Herrick Medals, Heads Back to U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Along with Anderson and Williams

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By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – With three victories to add to her ever-expanding golf resume, Olivia Herrick’s 2016 season can easily be considered a success.

But for the three-time Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Player of the Year, there’s one tournament that’s taken the top spot on her priority list each of the past four seasons—the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

Herrick survived a precarious start to her back nine Friday, but rebounded with two birdies on the final three holes to shoot 4-over par 77 Friday at Minnesota Valley Country Club to advance to her fourth consecutive national tournament.

“Today was a whirlwind,” she said. “I made five bogeys in a row on the back, so that was a rough stretch. My rule of thumb for USGA qualifiers is to never, ever give up and try to stay focused as long as possible because absolutely anything can happen. I tried to stay positive and grind it out.

“I’m really happy right now. This event is really important to me because didn’t try to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur, so this is my national championship. I’ve worked really hard to get everything together so I feel more confident out there today and I’m just very pleased." 

Taking bogey on the opening hole, Herrick fell to 1-over before taking a second bogey at the par-5 sixth. She would roll in her birdie chance from 10 feet at the eighth to turn at 1-over.

After a par at the 10th, Herrick’s string of misfortune began, taking five straight bogeys to fall to 6-over. She answered by sinking her birdie from eight feet at the 16th before rolling in another 10-footer for birdie on the final hole.

“I felt good on the front; I was putting really well,” Herrick said. “But then I just missed a couple shorter putts on the back. I think I was putting a little extra pressure on myself and couldn’t convert those.

“You want to go out a shoot the lowest round possible, but I was thinking around 75 might medal. There were some really interesting pins and the greens are tough here. There’s a lot of break and the pace is different.”

Herrick has qualified for match play in each of her first three attempts at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, advancing to the Round of 32 in 2013.

Just two days removed from her first individual victory in nine years Wednesday at the 16th Minnesota Women’s State Open at Indian Hills Golf Club, Lynn Anderson continued her strong play Friday to shoot 78 and qualify for her first U.S. Mid-Amateur since 2007.

“This is great, but it’s going to be a challenge because [the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur] has younger kids and the course will be longer,” Anderson said Friday. “The two girls I played with today were bombing it past me, but I just have to practice a lot of short-game stuff.

“I know I can hang in there if I strike the ball well and my short game is good. You always want to make the cut—that’s my first goal. After that it’s icing on the cake.”

Struggling to finish rounds earlier in the season, it was her start Friday that gave her trouble as she took a triple-bogey on the opening hole before carding a bogey at the fourth to slip to 4-over for the round.

“My second shot [on No. 1] hit my opponent’s ball and ricocheted in the bunker into the lip. It was just bad luck—that’s a fluke,” Anderson explained. “I tried to move on; I’m playing well and I know there are birdies to be had.”

Bouncing back at the par-4 sixth, Anderson sank her birdie opportunity from 20 feet to get back to 3-over but would take a bogey on the ensuing hole. Rolling in her birdie look from 10 feet, Anderson again moved to 3-over, but bogeyed the ninth to turn at 4-over.

Finding her footing early on the back nine Friday, Anderson would cruise over the final nine holes, carding a lone bogey at the 13th to shoot 5-over par 78 to advance to the national championship next month in Pennsylvania.

“I’ve done a better job of taking one shot at a time and not getting ahead of myself,” she said. “I’ve been hitting the ball well and I just try to visualize the shot at hand.”

Anderson, Hopkins, Minn., qualified for four consecutive U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur tournaments starting in 2004 but has never qualified for the match play portion of the championship. At her most recent national event, last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, Anderson advanced to the Round of 16.

Williams, Minnetrista, Minn., began the qualifier Friday with a bogey on the first hole before adding another three bogeys to her scorecard over the next six holes to turn at 4-over par.

Unable to convert her par putt at the 13th, Williams fell to 5-over for the round but answered by sinking her birdie look at the par-4 16th. Following one final bogey at the 17th, Williams would finish her day at 5-over par 78 to qualify for her 11th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

Williams has finished inside the top-10 in all six events this season and is the defending Minnesota Senior Women’s State Amateur champion.

Murphy, Sioux Falls, S.D., started her round with a bogey on the opening hole before carding back-to-back bogeys at the sixth and seventh holes to fall to 3-over for the day. She rebounded by rolling in her birdie chance at the eighth to turn at 2-over.

Looking to make a charge up the leaderboard early on her front nine Friday, Murphy carded a pair of birdies at the 10th and 12th holes to get back to even, but would record four bogeys with one double over the final six holes to shoot 79 to earn the final qualifying position.

Leigh Klasse, St. Anthony, Minn., and Janelle Duffy, Adel, Iowa, finished as first and second alternates, respectively.

The 2016 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will be played September 10-15 at The Kahkwa Club in Eerie, Pa.



2016 U.S. WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR SECTIONAL QUALIFYING
MINNESOTA VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB
BLOOMINGTON, MINN.
6,133 YARDS, PAR 73


FINAL RESULTS
1. Olivia Herrick, Roseville, Minn., 37-40—77 (medalist)
T2. Lynn Anderson, Hopkins, Minn., 40-38—78 (qualifier)
T2. Brenda Williams, Minnetrista, Minn., 40-38—78 (qualifier)
4. Maggie Murphy, Sioux Falls, S.D., 38-41—79 (qualifier)
5. Leigh Klasse, St. Anthony, Minn., 41-41—82 (first alternate)
T6. Janelle Duffy, Adel, Iowa, 42-42—84 (second alternate)
T6. Jenny Heinz, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 43-41—84
T6. Alison Hurley, Minnetonka, Minn., 39-45—84
9. Ellie Layton, Rochester, Minn., 45-42—87
10. Kathryn Hauff, Minneapolis, Minn., 48-45—93