Deeg Takes One-Stroke Lead at Minnesota Women's State Amateur

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By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  FOREST LAKE, Minn. – As days continually get shorter and summer draws nearer to a close, more and more students are packing up and heading back to campus.

Cassie Deeg likely wants to cross one last item off of her to-do list before beginning her junior year at the University of Nebraska—win the Minnesota Women’s State Amateur Championship.

Deeg finished Monday’s opening round tied for the lead and after carding a 74 Tuesday at Forest Hills Golf Club, Deeg took sole possession of the lead at 3-over par 147 with just 18 holes left to play.

One day after missing just four greens during her round, Deeg said Tuesday’s second round presented a few more challenges.

“Today was definitely more work than yesterday,” she said. “I was in 14th fairway and I had hit only three fairways, so it was a little bit of a different game today—I got up and down a lot.”

Deeg, Golden Eagle Golf Club, rolled in three pars before dipping into red numbers with a birdie on the fourth to get to even par for the tournament before running into trouble.

A double-bogey on the par-3 sixth put Deeg at 2-overpar and she would make the turn at 3-over after a bogey on the ninth.

After a pair pars to open the back nine, Deeg found trouble with poor tee shots on the 12th and 13th holes, but was able to get up and down both times to stay at 3-over.

She went to 2-over after a birdie at the par-5 14th, but would finish her round with a bogey on the final hole, taking the outright lead at 3-over par 147, one shot better than Olivia Herrick who sits alone in second at 148.

Deeg said her goal for the final day is to play a calm and relaxed round on a course she’s very familiar with.

“I’m just going to go out and play like I’m playing with my family. I’ve played this course so many times—I know it, I know I can play well here and I know I can score well. I just need to hit some greens and make some putts."

Deeg already has a lengthy golf resume as she took Minnesota Junior Player of the Year honors in 2011 along with a Class AAA state title before claiming the Minnesota Match Play Championship, as well as the Minnesota State Public Links Championship the same year.

Deeg has one collegiate victory with four career Top-10 finishes, while being named Big Ten Player of the Week three times.

Herrick, a two-time winner in 2009 and 2010, fired a 2-over par 74 for the second straight day and will begin the final round one shot off the lead at 148.

Herrick, Dellwood Country Club, made the turn Tuesday at even par with a pair of birdies and a pair of bogeys before a birdie at the par-3 10th put her back to 1-over for the championship.

She would finish her day with three bogeys over the final eight holes to card a 2-over par 74.

“Today was a little steadier than yesterday,” Herrick said after her round, “I had some good looks at birdie, made a couple and felt pretty solid.”

“I need to stay positive and keep grinding it out. Absolutely anything can happen, especially out here, and you just have to stay positive a give yourself some chances”

Kate Smith, Ironman Golf Course, and defending champion Celia Kuenster, Somerset Country Club, finished Tuesday’s second round tied for third at 5-over par 149, needing to overcome a two-stroke deficit.

Smith, a three-time Class AA state champion, slipped to 4-over for the championship with three bogeys over the first eight holes Tuesday before rolling in a birdie on the ninth to make the turn at 3-over. After two bogeys over the final nine holes, Smith finished her second round at 4-over par 76.

“I left a lot of shots out there,” Smith said, “my putting was brutal and my ball striking wasn’t as good, but I grinded out some pars. Tomorrow I need to be more confident with my irons and I need to putt better.”

Kuenster won the event in 2011 at Hastings Country Club before winning last year’s championship at Dellwood Country Club.

The soon-to-be University of Minnesota freshman carded a 1-under par 71 Tuesday and jumped right back into contention after her round of 78 Monday.

Kuenster opened her round with six consecutive pars before rolling in a birdie on the ninth to make the turn at even par.

On the final nine holes Kuenster would knock in two more birdies with one bogey to shoot a second-round 71 and sit tied for third at 149.

Sarah Burnham, 2012 champion at Mendakota Country Club, sits just three shots off the lead in fifth place at 150 after firing a 1-over par 73 during Tuesday’s second round.

The final round of the 2014 Minnesota Women’s State Amateur Championship gets underway Wednesday with tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m.


For complete tournament results go to: https://www.ghintpp.com/mngolf/TPPOnlineScoring/ResultsStroke.aspx?id=876