The Wilderness Country Club in Naples, Florida, was easy terrain on Wednesday, May 6, for Slovenian pro golfer Ana Belac.
Belac shot a 6-under par 65 on the second 18 to win the U.S. Women’s Open 36-hole qualifying tournament, punching her ticket for America’s national championship in one month.
Belac, 29, beat Spain’s amateur Paula Francisco by six strokes. As the top 2 finishers, Belac and Francisco will be in the field at the Women’s Open next month at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Francisco led after the first 18 holes after carding a 68 on the 5,725-yard, par-71 layout. Belac trailed by a shot but then enjoyed a brilliant second 18.
Belac surprised many people at Wilderness – including herself.
“I didn’t have a whole lot of expectations, cause I’ve never made it through a qualifier,” Belac said. “But I was able to stick to my own game, and had some experience in the LPGA Tour for five years. So a lot of experience paid off today.”
Belac was the only golfer in the 56-player field to break 70 on both 18-hole rounds.
The low American in the field was Jenny Suh Thompson, who shot an aggregate 1-under par 141. Thompson and Louisane Gauthier came in third and fourth and will be alternates at Riviera, the home of the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational and the host for golf in the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Belac felt her short game may have made short work of the rest of the field.
“I feel I was really solid with my wedges. I felt if I drove it well, I could set up my wedges,” Belac said. “My putter got hot, so I was able to take advantage of opportunities to score. Today was a good reset, and I felt good things could happen out there if I just relaxed and played my game.”
Amongst local golfers, Emma McKoan of Naples shot a 145, Minna Byun-Archer of North Fort Myers shot a 153, Riley Kirwin of Naples and Caraline Hartfield of Bonita Springs both shot 160, Ailsa Clark of Naples had a 165, Isabella Michetti of Naples carded a 174, and Alayna Friedt of Naples shot a 175.
Lauren Beaudreau of Marco Island carded an 80 in the first round and then withdrew for the afternoon.
Belac turned pro in the spring of 2020 when her senior season at Duke University was cut short by COVID-19. She won the Symetra Tour‘s Carolina Golf Classic and secured victory in the Volvik Race For the Card to earn a LPGA Tour card for the 2021 season. She has two career LPGA Top 10 finishes.
A popular contestant was 11-year-old Madelyn Dickerson of the Orlando area, who fired a pair of 76s and finished in a tie for 18th place.
“It’s a really long course out here,” Dickerson said. “My goal was to get two rounds in the 70s. The grass was thick out there, so you didn’t get too much roll. I relied a lot on my scoring clubs, like the 9-wood and hybrid. My putter was hot, which I was thankful for, cause the greens here are tricky and very grainy. So I was proud of that.”
U.S. Open Qualifier at Wilderness Country Club Top 10
Ana Belac, Slovenia, 69-65=134
Paula Francisco, Spain, 68-72=140
Jenny Suh Thompson, Palm Beach Gardens, 70-71=141
Louisane Gauthier, Uruguay, 74-69=143
Carla Tejedo Mulet, Spain, 72-72=144
Pimpisa Sisutham, Thailand, 71-74=145
Cristina Ochoa, Colombia, 71-74=145
Emma McKoan, Naples, 72-73=145
Scarlett Schremmer, Birmingham, Ala., 72-74=146
Jennifer Song, Ann Arbor, Mich., 73-73=146
Molly Smith, Westford, Mass., 74-72=146
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Ana Belac qualifies for U.S. Women’s Open golf