Aug. 11, 2010

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Stanford sophomore Sally Watson defeated Margaret Shirley of Athens, Ga. this morning 2 & 1 in the first round of the United States Women's Amateur Championship being contested at the Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club.

In a tighly contested match, the players were all squared through 13 holes before Watson won No. 14 with a birdie. She then captured hole No. 15 with a par and matched Shirley over the next two holes to win 2 & 1.

Watson will play her second and and a possible third round match on Thursday.

The quarterfinals are set for Friday followed by the semifinals on Saturday. The 36-hole championship match will take place on Sunday.

Watson earned a spot in the match play portion of the event by finishing fifth in the stroke play competition, carding rounds of 72 and 70 on the par-72, 6,559 layout.