Herrick Outlasts Pilot to Win MGA Women's Mid-Am at Victory Links

MGA

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


BLAINE, Minn. – Claudia Pilot and Leigh Klasse may have 10 combined titles over the last 13 years at the Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, but newcomer Olivia Herrick posted a 2-over par 144 Monday to win her first Mid-Amateur championship, making things a little more crowded at the top.

Herrick, who turned 25 in August, shot an even par 71 Sunday despite a slow start, finishing the opening round with a two-stroke cushion over Pilot. She would start slow again Monday playing in the final group alongside Pilot and Klasse, as players battled high winds all afternoon.

“I got off to an okay start. All three bogeys I had on the front nine were three-putts, which was really frustrating, but I was hitting the ball really well so I was trying not to get discouraged because I knew it would come around eventually,” she said.

Herrick, Dellwood Country Club, quickly fell to 1-over par with a bogey on the third hole and fell to 3-over for the round with back-to-back bogeys on the seventh and eighth. She was finally able to put a red number on the scorecard when she chipped in for birdie on the par-5 12th hole.

“I wanted to finish strong and I told myself to pull it together,” Herrick said. “You just need one good momentum swing and I made a really good up and down on 10 for a par and had another good par on 11. I birdied both of the par-5s on the back, so I took advantage of that. But [Pilot] had a tap-in birdie on 13 and I knew it was close—there was definitely a competitive energy going.”

With another birdie on the 16th hole, Herrick showed signs of closing in on the championship despite making bogey on the 17th, narrowing her lead to just one stroke.

After Pilot’s tee shot on the final hole found the right rough, Herrick stepped up and blasted her driver into the wind down the center of the fairway, nicely setting up her approach from 150-yards.

With the tournament nearly in reach, Herrick showcased her experience as she put her approach in the middle of the 18th green, leaving herself with a 20-foot putt for birdie. Herrick quietly two-putted for par and clinched the tournament by two strokes as Pilot’s par putt refused to fall and looped around the right edge.

After her round, Pilot said she was again frustrated with a couple of early bogeys to start her round.

"I three-putted number three which left a bad taste in my mouth,” she said. “Then I bogeyed number nine—that short, little hole. It was into the wind and I didn’t finish my swing and I hit it short and it flared off to the right. Then I missed my putt so I was 2-over on the front.”

Pilot, the Pines at Grand View Lodge, rebounded and shot even par on the final nine holes, but couldn’t get any help with her putter as she had four putts that lipped out and wouldn’t drop.

“I played steady—I hit a lot of good iron shots today so I was solid on the front nine and the back nine,” she said.

After finishing second, Pilot had nothing but high remarks for the newcomer.

“[Herrick] is a fantastic player. I expect that she will have her name on that trophy more times than me or [Klasse] within time,” she said. “There are some good high school players, but she is one of the best players in the state and I was happy to just keep up with her.”

Despite the accolade of 2013 MGA Women’s Player of the Year, Herrick said she felt like she scrambled a lot during 2013 and has been working mainly on her short game.

“I felt like I was all over the place last year so I spent a lot of time working on my short game. This weekend I hit some good shots; I think my short game and putting is coming around, even though I’m still sort of coming out of winter.”

Herrick basically has the Mid-Amateur demographic to herself as the other top amateurs in the state are either eligible for senior events or are still in college or high school.

“There’s kind of a weird time after college when you’re sort of floating around because you’re not a Mid-Am. Right now there’s really no one else in this little category that I’m in, but it feels good to be able to play in these events now. I’m so lucky to play with this group of women because they are the nicest and most supportive group you could ever meet.”

After a round of 77 Sunday, 2009 champion Alison Hurley, carded a 1-over par 72 to finish third at 149, just five strokes behind Herrick.

Kara Salava, Keller Golf Club, fired back-to-back rounds of 75 to finish fourth at 150, while Betsy Aldrich, Woodhill Country Club, finished fifth at 151.


For complete tournament results go to: http://www.mngolf.org/Tournament/18th_MGA_Womens_Mid-Amateur_Championship