For a Golfer From Thailand, Summer Visit Pays Dividends

The name isn’t easy to forget, so when Orange County golf fans learned that Russamee Gulyanamitta, runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links championship Sunday in North Carolina, was from Costa Mesa, many were surprised they didn’t remember it.

Turns out that Gulyanamitta, 24, actually is from Thailand.

She is visiting for the summer and staying with her uncle, Peter Boonyaplaynun, in Costa Mesa. She’s only here for a few months, but as a heralded amateur golfer in her country, she wanted to see how her game compared to that of her American peers.

Pretty well, it seems.

She shared medalist honors at the Publinks with Catherine Cartwright of Florida by shooting four-under-par 140 in two rounds.

In match play, she was the equivalent of 11 under par in her first five matches and did not have a match go to the 18th hole. She held a 1-up lead through 12 holes in the final against Cartwright before losing, 3-and-1.

“My only goal was to qualify for the tournament,” said Gulyanamitta, still slightly dazed from playing eight rounds in six days. “I didn’t know I would do so well.”

Her finish at the Publinks gives her an exemption to the U.S. Women’s Amateur, Aug. 7-12, at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore. Until then, she plans on practicing at Costa Mesa Golf Club, continuing lessons with John Hartman at Northwood golf center and playing with cousin Neno Boonyaplaynun, who advanced to the Southern Section finals in May as a freshman at University High.

After one important item of business, however.

“The first thing I need to to is establish my USGA handicap,” she said. “I don’t have that yet.”

NOE WINS

Terry Noe of Fullerton won his first major American amateur title since the 1994 U.S. Junior Amateur with a four-round total of 14-under-par 274 in the Rice Planters Amateur, which concluded Saturday at Snee Farm Country Club in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

Noe, 23, a Sunny Hills High graduate, shot rounds of 67-66-71-70 and led after all four rounds. He birdied two of the last four holes in the final round in defeating Warwick Dews of New Zealand by three shots. James Oh of Lakewood, another former U.S. Junior champion, finished six strokes back in third place.

“It feels awesome,” Noe said. “Since I was 19 I wanted to win a tournament like this.”

MID-AMATEUR QUALIFYING

Jonathan Petke of Rancho Santa Margarita shot one-over-par 72 Tuesday at Rancho San Marcos Golf Club in Santa Barbara and was medalist in qualifying for the SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship.

Marc Penso of Huntington Beach (74), Bob Claydon of Laguna Niguel (74) and Steve Nichols of Orange (76) also qualified at Rancho San Marcos.

Iain MacDonald of Fullerton shot par 72 Tuesday at Crystalaire Country Club in Llano to earn a berth. Jeff Goettsche of Anaheim, Rick Nolan of Laguna Hills, Gary Wing of Irvine, Jeffrey Payne of Huntington Beach and Mark Harding of Fountain Valley qualified Thursday at the SCGA Members’ Club in Murietta.

The SCGA Mid-Amateur championship is Aug. 28-29 at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach.

ANDERSON WINS

Andy Anderson of Huntington Beach shot five-under-par 67 Thursday at Recreation Park in Long Beach and won the boys’ overall title in the Crosby Memorial Junior Golf Championship.

Sunny Lee of Irvine shot 76 to win the girls’ overall title.