OAKDALE -- Sarah Burnham nearly won the State Junior Girls Championship last year. On Wednesday, she put herself in a position to tidy up some unfinished business and win it this year.
The Wayzata junior-to-be shot a 71 at Oak Marsh GC (par 70, 5,580 yards) in the opening round of the 2012 Junior Girls, and she leads by a stroke going into Thursday's final round.
Her advantage could have been larger. She started on the back nine and birdied both of the par-5's on the incoming side, and was 2 under after she birdied the second hole (287 yards, par 4), her 11th of the day. But she bogeyed the next three holes and slipped back to 1 over.
Kate Smith, who won the state Class AA individual crown a month ago -- to cap off her eighth-grade season at Detroit Lakes -- and Hailey Boner, who just graduated from Stillwater, are tied for second at 72.
Defending champ Celia Kuenster, a junior to be at Cretin-Derham Hall -- and a two-time state Class AAA high school champion -- is alone in fourth place after a 73.
Last year, Burnham and Kuenster tied for first place at Victory Links, but Kuenster won a playoff.
Burnham, Boner and Smith are schedule to tee off at 8:50 Thursday morning.
MINNESOTA WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
State Junior Girls Championship
At Oak Marsh GC
Par 70, 5,580 yards
Oakdale
First-round results
1. Sarah Burnham, Wayzata 71
T2. Hailey Boner, Stillwater 72
T2. Kate Smith, Detroit Lakes 72
4. Celia Kuenster, Cretin-Derham 73
T5. Sierra Langlie, Andover 75
T5. Jennifer Pederson, St. Croix Luth. 75
T5. Cassie Deeg, Stillwater 75
T5. Anni Heck, Visitation 75
T5. Amanda Bigger, Alexandria 75
T10. Jenny Muesing, Brainerd 78
T10. Kaylee Benson, Jackson CC 78
T10. Briana Cullimore, Wayzata 78
T13. Sara Detlefsen, Eastview 79
T13. Marisa Toivonen, Red Wing 79
T13. Kourtney Williams, Becker 79
T13. Natalie Roth, Detroit Lakes 79
T13. Taylor Ledwein, New Prague 79
T13. Emma Groom, St. Croix Luth. 79
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