MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama women's golfer MacKenzie Peyton was recently paired with a World Golf Hall of Fame member in the 2016 U.S. Women's Open Championship qualifier at Hermitage Country Club in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia.

Peyton, who finished tied for 19th with a two-round total of 156, was paired with Laura Davies of England who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. Davies is a four-time LPGA major champion, and has 84 professional wins in 31 years. Ai Miyazato, who currently competes on the LPGA Tour, was also paired with Peyton and Davies. 

"I was originally supposed to be playing with two other LPGA players, but we had a rain delay so the qualifier got pushed back a day and all of the pairings were moved around," Peyton said. "So I ended up being paired with Laura and Ai. It was pretty cool how it all worked out. It was a 36-hole day, so we played both of those rounds together. Laura was really down to earth; we talked pretty much the whole time. She just made it relaxing and fun to play with her. I mostly talked with Ai about professional golf and what it takes to be at that level. It was really cool; it was a good experience for me. 

"I was a little nervous at first, but they made it easy to play with them. I learned that, as far as my game goes, I need to get more consistent and get out and practice. I know I can play at that level, and I learned that is a position that I would want to be in."

Peyton opened the two-round, 36-hole tournament with an 8-over par 80 in the first round. She carded a 4-over 40 on each side of the course, and finished with three birdies on the round. 

Peyton rebounded with a 4-over par 76 in the final round after carding an even-par 36 on HCC's front nine holes. Peyton played her final three holes of the day at even par following a bogey at the par-four eighth and a birdie at the par-four ninth hole. The New Castle, Ky., native finished with seven birdies in two rounds, and played HCC's par-three holes at 2-under par for the tournament.

"I think I just started to relax and play," Peyton said of her second round. "I think I realized that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and that I just needed to go out and have fun. I was 1-over par coming into my last hole, and I bombed the drive. My dad looked at me and said, 'You need to birdie this hole.' I wasn't paying attention to my score at that point. I knocked it up to within two feet and made the putt for birdie. As I was walking off the green, Laura Davies and Ai came up to me and told me I handled it very professionally – that sometimes they get paired with amateurs who hold them up. But they said I was very professional and they loved playing with me, so that was really cool."

Davies finished tied for ninth at the tournament with a two-round, 1-over par total of 145. She posted a 1-over par 73 in the opening round, and followed with an even-par 72 in the final 18 holes after playing the front nine at 1-under par 35. She missed playing in a playoff for the qualifier by three strokes.

Miyazato, who has nine professional wins and was ranked No. 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings in 2010, turned in a 2-under par 142 in two rounds, and finished as the first alternate at the qualifier. She finished at 1-under par 71 in each round of the tournament.

The 2016 U.S. Women's Open will be held July 7-10 at CordeValle Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., in San Martin, Calif.

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