2023 Richmond Women's City Amateur

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Rosebro, who attended the Veritas School, began playing golf. as a 5-year-old. She doesn’t play at U.Va.,  she said, “because architecture a little too time consuming.” Nonetheless, she seemed poised and polished on a warm, challenging day at Lakeside Park. Tricky pin placements and hard, fast fairways frustrated more than a few of the 76 qualifiers. But not Rosebro.
 

“It was a very long day,” she said. “I just tried to stay focused mentally – which wasn’t always easy. I tried to keep it simple – just hit fairways, hit greens and make putts.”
 

She succeeded admirably, said Kitusky, her playing partner.

“She was so relaxed,” Kitusky said. “Nothing seemed to bother her. If she three-putted or hit a bad shot, she pretty much said, ‘Well, OK,’ and went on to the next hole.”

Rosebro, who will carry the No. 2 seed into Tuesday’s first round of match play, won the qualifying medal with a thunderbolt of a shot that dazzled everyone who watched it – Rosebro included. She reached the 18 th green with a 230-yard 5-wood that bounced on the hard-as-cured-maple fairway and ran onto the putting surface while the group in front was preparing to putt. McGurn was readying herself for a shot from a greenside bunker.
 

Even though the shot was downhill and downwind, “I never, ever, expected it to go that far,” Rosebro said.
 

Said Kitusky: “We thought maybe it was in a (fairway) bunker,” Kitusky said. “It never occurred to us that it was on the green. Fei said, ‘There’s no way. I can’t hit that shot that far.’”
 

Rosebro’s RWGA Debut Includes
City Am Qualifying Medal

By VIC DORR JR.

Fei Rosebro, a second-year architecture student at the University of Virginia, certainly knows how to construct a solid first impression. 

Rosebro, a 19-year-old who was making her Richmond Women’s Golf Association debut, sank a three- foot birdie putt after reaching the 18th green in two to earn medalist distinction in Monday’s RWGA City Amateur qualifying round at Lakeside Park. Rosebro’s only birdie enabled her to post a score of 5-over- par 76. She finished one stroke ahead of two former champions, Boodie McGurn and Joanne Kitusky.

McGurn and Kitusky delivered efforts that were commanding at some times and erratic at others. Kitusky, who won her inly City Amateur title when the tournament last visited the par-71, 5,130-yard course in north Richmond, played her first five holes in 5-over. She played her last 13 in 1-over. “The funny thing was, I was hitting it about as well as I’m capable of hitting it,” Kitusky said. “But after five holes I looked at the scoreboard and said, ‘Well, you might as well face it: You’re playing great but you’re not going to make the championship flight.’” A few holes later, she said, she looked again. “And I said, ‘Oh, OK. Maybe everyone else is having issues, too.’” McGurn, a five time City Amateur champion, seemed to be cruising toward the qualifying medal after beginning her day with nine all-but-airtight holes. But then she began to skid. She needed three putts on four consecutive back-side greens.
 

McGurn said Monday’s misfortune “is over. It’s done. I’ve already put it behind me. All I really wanted to  do today was qualify” for the championship flight. Then she paused. “And you know, every year it seems to get harder to do that.”

Liza Lewis earned the final available spot in the 16-woman championship flight by defeating Cindy Hollingshead on the first hole of a sudden death playoff. Both shot 86 in regulation. Lewis, who lost to Kristine Rohrbaugh in

sudden death in last year’s championship flight final at Salisbury Country Club, will renew acquaintances with Rohrbaugh in tomorrow’s first round of match play. The defending champion is exempt from qualifying. Rohrbaugh will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed.

Boodie McGurn

Joanne Kitusky

Liza Lewis