Ashley Duff wears a big smile following her tee shot on the fifteenth hole. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        Ashley Duff fought off the rookie complex. Katie Rakel fought off a lack of preparation.

        Despite different personal battles, both golfers reached the same pinnacle, and Duff and Rakel will compete today for the 86th Greater Cincinnati Women's Amateur Invitational Championship at Royal Oak Country Club.

        Their championship match tees off at 9:45 a.m.

        “I'm really excited,” said Duff, who is playing on her home course. “I can't wait.”

        To get to this point, Duff and Rakel played through early-morning dew and eliminated two-time champions in Thursday's semifinals. Duff defeated Janie Klare 2-up, and Rakel beat Lynn Thompson 1-up.

        Both match play wins came on the 18th hole.

        Klare actually trailed by three after five holes before roaring back. They were tied at the turn. Klare conceded after missing a putt on 18.

        Rakel didn't take the lead until the 18th hole. She chipped in a 10-foot birdie to take advantage of Thompson's errant shot between three trees.

        “I'm mentally exhausted,” Rakel said after the match. “I'm going home to get some sleep.”

        Thompson (1980-81 champion) or Klare (1985, 1989 champion) could have become the first player to win the Women's Met after skipping a decade between championships.

        Instead, Rakel, 22, has a chance to become a two-time winner. She won in 2000 and lost to Melissa Yeazell last year in a 19-hole playoff. Rakel, who played golf at St. Ursula and the University of Cincinnati, is playing in her fifth Women's Met.

        “I'm relieved,” Rakel said. “I didn't think it was going to happen this year. I took a long break (from playing golf), and wasn't playing as well as I could have been playing at the beginning of the week.”

Katy Rakel watches her tee shot on the par 3 fourteenth during her match against Lynn Thompson. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        But she said her golf game has improved every day, starting with Monday's qualifying round.

        Duff is a former standout at Glen Este High School and a sophomore golfer at Kent State University. Duff has played in the annual tournament twice, but this is her first time competing in the championship flight.

        She was the only semifinalist without a title.

        “I didn't really think about it,” Duff, 19, said. “I'm pretty confident in my game and know that I can hold my own. Obviously, these last four people are really good players.”

        Rakel said she played against Duff her senior year of high school; earlier, Duff didn't remember competing against Rakel. She has seen Rakel play before.

        “I watched her play a little bit last year in the Met,” Duff said. “She's got to be a good player. She's won before.”

        This week, both golfers have hit longer drives than their competition. Rakel said she will not change her strategy. Duff isn't so sure.

        “Maybe it does a little bit, because the girls I played with before didn't hit it as far,” she said. “It'll be fun.”

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