News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
TULSA, Okla. – Texas A&M’s Adela Cernousek defeated Kaili Xiao, 2&1, in the round of 32 and Texas’s Lauren Kim, 1-up, in 20 holes to advance to the quarterfinals of the 124th U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Southern Hills Country Club on Thursday.
The reigning NCAA Individual Champion downed the Longhorn’s Lauren Kim, who beat Cernousek for the individual title at the Stephens Cup in a playoff during the 2023-24 campaign, in the round of 16 after being behind by two holes at the turn.
On No. 9, Kim hit a bomb of a birdie putt and Cernousek missed her four-footer to half the hole to go down two. After that, the All-American won the next three holes to take a one-hole advantage after hitting a 20+ foot putt for birdie.
However, Kim won two of the next three holes to regain the lead and rode that all the way into No. 18. Cernousek responded with her back against the wall and registered a par that pushed the bout to extra holes. The 19th hole was played on No. 10, which the pair halved. The par-3, No. 11 was ultimately the decider, where Cernousek locked in a par and Kim missed her chance to match to give the victory to the Aggie.
Cernousek turned in a steady performance in the round of 32 of Xiao. Cernousek trailed for just two holes and went up three at No. 14, which proved too great of a hole for Xiao to overcome.
The Antibes, France, native will take on 15-year-old phenom Asterisk Talley in the quarters. The two will square off at 1:10 p.m. on Friday and the match will be streamed on Peacock. For more information on the U.S. Women’s Amateur and live stats, visit usga.org. Cernousek boasts a 6-5 record in match play during her career at Texas A&M, including a perfect 3-0 mark at NCAAs.
After six-victorious matches, a champion will be crowned at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. The championship match is set for Sunday and will be a 36-hole contest for the title. The winner will receive a gold medal and the Robert Cox Trophy for the next year. They will also earn exemptions to the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open and the next 10 U.S. Women’s Amateurs, if eligible. Additionally, an invitation to the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be awarded to the champion.
Cernousek is fresh off a three month stretch where she won the first Individual National Championship in program history, competed in three LPGA events and played for Team International at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup.