San Jose’s Katherine Zhu came up short in her bid to win in her U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur debut, falling 2 and 1 to 2019 champion Ina Kim-Schaad Wednesday afternoon in the semifinals at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
The 25-year-old Zhu, a former star at Cal and Harker School, advanced to the semifinals earlier Wednesday by defeating Golf Channel analyst and former Wake Forest golfer Emilia Doran 3 and 1 at Pebble Beach.
Kim Schaad, of Jupiter, Fla., will face Henley Long of Clarksville, Tenn. In Thursday’s 18-hole final. The winner will earn a spot in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
“Pinch me,” said the 42-year-old Kim-Schaad. “I mean, this was obviously my goal coming in for sure. I’ve worked ready hard this year to try and get here. But, yeah, it’s still pretty unbelievable. I’m super excited and grateful that I get to play this course one more time. I’m excited.”
Zhu, the co-medalist after shooting 67-74—141 in stroke play, struck first in their semifinal match, winning the opening hole with a par. But from there, Kim-Schaad took control of the front nine. She reeled off four straight wins on Nos. 3 through 6, playing 1-under-par golf over that stretch.
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The match turned into a birdie exchange from there — Zhu sank a 30-footer on No. 11 to stay within striking distance, then birdied the par-5 13th to cut Kim-Schaad’s lead to one, her closest margin since the 4th hole.
But Kim-Schaad responded yet again, steadying herself on the course’s signature par-3 14th with a par to push the advantage back to 2 up. Zhu closed the gap once more with a win on No. 15, but Kim-Schaad sealed the match on the 16th.