Klasse and Williams Headed to U.S. Senior Women's Amateur in Portland

August 2, 2017 | 3 min.


By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org


  ST. PAUL, Minn. – Overcoming a bumpy start to her round Wednesday at Hillcrest Golf Club, Leigh Klasse played her final nine holes at even par to card a 77 and earn medalist honors as well as a trip to her eighth consecutive U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.

Klasse will be joined by Brenda Williams who grabbed the second and final qualifying position Wednesday, carding an 8-over par 80 to qualify for her fifth Senior Women's Amateur and first since 2013.

“Today was a little shaky,” Klasse joked after her round Wednesday, “I really haven’t played since the [MGA Mixed Amateur in late June] and I’ve been out of town for most of July so I’m not tournament savvy yet. I made a few brainless shots, but I held it together on the back and the back has some tough holes.

“I love this tournament, so qualifying means a lot. It’s fun to see all my friends from around the United States, so I’m going to keep trying to qualify as long as I have the potential to get there.”

Carding three bogeys over her first five holes Wednesday, Klasse fell to 3-over par before rolling in her birdie look at the par-5 seventh. A lost ball at the eighth led to a fourth bogey of her front nine, going to 3-over before a double-bogey at the ninth put her at 5-over with nine holes to play.

Klasse started her back nine by rolling in her birdie from six feet to get back to 4-over, but dropped two shots after taking bogeys at the 11th and 13th holes. “If you can birdie 10 I feel like you’re picking up two strokes on the field—I hit a nice 7-iron into the green and made a nice putt,” she said.

Driving the 248-yard 15th, Klasse would two-putt for birdie and carded consecutive pars to finish the tournament at 5-over par 77.

“I hit the ball very nice with my irons and started to hit the ball nice off the tee, too. I put myself in positions, but my putter saved me on a few holes with some longer par putts that held me in it.”

Klasse has qualified for the match play portion of the championship every year since her first appearance in 2010. She advanced to the Round of 16 in both 2011 and 2012 and advanced to the Round of 32 in 2013.

A year ago, Williams missed qualifying by two shots at Owatonna Country Club and finished as second alternate. Previously, Williams qualified for four consecutive championships beginning in 2010, with her best result coming in 2011 when she advanced to the Round of 32.

“It was a pretty steady round today,” Williams said Wednesday. “Unfortunately on [No. 5] I hit a beautiful shot in a three-putted, but otherwise I was getting up-and-down really well.”

She notched a top-25 finish at the 2017 MGA Women’s Amateur Championship at Northland Country Club a week ago, highlighted by her fourth ace in less than a year during the opening round. She knocked in her tee shot from 150 yards at the 17th using a 5-hybrid.

“I think I’ve been playing some of my best golf that I’ve played in a long time,” she said.

Williams should have a slight advantage at the championship having seen it previously when she qualified for the 2000 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

“I’m excited to go [Waverley Country Club] because I played there in 2000 and I have a friend who said she’d caddie for me because that’s her course,” Williams after qualifying. “The [Senior Am] are great—Minnesota’s field is so tough and you only have two spots, I considered going to Arizona.”

The 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship will be played September 9-14 at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore.

Lynn Anderson, Hopkins, Minn., and Norma O’Leary, Silver Bay, Minn., finished as first and second alternates, respectively, after both players finished at 9-over par 81 Wednesday.

 

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