Millichip edges Robertson in final to capture title in WGAP Match Play Championship at Hershey's Mill

 

   Barbora Millichip is a native of Czechia, but has increasingly popped up doing good things on the golf course in the Philadelphia area from her base at Honeybrook Golf Club.

   Saw her celebrate when she earned a trip to the 2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Fiddlesticks Country Club’s Long Mean Course in Fort Myers, Fla. in a local qualifier staged at Stonewall’s North Course.

   A year ago, Millichip reached the final of the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Match Play Championship at Trenton Country Club before falling to White Manor Country Club’s Jill Burks, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Conestoga.

   This year, Millichip got to the final again and reversed the outcome, claiming a 2-up victory over Allie Robertson of RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve July 29^th at Hershey’s Mill Golf Club.

   The WGAP Match Play Championship isn’t what it once was, but Millichip’s name goes on the Glenna Collett Vare Cup along with some of the greats in the history of Philadelphia area women’s golf alongside Dottie Porter, Helen Sigel Wilson, Ann Laughlin-Fulginiti, Meghan Stasi (she was Meghan Bolger when she won the title seven straight times from 1999 to 2005), the winning U.S. Curtis Cup captain at Bel-Air Country Club in June, and Laura Hammond, the current executive director of WGAP.

   The Senior Division actually had more competitors at Hershey’s Mill and Lisa Day made it a sweep for Honeybrook as she rolled to a 5 and 4 decision over DuPont Country Club’s Angie Coleman in the final July 30^th.

   Millichip got the jump on Robertson in the final with wins at the first and second holes. Robertson got one back with a win at the third hole, Millichip restored her 2-up edge by taking the fourth and Robertson again battled back with a win at six to cut her deficit to 1-down.

   Wins at the seventh and 11^th holes gave Millichip a commanding 3-up lead, but Robertson wasn’t done as she took the 12^th and 14^th holes to creep within 1-down with four holes to go.

   Millichip, however, grinded out halves at the 15^th, 16^th and 17^th holes before getting a win at the last to complete her 2-up victory.

   Millichip reached the final with a 2 and 1 victory in the semifinals over Rolling Green Golf Club’s Alaina Carson, a junior at Cardinal O’Hara who has reached the PIAA Class AAA Championship in each of her first two seasons of scholastic golf.

   Robertson earned a 3 and 2 decision over Concord Country Club’s Sophia DeSantis, a scholastic standout at West Chester Rustin who is a junior on the golf team at Fairfield.

   The four semifinalists comprised the entire field and Robertson earned medalist honors in qualifying July 27^th with an 8-over 79.

   Carson was a shot behind Robertson in second place with an 80, Millichip was third with an 85 and DeSantis was fourth with an 86.

   In the Senior Championship, Day ripped off consecutive wins at the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth holes to turn a 1-down deficit into a 3-up advantage.

   Coleman got a win at the 10^th hole to cut her deficit to 2-down, but Day responded by taking the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th holes, giving her a commanding 5-up advantage. Day needed just a half at the 14^th hole to finish off her 5 and 4 victory.

   Day reached the final by pulling out a thriller on the 19^th hole over her Honeybrook clubmate Allison Long.

   Day was 3-down when she picked up wins at the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th holes to even the match. Long grabbed a 2-up advantage by taking the 15^th and 16^th holes, but Day battled back with wins at 17 and 18 to send the match to extra holes before pulling out the victory.

   It was another tight semifinal in the other half of the bracket as Coleman earned a 1-up decision over Nancy Jones of Radley Run Country Club.

   Coleman was staring at a 4-down deficit after eight holes, but rallied with wins at the 10^th, 14^th, 15^th and 17^th holes to even the match before completing her comeback by taking the 18^th to advance to the final.

   Coleman had sprung a huge upset in the quarterfinals with a 2 and 1 victory over three-time defending champion Suzi Spotleson.

   Spotleson listed Scottsdale, Ariz. as her home when she reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Portland Golf Club in Portland, Ore. a year ago, falling to 2023 champion Sarah Gallagher.

   But Spotleson, playing out of RiverCrest, always seems to make room on her schedule for the week of the WGAP Match Play Championship.

   Day had opened her journey to the title with a 9 and 7 victory over Jaynee Costanzo of Hartefeld National Golf Club.

   Long earned a 5 and 4 decision over Muffy McCabe of French Creek Golf Club to set her semifinal showdown with Day.

   Jones reached the semifinals by edging Diane Cardano-Cascio of Cedarbrook Country Club in a 20-hole thriller.

   Long was the medalist in qualifying with a solid 7-over 78 at Hershey’s Mill. Day and Cardano-Cascio finished in a tie for second place, each tallying an 81.

   In the Senior First Flight final, Diane Bartunek of RiverCrest defeated Overbrook Golf Club’s Karen McFadden.

   Bartunek reached the final with a 4 and 2 victory over Tish Lawson of Talamore Country Club in the semifinals. McFadden cruised to a 4 and 3 decision over Lisa Dichter of Meadia Heights Golf Club in her semifinal match.