By Stephen Hanjack
shanjack@massgolf.org
ANDOVER, Massachusetts (June 30, 2026) – The 18th hole at Indian Ridge Country Club proved to be a tricky one on Tuesday during U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifying. With a hole location tucked in the back left corner of the green, the otherwise gettable par-5 showed its teeth to some of the best amateur golfers in the world.
While the closing hole helped set up a 3-for-2 playoff, it was the par-4 3rd hole that decided who would advance. By converting a lengthy two-putt par, Molly Smith (Westford, MA) was able to avenge her struggles on the 18th hole and earn a spot into the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Grace Carter (Jupiter, FL) matched Smith’s three-straight pars in the playoff and will also advance to the National Championship
With two qualifying spots up for grabs, three players elevated and separated from the field. The first of the trio to contend with the 18th hole was Honorine Ferry (Flower Mound, TX), who saw her approach shot swallowed by the severe slope of the green and sent back down towards the front. A full swing with the putter set up a cozy tap-in for par and a round of 3-under.
Grace Carter reached the 18th hole at 3-under and was looking for one final birdie to send her through. Unlike Ferry, Carter’s approach shot landed atop the back shelf, but bounced forward to the back fringe. The birdie bid went racing by the hole, but Carter was able to cooly bury the 7-foot comebacker for par.
Speaking about the rush of competition, Carter said “It was really nerve-racking. I had lots adrenaline, so a couple shots went a little further that I didn’t really want to be above the hole, but it worked out.”
And finally, Molly Smith, sitting at 4-under and needing only a par to advance, played the hole conservatively, as a 3-shot endeavor. However, even with the sensible approach, Smith saw her birdie bid from above the hole race 10 feet by, and was unable to make the uphill putt for par.
“That putt’s just so steep,” said Smith of the downhiller on 18. “I was trying to keep the ball below the hole and got it above the hole, and then my putter hit the collar on the way back, and I just kind of like accelerated through the ball, and I knew right when I hit it, this better go in, or it’s going way by.”
With that miss, a 3-for-2 playoff was set, with Ferry, Carter, and Smith vying for the two coveted spots in the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
On the first playoff hole, Honorine Ferry hit an errant tee shot to the right, necessitating a punch out. However, she avoided disaster by sticking her third shot to a foot on the 390-yard par-4 (No. 1), making it a trio of pars for the group.
On the second playoff hole, Molly Smith found her back against the wall after a tee shot into the 174-yard par 3 (No. 2) found the rough facing of the bunker. A chop-out style swing set up a downhill, 6-footer for par, which Smith buried, and emphasized with a fist pump.
Playing a third playoff hole (No. 3, 383 yards), both Carter and Smith were forced to navigate their approach shots over (Carter) and under (Smith) the pesky tree up the right to find the putting surface. Playing up the left side, Ferry also had some overhang to contend with, and sent her approach shot skidding off the back of the green. Ferry’s delicate chip-shot set up a 2-footer for par. And while Carter and Smith both made easy work of their two-putts, Ferry was unable to payoff the chip and saw her par putt burn the edge.
That bogey gave Ferry the position of First Alternate, while Carter and Smith snagged the two spots in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. For Smith, this will be the 5th time competing in the championship, and for Carter, it will be her first.
Carter will be no stranger to USGA Championships though, as she has already seen success on the national stage. In 2025 Carter was the stroke-play medalist before losing in the semi-finals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship and earlier this year finished runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball Championship. A native of California, Carter will also be competing in Massachusetts next week at the Wyndham Cup at Old Sandwich Golf Club, an AJGA event.
Next Up: The two qualifiers from Tuesday will now compete in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship this August.
COMPLETE LIST OF QUALIFIERS AND ALTERNATES FROM INDIAN RIDGE CC
QUALIFIER (Name, City, Score)
Grace Carter, Jupiter, FL; (-3) 69*
Molly Smith, Westford, MA; (-3) 69*
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Honorine Ferry, Flower Mound, TX; (-3) 69
Ein Kim, Irvine, CA; (-1) 71**
*Advanced on third playoff hole
**Advanced with birdie on first playoff hole
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The 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship will be played at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee from August 4-9.
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