be huge.” Indeed, if last year’s results are any indication, a favorable seed can offer a great deal of help in getting through the first round of match play. Out of 16 matches in last year’s first round, only four players advanced with upsets. That could spell good news for James T. Alton Middle School eighth-grader Lydia Gumm, who will be the No. 4 seed after firing an even-par 72 to tie for third along with April Emerson of Jamestown. Gumm will face Central Hardin junior Caitlyn Wilkerson, who earned the No. 29 seed after shooting a nine-over 81. “I played pretty good. I three-putted a couple of times and early I wasn’t hitting my wedges very good, but other than that I played pretty well,” Gumm said. “I think I’m in a pretty good spot. … I wanted to get medalist, but 72 is pretty good and I think I put myself in a good place.” Last year’s runner-up and Central Hardin graduate Morgan Cross began her bid for another run to the finals with a five-over 77, earning a No. 15 seed and setting up a date with 2004 champion Lauren Scholl (77) of Somerset. Now, the challenge for players will be getting their mindsets switched from stroke play and ready for match play. “When you are playing out there in match play, you go for a lot of shots that you normally wouldn’t go for in stroke play. You hit things you wouldn’t normally hit and you go for the green in one or maybe two, especially on this course, which sets up to where you have to go over the water to reach the green on a couple of holes,” Rose said. “That was one of the frustrating things today. When I played my practice rounds, I was playing as if it was match play, and I played a lot better than I did in stroke play.” Rose’s match play approach to the course showed on the front nine as her round went through an early rollercoaster ride. After bogeying the par-3 second, Rose got back into red numbers with an eagle on the par-5 fourth, but immediately followed it with a bogey on the fifth. Following a pair of pars, she picked up a double bogey on the eighth but birdied the ninth to make the turn at one-over par. Things seemed to smooth out for Rose on the back nine as she tallied seven pars to go along with birdies on the par-5 10th and the par-4 15th. Akin avoided the drama as she played near regulation golf. She opened with three pars before bogeying the fourth. After parring the fifth, she recorded a birdie on the par-3 sixth before parring out the front nine to make the turn at even par. Akin first broke par on the 10th with a birdie and after bogeying the par-3 13th, quickly went back into red numbers with a birdie on the par-4 14th. She made four straight pars to finish her round. “There is a lot more pressure because this is your home course and you do expect to do well,” Akin said. “I’m comfortable here. I love it here. So, hopefully I’ll get some member’s bounces this week.” Other area golfers who qualified for the championship flight were: Beverly Games (75), Kim Hartlage and Tonya Puckett (80) of Elizabethtown. First flight: Joan Waldrop (83), Paige Raine (84) and Toni Davenport (85) of Elizabethtown. Second flight: Dennise Mudd (89) of West Point and Johnnie Baxter (89), Kaela Smith (10) and Lisa Day (91) of Elizabethtown. Third flight: Marilyn Maffet (100) of Elizabethtown. Fourth flight: Melba Kindervater (100) of Elizabethtown, Pam Pollock (101) of Brandenburg, Barbara Hambly (102) of Radcliff, and Anne Pace (110) of Brandenburg. Greg Crews can be reached at 505-1754