By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD, Journal Sports
The 94th Louisiana Women’s Amateur Championship at Broussard’s Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club didn’t start that well last week for Shreveport teenager Sydney Moss.
After shooting an 8-over 81 in Friday’s stroke play qualifying, the recent Byrd graduate barely made it into the match play bracket.
Just how close did she come to not making it to match play? Moss entered the 16-player field as the No. 15 seed.
Not exactly a sure bet – if you’re talking about anyone other than Sydney Moss, the 2021 Division I state champion, 2022 Division I state runner-up, 2020 Louisiana Girls’ Junior Amateur champion, and soon-to-be college golfer at the University of Memphis.
In other words, don’t ever bet against her.
When Moss walked off the 15th green at Le Triomphe on Sunday afternoon after a 4 and 3 victory over Madison Bates of New Orleans, she had made perhaps the biggest comeback in tournament history to become the 2022 Louisiana Women’s Amateur champion.
When asked if she is the youngest to win the championship, Moss replied, “No, but they told me I did set a record by being the lowest seed to ever win.”
Moss didn’t let her play (which she called “terrible”) in the qualifying round affect her over the weekend.
“I just took it with a grain of salt,” she said. “I told myself: ‘Just go win all of your matches.’ I didn’t worry about it. After that (qualifying) round, I grabbed a bite to eat and went out to work on my game.”
It did take her a little while to get going Saturday morning against first-round opponent Liza Lapeyre of New Orleans, one of the top-ranked junior golfers in the state. After falling 3-down through four holes, Moss battled back to tie the match on the 13th hole and eventually defeated Lapeyre on the fourth hole of sudden death.
“I just wasn’t relaxed, but after three holes I didn’t panic,” Moss said of her opening match. “I just told myself I was going to ease my way back into it.”
In the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon, Moss defeated Shreveport’s Kaitlyn Montoyo 5 and 3 to set up a semifinal match against a familiar opponent.
Moss and Sarah Meral of Abita Springs battled for the past two Division I state high school championships – with Moss winning the 2021 title by seven strokes over Meral, and Meral taking the 2022 title by two shots over Moss.
In Sunday morning’s semifinal match, Moss was once again paired against Meral, the 2021 Louisiana Women’s Amateur runner-up. By the time the two golfers reached the 18th tee, Moss held a 1-up lead but started feeling “a little tight and nervous” with the cameras and gallery surrounding the hole.
Once Moss gathered herself, she hit an 80-foot putt off the green to within four feet of the hole. After Meral missed her seven-foot putt, Moss got a simple tip from her caddie, Byrd golf coach Meredith Duncan.
“She just looked at me and said, ‘Drain it,’” said Moss. “And I did.”
The 2-up victory over Meral put Moss in Sunday afternoon’s championship match against Bates, who is in graduate school at Loyola University in New Orleans. When Bates took a 1-up lead with a birdie at the par 3 2nd hole, it marked the first time Moss had trailed in a match since her opening Round of 16 match – and it would be the last time she trailed.
Moss made the turn 2-up and then added to her lead by winning the 12th and 14th holes. Moss secured the 4 and 3 victory after both competitors parred the 15th.
By the time the weekend had ended, Moss had played 88 holes of golf in three days. After taking a little time to let her body recover, Moss will prepare for the 56th Louisiana Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship, which will be held July 6-8 at East Ridge Country Club.
Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com
Photo courtesy of the Louisiana Golf Association