Burnham, Lervick and Two Others Advance to U.S. Women's Amateur

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org

 
  WOODBURY, Minn. – Despite four bogeys on her scorecard Thursday, University of Stanford golfer Sierra Kersten rolled in six birdies to shoot 2-under par 70 at Prestwick Golf Club, earning medalist honors as well as a spot in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

A field of 40 players were competing for one of four qualifying spots to this year’s championship, which will be played August 7-13 at San Diego Country Club in San Diego, Calif. Kersten will be joined by Minnesotans Sarah Burnham and Brenna Lervick, as well as Texan Julie Houston, who claimed the final qualifying position.

“I thought I was pretty steady—made some bogeys, but I was able to make some putts,” Kersten said after earning a trip to her second USGA event Thursday. “I tried to stay focused and play one hole at a time.

“I knew that I had put myself in a good position and knew that if I held it around 2-under that I’d have a decent shot at getting in.”

Kersten, a Spokane, Wash., native who was born in Minnesota, rolled in her birdie look from 20 feet at the par-3 third to quickly fall below par for the round and added a second birdie at the par-5 fourth, sinking her putt from eight feet.

Giving back a stroke with a bogey at the fifth, Kersten rebounded by sinking a short birdie at the sixth before a bogey at the seventh put her back to 1-under for the round. Kersten would turn at 2-under par after rolling in an 8-footer for birdie at the ninth.

With a birdie and a pair of bogeys early on the back nine, Kersten remained at 1-under before drilling a 25-foot birdie putt at the par-5 16th and would finish the day ahead of the field to qualify for her first U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

“I was happy with my putting—I made a lot of putts. Some days you’re close all day and they don’t drop, but today was one of those days when they were dropping. I’ve been able to rely on it after missing greens to get up-and-down.”

Kersten qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in 2013, advancing to match play in her first national championship appearance.

The soon-to-be junior should have strong support on her side from former Stanford teammate and Osceola, Wis., native, Casey Danielson, who qualified for seven consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships from 2010 to 2016, advancing to match play four times.

“I’ve learned a lot from her over the past few years,” Kersten said.

A flurry of birdies to begin her back nine propelled Minnesotan Sarah Burnham to a 1-under par 71 Thursday, qualifying for her eighth-career USGA event.

Burnham, Maple Grove, Minn., double-bogeyed her first hole of the day and would turn at 3-over following a bogey at the par-3 sixth. The two-time Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Player of the year rolled in a 25-footer for birdie at the 10th to limit the damage from the front side before sinking another long birdie opportunity on the ensuing hole.

Dialing in her irons quickly on the back, Burnham stuck her approach at the par-4 13th inside of three feet before nearly holing out for eagle at the 13th.

“I felt like I was back in contention and probably have a chance [to qualify], but I knew I just had to play conservative and that’s what I did by finishing with pars,” Burnham said after her string of birdies. She would roll five consecutive pars to finish in second place at 71 to qualify for her fourth consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

“It’s pretty cool to qualify four consecutive years. I hope to make match play and go even further than I did my first time there,” Burnham said. “Things weren’t really going my way on the front nine. I started off with a [double-bogey] and then I had a couple of five-foot birdie putts that I missed. It just didn’t seem like it was going to be my day today until I hit the back nine.

“I was happy with my mental game today—I was pretty upset the way the round started, but I knew I had to grind it out somehow. I have not been playing my best and my front nine today is how I’ve been feeling. Something just clicked and I made a bunch of birdies and I didn’t miss a green on the back nine. I felt more like myself.”

Burnham lost her opening match at the 2014 national championship at Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, N.Y., but has not moved on past stroke play each of the past two events.

Lervick, Chanhassen, Minn., got off to a shaky start by carding a double-bogey at the par-4 second, but answered by converting birdie chances at the fourth and fifth holes to draw even. A steady Lervick would par 12 of the next 13 holes, taking a bogey at the 14th to finish tied for third at 73. The recent University of South Dakota graduate grabbed the third qualifying spot by tallying birdie on the first playoff hole.

Houston, from Allen, Texas, played her front nine at 1-over par Thursday, carding one birdie with a pair of bogeys at the fifth and sixth holes. She would pull even with a birdie at the 10th, but took bogey at the 13th and 16th holes to fall back to 2-over.

Converting her birdie chance at the 205-yard 17th, Houston would finish the day tied for third with a 1-over par 73. Houston claimed the final qualifying spot with a par on the fourth playoff hole.

Houston earned medalist honors at White Bear Yacht Club in 2015 to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur where she would miss the cut for the match play portion of the championship.

Kate Smith, Detroit Lakes, Minn., and Allisen Corpuz, Waipahu, Hawaii, finished as first and second alternates, respectively.