Laorr to Face Burnham for MWGA State Match Play Championship

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  VICTORIA, Minn. – A birdie on the 22nd hole Tuesday sent former University of Minnesota golfer Anna Laorr to the championship match against Sarah Burnham at the 2015 Minnesota Women’s Golf Association State Match Play Championship at Deer Run Golf Club.

Laorr, Hazeltine National Golf Club, moved past Anni Heck, 3 and 2, during the quarterfinals Tuesday before outlasting Kate Smith during the semifinals, while Burnham downed Stephanie Herzog, 4 and 2, during quarterfinal action Tuesday before defeating 2010 champion, Cassie Deeg, during her semifinal match.

“Tomorrow is going to be fun,” Loarr said of the final match against Burnham. “The last time I played her was when I won [in 2013] and I had the round of my life to beat her. I haven’t played with her since then, but I like to see how people’s games have evolved and see where my game, post-college, matches up with hers, having played in the [U.S. Women’s Open].”

Despite wet and soggy conditions during her semifinal match, Laorr jumped out to an early lead with a par on the opening hole as Smith would make bogey, but Laorr would run into trouble as Smith quickly took a 2-up lead after four holes.

“I think I was having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the rain and the wet ground. I kind of changed my approach around the sixth hole and played more knock-down shots instead of trying to make full swings,” Laorr said.

The result was back-to-back birdies to finish the front nine, quickly cutting into Smith’s deficit. Trailing a majority of the back nine Tuesday, Laorr put her approach to three feet at the par-4 17th, rolling in birdie to even the match. Both Laorr and Smith made par on No. 18 to force extra holes.

During the playoff, Laorr extended the match with a seven-foot par putt before missing an opportunity to close the match with birdie on the second playoff hole.

Laorr made another clutch 12-foot putt to extend the match on the third hole before making birdie on the fourth to clinch the match, 1-up.

“[Smith] played a beautiful round of golf—she was around even par when we were done so I definitely had to fight for the win,” Laorr said. “It was good that I was able to make some birdies towards the end to get back in the match because for a while I was out of it.”

Deeg rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the second hole to take an early lead in her semifinal match against before Burnham would even the match with a par at the par-4 fifth hole.

Burnham, a soon-to-be sophomore at Michigan State University, would take a 2-up lead after winning the seventh and eighth holes, but Deeg came firing back to even the match as she would take the ninth and tenth holes.

Rolling in an eight-foot birdie at the par-4 12th hole, Burnham took her second lead of the match, but Deeg would fight back with a birdie at the 15th to keep the match square.

Trailing by one after a bogey at the 17th, Deeg found the sand with both her tee shot and approach and would concede the match after failing to hit her third shot out of the trap as Burnham clinched the match, 2-up.

“We were back-and-forth all round,” Burnham said of her semifinal match against Deeg. “I played pretty solid and so did [Deeg]. The conditions were pretty tough—it rained pretty much all day and it’s kind of exhausting.”

With conditions likely to be the same during the final round Wednesday, Burnham said she’ll keep her game plan pretty simple.

“If I can keep the ball down the middle of the fairway, hit some greens and make a couple of putts, I think I’ll be alright.”

For Deeg, she travels to Lincoln, Neb., Wednesday to begin her senior season at the University of Nebraska with one victory to her credit—a second consecutive MGA Mixed Amateur Team title.

“I feel good about the year—it wasn’t a lights-out summer or anything, but I feel good with my swing right now going into the year. Practice starts a week from tomorrow and our first tournament is the first week of September.”

“I got it to even after [No. 10] but I made a couple mistakes on the back and missed a short putt. The 17th hole was ugly for the both of us and I got in the bunkers on 18. I had no chance and she hit it to four feet,” Deeg said of her semifinal match. “I really hit the ball well and hit my irons well and I made some nice putts too.”

Deeg finished second in both the Minnesota Women’s Public Golf Association State Public Links Championship at Oak Glen Golf Club as well as the Women’s State Amateur Championship at Interlachen Country Club.

The final match of the 2015 MWGA State Match Play Championship is scheduled to begin at 8:28 a.m. Wednesday at Deer Run Golf Club.