Burnham Sets Course Record En Route to Her Second MWPGA State Public Links Title

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  PAYNESVILLE, Minn. – Carrying a three-stroke lead into the final round of the 69th Minnesota Women’s Public Golf Association Public Links Championship at Koronis Hills Golf Club, Sarah Burnham felt a second straight round of even par would be good enough to win her second Public Links trophy.

Instead, Burnham set a new course record by firing a 6-under par 65 Sunday, cruising to an 11-stroke victory over Leigh Klasse for her second win of the season.

“Yesterday I struggled on the front nine with a few bogeys, but I played well on the back,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking about much coming into today’s round, I figured if I could shoot even par again, it would be alright.”

Starting quickly by sinking her 10-foot birdie putt on the opening hole Sunday, Burnham gave back a stroke after failing to get up-and-down for par at the sixth.

Burnham, Rush Creek Golf Club, took control of the tournament at the sixth hole Sunday as she would make six birdies over her next eight holes to pull away from the field with five holes to play.

Her second shot at the par-5 sixth landed shy of the green but she would two-putt for an easy birdie before a second tap-in birdie at the eighth, moving to 2-under for the championship.

The 2015 Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Player of the Year converted her 12-foot birdie chance at the par-4 ninth hole before dropping her fifth birdie putt of the round from eight feet at the 10th hole.

Taking advantage of her length from the tee, Burnham reached the par-5 12th hole in two, leaving her eagle putt within a foot of the cup for yet another tap-in birdie.

She would move to 6-under for the tournament on the ensuing hole by sticking her tee shot to eight feet and dropping her birdie before cruising over the final five holes with consecutive pars to post the only score below par for the tournament.

“When I hit it close on [No. 8] for a tap-in birdie, I felt like I was in a pretty good groove,” Burnham said Sunday. “I felt good—I hit a lot of good irons and I kept rolling in the putts today. I love playing in this tournament.”

Burnham, who will be a junior at Michigan State University this fall, will travel internationally for the second time in as many months as she will compete in the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship July 29-31 in Saskatchewan, looking to improve on a third-place finish at last year’s event.

Last month Burnham had a dominating performance at the MWPGA State Match Play Championship at Bunker Hills Golf Club before finishing ninth at the 2016 World University Golf Championships in Brive, France on June 26.

Klasse, the defending champion and five-time winner of the event, entered the final round tied for second with Haley Tollette after shooting 3-over par 74 during the opening round Saturday.

On Sunday, Klasse began by rolling in her birdie chance at the par-5 third hole before drawing even for the round with a bogey at the eighth. She would turn at 2-over for the championship after her second birdie of the day at the ninth, but Klasse would card three bogeys over the final nine holes to shoot 73 and finish in second at 5-over par 147.

Tollette, Rum River Hills Golf Club, carded a second consecutive round of 74 Sunday to finish third at 148, while three-time champion, Olivia Herrick, fired a final-round 71 to finish fourth at 149.