Boca Raton’s Elle Nachmann reaches quarterfinals of Doherty golf tourney

Boca Raton’s Elle Nachmann hadn’t played in an individual tournament since the U.S. Women’s Amateur in August, yet she had a strong showing recently in the 89th annual Ione D. Jones/Doherty Women’s Amateur Championship at the Coral Ridge Country Club.

The 18-year-old Nachmann defeated Rose Zhang, the No. 1 amateur in the world, in the US Women’s Amateur, but wasn’t sure how she would do in the Doherty. She carded a 4-under 68 in stroke-play qualifying, which is the best round she ever had Coral Ridge Course.

Nachmann went on to fall 3-2 to eventual champion Brooke Oberparleiter, of Jupiter, in the quarterfinals.

“Overall, I felt that I had a solid performance at the Doherty,” said Nachmann, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania (in the Wharton Undergraduate Business School). “I was disappointed in losing in the quarterfinals as I was looking forward to winning my first tournament in 2022, but Brooke played very well against me and I came up just a little short at the end.

“The conditions were tough with winds close to 20 mph, but I thought we played at a very high level, especially given the conditions,” Nachmann said. “I thought Brooke had a great week and was obviously playing some really good golf to eventually win the tournament.”

Last summer, Nachmann and Amelia Williams won the Florida State Golf Association Four-Ball Championship in August. She and Kendall Griffin finished as the first alternate team in a September qualifier for the USGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and she and her brother Alec combined to win the FSGA Mixed Shootout Championship in October for the second consecutive year.

Nachmann said she has been getting in a lot of work while in South Florida.

“I’m just happy to be able to play out here,” she said. “In Philly, the weather isn’t great. They have moved the first two weeks (of the spring semester) online, that’s why I can play. We don’t have to go back until the 24th.”

She said she is looking forward to playing this spring and summer and looking for as many opportunities to play.

“I am proud of the work that I have done especially given that I am balancing very high academic demands as well as practicing to compete at the highest levels in women’s golf,” said Nachmann, who recently completed her third semester at the Wharton undergraduate business school with a 4.0 GPA.

“My goal is to try to qualify for the US Women’s Open this year as it is being played in one of my favorites areas and golf courses, Pine Needles, North Carolina,” she said. “I am also looking forward to receiving my award in February for being named the Florida Women’s Player of the Year for 2021.

Nachmann earned the award for having won the Florida Women’s Stroke Play, Florida Women’s Four-Ball, Florida Mixed Four-Ball and runner-up in the Florida State Match Play.