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Lucy Li of California watches her approach shot on the 17th hole during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Lucy Li of California lines up a putt during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Lucy Li of California watches her approach shot on the 18th hole during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Kennedy Swedick tees off on the 1st hole during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Kennedy Swedick, a 15-year-old from Altamont, smiles after a birdie putt on the 9th hole during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Kennedy Swedick, a 15-year-old from Altamont, lines up a birdie putt on the 9th hole during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Kennedy Swedick, a 15-year-old from Altamont, sinks a birdie putt on the 9th hole during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Kennedy Swedick, a 15-year-old from Altamont, smiles after a birdie putt on the 9th hole during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Kennedy Swedick, a 15-year-old from Altamont, talks with caddie and coach Anders Mattson, after completing her round during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Kendra Dalton of Poughquag, in Dutchess County, after a near-miss birdie putt on the 18th hole during the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, (Joyce Bassett / Special to the Times Union)
Friday’s opening round of the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship featured two crowd-pleasing finishes just moments apart on Pinehaven’s 18th and 9th holes.
Lucy Li’s birdie putt from just off the back of the 18th green capped a spectacular opening round of 66. At 5 under on the par 71 layout, Li goes into Saturday’s round with a three-shot lead over four golfers.
Minutes after Li’s putt, 15-year-old Kennedy Swedick of Altamont, playing as an amateur on a sponsor’s exemption, nearly rolled in an ace on the 9th hole. She ended her day with a slick downhill birdie putt into the center of the hole and finished with a 6-over 77 in her second year playing in the event on the tour, known as the Road to the LPGA.
Pinehaven’s narrow 6,364-yard layout — especially the back 9 — has continued to be a test.
“I knew that it was a tough course and that it really puts a lot of importance on ball striking,” Li said after her round. “I knew this was one of the hardest courses we would play all year.”
Li, of Redwood Shores, Calif., returned to Pinehaven after missing the 4-over cut by two strokes in the 2021 Twin Bridges Championship. But this season has been different — Li is the leading money winner on the Epson Tour while playing 9 of 11 events prior to Twin Bridges in the 21-tournament season. She was 11 years old when she became the youngest qualifier in U.S. Women’s Open history in 2014.
She topped the leaderboard from start to finish with an 8:14 a.m. tee time, completing the front nine at 4-under with birdies on all the even holes: 2, 4, 6 and 8. Her only bogey of the day was on the par 3 11th.
Swedick, after a rocky start playing the back nine first, regrouped with two birdies on the front nine. She made double bogeys on the par 3 14th and the par 4 eighth.
“The game wasn’t clicking today, but that’s OK,” Swedick said. “I just really had to tell myself to be patient. I mean it wasn’t my best day out there, but just being here … it’s just a miracle.”
Swedick had a sizable hometown gallery following her, including some young girls who were rewarded with gifts of gloves and golf balls from the 2022 New York state champion. The Epson Tour experience for Swedick provides solid preparation for the Women’s State Amateur at McGregor on Monday and Tuesday and a summer full of high-level competition.
“I’m really excited just to be able to be going to these big tournaments,” Swedick said. “ I won a couple of qualifiers and I’m going to the U.S. Girls Junior and the Girls Junior PGA Championship. I’m just really looking forward to them and being able to compete with the best girls in the country and in the world, it’s just a really big honor.”
She is relishing the entire experience at Pinehaven — not just playing but practicing and being a part of the Pro-Am festivities.
“Seeing how these girls practice so hard … I’ve just been watching them and seeing what they do,” Swedick said about the Epson experience. “I’m just really honored to be here.”
The cut will be the top 60 and ties after Saturday’s second round. Swedick’s tee time is 1:03 p.m. Saturday.
All tee times and a live leaderboard are at epsontour.com. Tickets can be purchased at the main entrance and cost $10 per day with children under 16 admitted free.
Joyce Bassett is a Times Union columnist. Reach her at [email protected] • @joyceb10bassett • timesunion.com/author/joyce-bassett
Joyce Bassett is a sports columnist for the Times Union, specializing in women and girls in sports and golf. She was the creator and main contributor to the Times Union’s Youth Sports blog from 2007-2017. Joyce worked at the Times Union as an editor, graphic and web producer from 1997-2020.