Ellie Slama remained in the hunt for the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur title Friday morning after the Oregon State senior upended Phoebe Brinker of Delaware 3 and 2 during the round of 32 in Rockville, Md.
Slama took control of the early morning match at Woodmont Country Club on the back nine. Slama, the No. 29 seed, advances to the round of 16, where she faces Malaysia’s Alyaa Abdulghany at 10:05 a.m. today.
Slama trailed only once in her match, falling 1 down on the second hole to Brinker, the No. 4 seed and bound for Duke this fall. Slama quickly recovered, winning three of the next four holes to take a 1-up lead. The match was tied heading into the back nine, but Slama won 11 and 12 for a 2-up lead, then increased her lead to 3-up with a birdie at 15.
Slama closed out the match at 16 by halving with a par. Slama was 1-under over 16 holes.
Slama, a Salem native, has some familiarity with her round of 16 opponent as Abdulghany is a senior at USC.
--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.