Herrick Wins Third MWPGA State Public Links With 69 at Monticello Country Club

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


MONTICELLO, Minn. – Olivia Herrick saw firsthand how important a good start is to a golf tournament Saturday as she knocked in her first career ace on the opening hole of the 67th Minnesota Women’s Public Golf Association State Public Links Championship at Monticello Country Club.

On Sunday, Herrick showed just how critical it is to make a strong finish as she made birdies on the final two holes to card a 6-under par 136 to win her third State Public Links Championship by three strokes over Sarah Burnham.

Herrick, Manitou Ridge Golf Club, began the final round Sunday with a three shot advantage and played as steady as she could’ve hoped for, making 13 consecutive pars to start her round.

“I played really steady on the front—I made nine pars and I can’t remember the last time I’ve done that,” Herrick said. “On 7, 8 and 9 I had three really good up and downs. I had a lot of really good lag putts where I left myself with just a tap in today. The more you do that, the more comfortable you start to feel.”

Herrick made four straight pars before a very aggressive tee shot on the 110-yard, very narrow and sloped 14th hole. Herrick hit an 8-iron and stuck her tee shot five feet right of the pin tucked to the back edge of the difficult green.

“For some reason that pin position, from back on the tee, seemed incredibly intimidating. The pin looked like it was on a sliver back there,” Herrick said. “It was 129 yards, which is a perfect, flush 9-iron, but my caddie (and husband, Bror) told me to hit an 8 and start it right of the hole.”

“I choked down and hit it perfect—to be able to convert on that hole was great,” she said.

She rolled in her birdie to maintain a three shot advantage over Burnham before running into trouble on the 16th.

Herrick’s tee shot found the trees along the right rough and tried to punch out to the fairway, but caught too much grass with the clubface and her ball traveled 75 yards, remaining in the rough.

With another low punch shot, Herrick’s third rolled through and off the back of the green. Her fourth rolled past the pin and she was left with a 15-foot putt for bogey.

After Burnham cut into Herrick’s lead on the 12th hole by chipping in for eagle, Burnham drilled a 20-foot birdie on the 16th and put pressure squarely on Herrick.

Herrick stepped up and rolled in her putt for an incredible bogey to remain one stroke ahead of Burnham with two holes left to play.

“I hit a terrible punch on 16. The only thing I didn’t want to do was to leave it short and that’s what I did. Then I hit another bad punch that went long,” Herrick said. “[Burnham] rolls in birdie and I was staring down a 15-footer for bogey and I had a good feeling as soon as I hit it. I was putting really well and it was a really straight putt—when it went in, that was a really big turning point.”

With her tee shot on 17, Herrick put perhaps her final stamp on the tournament as she left herself with a five foot birdie putt—which rolled just inside the right edge. Herrick said making bogey on the 16th actually turned out to be a blessing as the other three golfers in the final group teed off before her on the 17th.

“I was last to tee off and saw that all of their shots moved significantly right to left on the green, so I played a tiny bit of a cut to hold it against the wind and it ended up being five feet from the pin,” she said.

Burnham found trouble off the tee on the final hole and scrambled to put her approach safely in the middle of the 18th green. Herrick’s second shot from the fairway rolled through the green to the back edge where she only needed a three-putt for the victory.

Once again, Herrick lagged to within two feet and tapped in for birdie to claim her third State Public Links title in seven years.

“I’m very happy and to be able to play with this group–we’re very lucky. This is totally one, big golf family and everyone here is so nice. You want to play with people who are rooting for you and you’re rooting for them. It feels great to play with a group of stand up, awesome women,” Herrick said.

Both Herrick and Burnham carded rounds on 2-under par 69 during the final round as Burnham finished three shots behind Herrick at 139.

Burnham adds another strong performance to her 2014 season as she started with a Class AAA team state championship, finishing second individually, before winning the MWPGA Match Play Championship. After winning the Minnesota Women’s Four Ball Championship, Burnham claimed the Minnesota Junior Girls State Championship Tuesday at Bunker Hills Golf Club.

Claudia Pilot, a four-time winner of the event, began her final round four strokes behind Herrick, and finished third at 147 after carding a 5-over par 76 Sunday.

Lexi Bollant fired a 2-over par 73 Sunday to finish in fourth place at 148, while Leigh Klasse, also a four-time winner, finished in fifth place at 150.


For complete tournament results go to: www.ghintpp.com/mngolf/TPPOnlineScoring/ResultsStroke.aspx?id=868