July 22, 2008

Washington, D.C. - After advancing to the finals of the North & South Amateur Golf Championship, Georgetown University rising senior Chelsea Curtis (Mashpee, Mass./Cape Cod Academy) fell to favorite Kristie Smith of Australia at Pinehurst's legendary No. 2 course.

Curtis held the lead in the finals just once, following the second hole, but was only two down to the Australian after 18 holes. Smith was able to pull away in the afternoon round winning the match 8 and 7.

Smith is Australia's No. 2 ranked amateur golfer and has announced that she will be going professional. Curtis struggled to keep pace with Smith because of her power and mentioned that "she could hit the ball 300 yards and could easily reach the par 5's with her second shot and that was what hurt me the most."

Curtis played in four match play matches that went to extra holes leading up to the final. She said that while it helped her gain experience, it also took a toll in the final. "I played more holes than [Smith]," she said, "and fatigue may have been a factor."

The tournament, which is mostly in the match play style, allowed Curtis to be more aggressive with many of her shots. She compared match play to chess, saying "you play depending on how your opponent is playing."

She mentioned that the greens were the most challenging part of the course. "The greens are designed to look inviting, but most of them are crowned making it difficult when hitting into them," Curtis explained. "There was a small margin for error around the greens with respect to putting, chipping, as well as hitting approach shots."

Georgetown rising Chelsea Curtis advanced to the finals of the North/South Amateur (Copyright Pinehurst, photographer Tom Brown)

Curtis was drew support at the tournament from her mother, as well as fellow Georgetown golfer Carly Hunt who narrowly missed qualifying for the event.

Curtis had failed qualify for the event on two prior visits and was focused on making the cut. "It was the best I've done in such a prestigious tournament," Curtis said. "This is the same course where Payne Stewart won the US Open and is memorialized."

Curtis is taking the rest of the summer off from golf tournaments, but hopes the sense of accomplishment from the Amateur will carry over. "I played a lot of golf this weekend," Curtis said, "but I am really looking forward to the NCAA Previews in the fall."

Though she did not win the tournament, it was a confidence builder for Curtis. "I really feel like I can play with the top level of players in the country and this showed that, but also how hard it can be," Curtis said. "My teammates and I have all had good summers, so I hope that we can all have that feeling carry over."