New York, United States: Malaysian Alyaa Abdulghany, Thai Kan Bunnabodee and China’s Sophie Guo Yixian will lead a 12-strong Asia-Pacific contingent into the match play phase of the 121st US Women’s Amateur, America’s oldest female amateur championship.

Abdulghany, a US Women’s Amateur semi-finalist last year, Kan and Guo all compiled 36-hole aggregates of one-under 143 in the stroke play segment at Westchester Country Club.

The leading 64 players progressed to match play, the cut-off coming at 149.

Joining Abdulghany, Kan and Guo in the knockout stages are the Australian trio of Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (145), Emily Mahar (147) and Grace Kim (148), Chinese Taipei duo Hou Yu-chiang (148) and Huang Ting-hsuan (149), Malaysian Audrey Tan (148) and Rianne Mikhaela Malixi of the Philippines (149).

Also through on 146 are Thai Suthavee Chanachai, the first-round leader who struggled to a 77 on day two, and China’s Cindy Xin Kou, the last player to get into the field.

Xin, who was born in the People’s Republic of China but now resides in Valencia, California, was contacted by the USGA on Saturday when 2021 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion Lauren Zaretsky declined the exemption.

Among the notables who failed to advance were China's Michelle Zhang Yunxuan (150), who missed out in a 12-way play-off for the final two spots, Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Tsai-ching and An Ho-yu (both 153), Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani, this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, Tomi Arejola of the Philippines, Korean Tracy Lee and Australian Makensie Toole (all 154).

A further shot back were China’s Wang Jiayi, Hanako Kawasaki of Vietnam and Australian Darcy Habgood, followed by Chinese Taipei’s Yu Han-hsuan (157) and Lan Bowen of China (158).

Taking advantage of windless conditions and comfortable temperatures, Wake Forest All-American Rachel Kuehn carded a second-round 67 to earn medallist honours.

Kuehn’s 36-hole total of six-under 138 was two strokes better than Southern Methodist University rising senior Kennedy Pedigo.

Kuehn, 23rd in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, joins her mother, Brenda Corrie Kuehn, as a USGA medallist. Brenda was medallist in the 1995 and 1996 US Women’s Mid-Amateurs, losing in the 1995 final.