Seattle University graduate Caitlin McCleary (The Dalles, Ore.) and incoming freshman Clare Sorensen (Roseville, Calif.) completed the second of two stroke play rounds Tuesday at the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship held at The Country Club, but they were unable to qualify for the 64-player match play competition.
McCleary tied for 129th place after 36 holes of stroke play, posting rounds of 81 (+9) Monday and 79 (+7) Tuesday for a combined total of 160 (+16). She was only one-over-par after 12 holes Monday, but three consecutive bogeys followed by a triple bogey and a double bogey set her back. She managed one birdie in each of the rounds.
Sorensen fired rounds of 78 (+6) and 77 (+5) for a two-day total of 155 (+11), good enough to finish in a tie for 99th place. She also hit a rough stretch in the first round, going five-over-par over the span of five holes late in Monday's circuit. She started Tuesday's round with three birdies in the first four holes, but gave those strokes back with bogeys in three of the next five holes, followed by a stretch of five bogeys over six holes on the back nine.
The cut came in at five-over-par 149, with 15 players tied at that score needing to enter a playoff for 14 spots in the match play competition. Hyo-Joo Kim of Korea shot back-to-back rounds of four-under-par 68 to earn medalist honors by one stroke over first-round leader Lydia Ko of New Zealand.
Sorensen will begin her freshman campaign at Seattle University in September, while McCleary's plans were to enter the LPGA and Symetra Tour Qualifying Tournament, with the first stage taking place Sept. 4-7 at the LPGA International Golf Course in Daytona Beach, Fla.