Saldana, Ishiyama Tee Off in U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship

TULSA, Okla. – University of Houston junior Alexa Saldana and incoming freshman Annika Ishiyama tee off in the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at Southern Hill Country Club on Monday afternoon.

Winning the Mexico Women's Amateur Championship with a four-day score of 2-under 286 at El Bosque Country Club in Guanajuato Leon, Mexico, in January, Saldana receiving an invitation to the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.

Ishiyama earned her place in the nation's most prestigious amateur event by winning the Southern California Women's Amateur Championship with a 54-hole total of 3-under 213 at The Saticoy Club in Somis, Calif., in July. Thanks to a course-record 69 in the Final Round, she erased a 5-stroke deficit to capture the title.

Saldana and Ishiyama are two of 155 golfers competing in the nation's most prestigious amateur event.

Golfers will play 36 holes of stroke play beginning Monday morning. The Top 64 golfers following stroke play advance to match play beginning Wednesday morning. A playoff to determine the low 64 will following Tuesday's Second Round if necessary.

Alexa Saldana, Cart, NCAA Auburn Regional

ABOUT ALEXA SALDANA
As a sophomore with the Cougars in 2023-24, Saldana finished second on the team with a 72.64 scoring average and third with 14 rounds of par or better.

She helped Houston to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Auburn Regional, the program's best team finish in the NCAA postseason.

Saldana opened the season with three straight Top-10 finishes, including a 10^th-place finish at the Sam Golden Invitational at Corinth Country Club, where the Cougars swept the team and individual championships and posted a team record-low total of 48-under 816.

Saldana was equally impressive in the classroom, where she received Spring Academic All-Big 12 Team, Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team and College Sport Communicators All-District Team honors.

ABOUT ANNIKA ISHIYAMA
Ishiyama has been an award-winning junior golfer throughout her career while attending San Diego Virtual School in Costa Mesa, Calif.

As a senior during the 2023-24 season, she tied for fifth at the Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford with a score of 151, thanks to a 68 in the Final Round. Ishiyama also tied for second at the Natural Delights Junior Open hosted by Beau Hossler with a score of 218 after shooting 72-72 in the final two rounds of that event.

Ishiyama finished second at the Kathy Whitworth invitational with a score of 142 at Mira Vista Country Club as a junior in 2022-23 and tied for fourth at the PING Heather Farr Class with a score of 209, including a 68 in the Second Round.

She was honored as a Junior All-American Honorable Mention as a sophomore in 2021-22 and finished second at the Toyota Tour Cup at River Ridge Golf Course with a score of 1-under 143.

LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championships by clicking here.

TEE TIMES
For the first two rounds, Ishiyama will compete in groups with Bella Bugg and Hsin Chun Liao. Ishiyama and her group tee off No. 10 at 12:36 p.m., Monday, with a Second Round start off No. 1 at 7:36 a.m., Tuesday.

Saldana will compete in groups with Chun-Wei Wu and Yurang Li beginning at 12:15 p.m., Monday, off No. 10 and at 7:15 a.m., Tuesday, off No. 1.

Complete tee times can be found by clicking here.

COUGARS in U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
This marks the fifth straight season in which at least one Cougar has competed in the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.

A year ago, Saldana tied for 66^th with a two-day score of 145 at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles.

That was the third-best finish by a Cougar at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. It trailed only Raegan Bremer, who lost in the First Round of Match Play at the 2014 Championship and Megan Thothong, who tied for 65^th but lost in a 9-woman playoff to advance to match play in 2016.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Women's Golf by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the P.A.R. 4 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Women's Golf for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWGolf on X (formerly known as Twitter) and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarWGolf or on the team's Instagram page at UHCougarWGolf.

– UHCougars.com –

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