ELMHURST, Ill. –Co-medalists Raya Nakao, of Kaneohe, Hawaii, and Kylee Choi, of Murrieta, California, continued their championship runs on Thursday, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 126th Women’s Western Amateur at River Forest Country Club.

The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played Friday, with the championship match scheduled for Saturday morning.

Nakao, the tournament's top seed and a senior at Oregon State, never found herself in serious trouble Thursday. She defeated North Florida's Kaitlyn Schroeder, 2 and 1, in the Round of 32 before eliminating USC commit Kaili Xiao, 4 and 3, to earn a quarterfinal matchup with Northwestern's Rebecca Wang.

Wang advanced with a 4-and-3 victory over Kentucky's C.A. Carter before edging LSU's Raegan Denton, 1 up, in the Round of 16.

On the opposite side of the bracket, Choi also advanced comfortably. The Pepperdine standout defeated Emilia Doran, runner-up at the 2026 North & South Women's Amateur, 2 and 1, before knocking off Alabama commit Alli Wiertel, 4 and 2.

Wiertel became the first winner of the Marion Miley Bracelet – the award given to the player with the lowest combined stroke-play score across the Women’s Western Junior and Amateur – since 2016 to win a match in the Women’s Western Amateur. The 17-year-old from Oswego, Illinois, defeated Duke's Katie Li, 4 and 2, in the Round of 32.

Awaiting Choi in the quarterfinals is Stanford's Anna Song, who has been one of the week's most dominant players. Ranked No. 312 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Song has yet to play beyond the 15th hole, defeating Florida State's Alexandra Gazzoli, 6 and 5, before dispatching Mia Clausen, 5 and 3.

"The first match, I hit the ball really well and put myself in good positions," Song said. "Especially on this course, it's really important to stay below the hole. During my second match, my putter was just on my side today. Mia played amazing, and I just made some really good putts."

Kentucky's Cathryn Brown advanced to the quarterfinals after knocking off 2025 co-medalist Pimchompoo "Pinky" Chaisilprungruang, 3 and 1, in the Round of 16. Brown will face Wake Forest commit Amelie Zalsman on Friday.

Brown begins every round with a No. 4 golf ball in memory of her brother, Cullen, who passed away in 2020 after battling osteosarcoma. She also carries a ball marker inscribed with "Enjoy the Walk," a phrase her brother often used.

"It was about enjoying the walk with other people and getting to know your playing competitors and have fun with them," Brown said. "You're with them for six hours a day. That's the cool nature of golf. I come out here and just enjoy every single step I take."

After two matches Thursday, Brown's focus quickly shifted to preparing for another day of match play.

"Long day, burned a lot of calories," she said. "So I'm going to go get some pasta and refuel myself for tomorrow."

Zalsman reached the quarterfinals after surviving the longest match of the day, a 22-hole victory over Texas' Bentley Cotton in the Round of 32, before defeating Oregon State’s Kate Nakaoka, 4 and 3. Nakaoka had knocked off the third co-medalist, Australia’s Rachel Lee, in the Round of 32.

Another quarterfinal will feature Gonzaga's Grace Lee against Princeton's Sarah Lim. Lee, a two-time Washington State Women's Amateur champion, earned victories of 4 and 3 and 4 and 2 Thursday.

"It's been awesome and I'm loving every part of it," Lee said. "The course is really pure and everyone who is helping out is amazing. All the people supporting this event really means a lot, and it's really cool to see."

Lim advanced with victories of 6 and 5 over Ningyao Xu and 3 and 2 over Jaclyn LaHa. She said she enjoys the opportunity to compete in match play.

"You don't get the experience of match play that often," Lim said. "So, when you get to be in that environment, it's really nice and it helps to have momentum going into other events."

Held without interruption since 1901, the Women's Western Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious championships in women's amateur golf. The winner will join a list of champions that includes Patty Berg, Louise Suggs, Nancy Lopez, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.

Attendance and parking for the Women’s Western Amateur are free.

Round of 32 Results
Thursday, July 9, 2025

Upper Bracket
Raya Nakao, Kaneohe, Hawaii, def. Kaitlyn Schroeder, Jacksonville, Florida, 2 and 1
Kaili Xiao, Chino Hills, California, def. Malena Castro, General Pico, Argentina, 19 holes
Rebecca Wang, Seattle, Washington, def. C.A. Carter, Lexington, Kentucky, 4 and 3
Raegan Denton, Adelaide, Australia, def. Angelina Tolentino, Mount Laurel, New Jersey, 2 up
Grace Lee, Bellevue, Washington, def. Scarlett Schremmer, Birmingham, Alabama, 4 and 3
Ryan Flynn, Truckee, California, def. Gabriella Nicastro, Huntsville, Alabama, 1 up
Jaclyn LaHa, Pleasanton, California, def. Zoe Cusack, Potomac, Maryland, 3 and 2
Sarah Lim, Saratoga, California, def. Ningyao Xu, China, 6 and 5

Lower Bracket
Kate Nakaoka, Mililani, Hawaii, def. Rachel Lee, Australia, 1 up
Amelie Zalsman, Saint Petersburg, Florida, def. Bentley Cotton, Austin, Texas, 22 holes
Pinky Chaisilprungruang, Phitsanulok, Thailand, def. Alexa Saldana, Mexico City, Mexico, 4 and 3
Cathryn Brown, Eddyville, Kentucky, def. Nichakorn Pinprayoon, Thailand, 2 and 1
Kylee Choi, Murrieta, California, def. Emilia Doran, Charlotte, North Carolina, 2 and 1
Alli Wiertel, Oswego, Illinois, def. Katie Li, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 4 and 2
Mia Clausen, Carlsbad, California, def. Hsin Chun Liao, Taiwan, 4 and 3
Anna Song, Los Angeles, California, def. Alexandra Gazzoli, Palm Coast, Florida, 6 and 5

Sweet 16 Results
Thursday, July 9, 2025

Upper Bracket
Nakao def. Xiao, 4 and 3
Wang def. Denton, 1 up
Lee def. Flynn, 4 and 2
Lim def. LaHa, 3 and 2

Lower Bracket
Zalsman def. Nakaoka, 4 and 3
Brown def. Chaisilprungruang, 3 and 1
Choi def. Wiertel, 4 and 2
Song def. Clausen, 5 and 3