June 7, 2012
Vanderbilt rising senior Lauren Stratton advanced to the finals of the Tennessee State Women’s Amateur after defeating 2011 champion and Commodore teammate Kendall Martindale, 1-up, in the semifinals Thursday afternoon at the Foxland Harbor Golf Course in Gallatin. Stratton moves on to face Ashley Averitt of Oakland, Tenn., a recent graduate and four-year letterwinner at Austin Peay University, at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning.
Stratton built an early three-stroke lead on Martindale, but the rising sophomore from Jefferson City, Tenn., birdied two consecutive holes and cut Stratton’s lead to one-up on the front nine. From there, Stratton would hold on to her single-hole lead to win the match and dethrone the defending champion. In 2011, Martindale claimed the Tennessee Women’s Amateur and the Women’s Open in the same season.
Earlier in the dayin the quarterfinals, Stratton defeated Jenna Burris of Manchester, 5-4, while Martindale knocked off Ashley Haggard of Savannah, 5-3.
Stratton is seeking her first Tennessee State Amateur championship.