Cara Heisterkamp, 15, youngest player left at U.S. Women’s Amateur

HARRISON, N.Y. — Earlier this summer, 15-year old Cara Heisterkamp was inches away from quitting the sport of golf. Her former tears of frustration have now become tears of joy, after she moved one step closer to the U.S. Women’s Amateur final.

Heisterkamp reserved a spot in Friday’s quarterfinal after defeating German-born Stanford golfer Aline Krauter, the No. 29-ranked player according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings, in the Round of 16.

“I can’t believe it, I never expected this to happen if I’m being honest,” Heisterkamp said. “A month and a half ago, I was standing on a range with my dad at an AJGA event. I just shot 7 over, and I was contemplating quitting the game. I couldn’t do it anymore. It was so frustrating. I just couldn’t play. I’m here now, and I truly can’t believe it. I truly can’t believe it and I’m so grateful, so thankful, and I’m just so excited.”

Heisterkamp refocused in time for Westchester Country Club and finished 61st in stroke play to snag one of 64 spots in match play. Her first match was against fourth-seeded Erica Shepherd, an All-American at Duke. Heisterkamp outlasted her in 19 holes on Wednesday.

“Such a fantastic player from Duke, and I was intimidated and overwhelmed,” Heisterkamp said. “I listened to my dad when he said just hit fairways and greens, that’s all you can do. He said to play your own game and just go, and that’s exactly what I did.”

It was a coming-of-age moment for Heisterkamp. After being wide-eyed and timid, she started to gain confidence with each round of golf she played. On Thursday, she prepared for two matches, as the field shrunk after Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches.

On Thursday morning, she won 4 and 2 over University of California-Berkley golfer Mika Jin. In the afternoon Round of 16, she left little doubt against Krauter, winning 7 and 5.

A high school sophomore from Westlake, Ohio, Heisterkamp played at a level well beyond her years. After the match was even through the first four holes, Heisterkamp won the fifth hole and birdied on the next two to go 3 up on Krauter after seven.

Krauter bogeyed on the ninth hole to help extend Heisterkamp’s lead. Heisterkamp officially put the match out of reach when she birdied the 11th, 12th and 13th holes to advance.

“After I beat (Shepherd), I got a lot of texts that were like, ‘Good luck tomorrow, you’ve got to keep it going,’” Heisterkamp said. “I doubted myself. I said, ‘OK, this is good. If I lose now, it’s fine, I beat a girl from Duke. Every single time someone texted me ‘good luck,’ I would always respond, ‘I’m going to need it.’ Now, I feel like I can finally represent myself in my own game. Obviously, it’s golf, so I’m going to need some luck, but I feel a little more confident in myself to be out here with these people.”

For a high school-aged golfer, the U.S. Women’s Amateur can be intimidating. The field is loaded with college-level standouts, with a majority of players proudly displaying emblazoned logos on shirts and golf bags.

Aside from Heisterkamp, Canadian Katie Cranston and Philippines native Rianne Mikhaela Malixi were the only other non-college players to reach the Round of 16 after stringing together victories.

“It’s definitely scary seeing all the college bags and everyone looking like they know what they’re doing,” said Cranston, a high school senior who is committed to Auburn. “You kind of not really think about it and just know that you can beat them, and you’ve probably done it before. Anyone on any day can win, no matter high school or college golf.”

Cranston, the 61st seed, defeated eighth-seeded Morgan Baxendale of Vanderbilt in the opening round. She followed up with a win over Sacramento State golfer Tess Blair in the Round of 32.

But Cranston’s journey came to an end against Stanford’s Brooke Seay after losing an early lead in the match. Despite the loss, she remained upbeat.

“It has been an outstanding week from the setup of the tournament to the golf,” Cranston said. “I was so happy to even make the cut, then to make it to the round of 16 was unbelievable. I’ve never played in an event of just such great caliber.”

Malixi also fell short in the Round of 16, after a chip-in by Australian Emily Mahar on the 18th hole sealed the match. The 14-year old Filipina golfer impressed as the 58th seed, with earlier wins over former Big 10 Women’s Golfer of the Year Valery Plata from Michigan State and Brigham Young University standout Allysha Mae Mateo.

That leaves Heisterkamp as the youngest golfer left standing.

The girl who once felt an urge to walk away from the sport now can’t imagine being anywhere else. She’s no longer satisfied with just taking part and making it this far, she wants to keep challenging, growing, and to continue her run.

“I’ve never played six days in a row of golf, so it’s been kind of tiring and mentally challenging, but it has made me grow extremely as a player,” Heisterkamp said. “I’m not reacting to anything, honestly. I’ll laugh with my brother, but I’m playing the game. I’m not getting excited or getting down because it’s match play and you just can’t do that because that could help the person you’re playing against. I’m just going to play my game. I’m going to try and do what I did today. My swing is where I want it. I’m putting it like I want to, and it’s going good.”