Burnham Claims Third Straight MWPGA Match Play Title With Impressive Performance at Bunker Hills

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  COON RAPIDS, Minn. – Sarah Burnham’s sophomore season was one of the best in the history of the Michigan State University Women’s golf program as she claimed two victories and qualified for the national championship as an individual.

At season’s end she held the school record for scoring average (72.42) and found herself as the 38th-ranked collegiate golfer in the country—for good reason. Many of which were on display Sunday as Burnham carded six birdies over a 10-hole stretch at Bunker Hills Golf Club to beat Olivia Herrick and claim her third consecutive Minnesota Women’s Public Golf Association Match Play Championship.

“I felt really solid today and after the birdie at [No. 6], I felt like I had a really good round going,” Burnham said after her victory Sunday. “I feel like my irons are the best part of my game, I was able to stick a lot of pins and had some short putts.”

In a rematch of last year's final, Herrick surrendered an early lead with back-to-back bogeys to begin the championship match before Burnham rolled back-to-back birdies putts at the third and fourth holes to take a daunting 4-up lead after four holes.

Confident off the tee the entire final match, Burnham took aim at the flagstick Sunday with superb ball striking ability as four of her first six birdies came from within 10 feet. She would play the final 28 holes of the championship bogey-free with seven birdies.

After tucking her 5-foot birdie putt inside the left edge at the par-5 sixth hole, Burnham again put her approach close from the left rough at the eighth hole, converting birdie and would take a 6-up lead to the back nine.

Missing the 10th green short, Burnham chipped to inside three feet to save par and increase her lead to 7-up as Herrick was unable to get up-and-down for par.

The two halved the 11th as Burnham reached the 430-yard, par-5 in two but left her eagle putt a foot short. Herrick hit a beautiful third shot to eight feet from right of the green and would roll birdie to extend the match.

Burnham’s tee shot at the par-3 12th hole rolled to a stop 30 feet behind the cup, but her most impressive putt of the championship found the bottom of the cup for birdie and she clinched her third consecutive win, 8 and 6.

Burnham won an individual state title her junior year at Wayzata High School along with two team titles. She’s collected 14 amateur titles in the state and has qualified for six USGA events, including the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open and two U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships.

She is a three-time MGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year and two-time Women’s Player of the Year and later this month, Burnham will travel to France as a member of Team USA to compete in the 16th World University Golf Championships.

“I don’t know what to expect—I’ve never been out of the country, besides Canada, to play golf. I’m a little nervous because I’m going by myself and I’ve never been overseas, but I think it will be a good experience for me,” Burnham said.

As the MGA’s top-ranked high school golfer her senior season in 2014, Burnham says her game has grown a lot over the past three seasons. But for the first time in her career, Burnham struggled with the game during her freshman season in East Lansing before claiming three wins and seven top-5 finishes last summer.

“A lot of practice—I’m longer and a better putter, overall,” she said. “I definitely got a lot of confidence playing in the [U.S. Women’s Open] against all those good players and on a longer course.”

Sunday’s final result was certainly deceiving and hardly indicative of Herrick’s performance during her final two matches of the championship as the 2008 and 2010 winner played the final 29 holes at 4-over par.

“There’s no one I’d rather lose to—Sarah is a great player,” Herrick said Sunday. “Some days it works out and some days it doesn’t. I definitely didn’t play my best but it seemed like all the greens I reached in regulation, she would birdie. She kept hitting it close and she’s a great putter.

“I played well during the first two matches and I felt like I played fine today. I have time now to tune up for the rest of the summer.”



2016 MWPGA MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
BUNKER HILLS GOLF CLUB
COON RAPIDS, MINN.
5,551 YARDS, PAR 72


FINAL RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
Sarah Burnham, Rush Creek GC, def. Olivia Herrick, Manitou Ridge GC, 8 and 6


FIRST FLIGHT
McKenzie Swenson, Rush Creek GC, def. Kaitlyn Alvarez, Bunker Hills GC, 5 and 4


SECOND FLIGHT
Beth Rubin, Wirth GC, def. Clare Pobanz, Keller GC, 2 and 1


THIRD FLIGHT
Joan Frie, Monticello GC, def. Cheryl Lombardi, Hollydale GC, 4 and 3


FOURTH FLIGHT
Jan Nelson, Brookview GC, def. Sarajane Meyers, Dwan GC, 9 and 8


FIFTH FLIGHT
Tammy Nermyr, Monticello CC, def. Kathy Gerber, Inver Wood GC, 3 and 2