Wickenburg Ranch Golf & Social Club - Blistering heat and emerald green fairways met Women's Match Play Championship competitors Thursday morning, and put them to the ultimate test.
While many tournament formats remain stroke play, the Women's Match Play Championship has a unique way to approach scoring. For the Field, Senior, and Open competitiors, each four players are placed in a pod, at random.
Over the course of the first three days in the championship, each player will take on another in their pod head-on, until each player has played one another. After the three days, the top players in each pod will move on to the final day, which has semi-final and final single elimination rounds, ultimately crowning a champion.
"I love match play personally, I feel like I can be really aggressive, because if you blow up and it doesn't work out, you only lose one hole," said Grace Rubelsky, incoming junior at Washington State University. "I think the stategy is to be really aggressive, take committed swings, good targets, but also being that annoying, consistent player that's making pars as well."
In her second Women's Match Play Championship appearance, Rubelsky won her match 2 & 1 against her opponent, Malone Wall.
"I played in this event last year, and it was my first time ever, and it was a great experience. I love AGA, and they run such a great event, and the girls are great, so it's great competition."
Along with Rubelsky, there are seven other collegiate-athletes in the Open Championship field, including Rubelsky's teammate Kaitlyn Helm, who won her match today 4 up.
Other student-athletes in the field include Claire Chang (UC Davis), Zaida Wise (Arkansas State University), Lily Huether (University of Iowa), Teaen Sweet (Vassar College), Kate Connolly (Drake University), and Kasey Reichard (Arkansas Tech University).
The championship continues with two more rounds of pod match play on Friday and Saturday, with semi-final and final match play commencing Sunday morning. The trophy is very much still up for grabs.
"I think just taking it one match at a time, and just enjoy it," Rubelsky said. "I mean, it's summer, and I'm just really getting ready for the fall, and I love these events, so really just try to be present, accept shots, and have fun."
About AZ GOLF
Founded in 1923, AZ GOLF is a nonprofit dedicated to serving and advancing the game of golf in Arizona. We engage our community through championships and tournaments, player development, education, and outreach while providing official USGA Handicap Indexes to golfers statewide. With more than 550 member clubs and golfers of all ages and abilities, we are committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive golf community and ensuring the game’s long-term growth and sustainability.