Alivia Brown of Gig Harbor, Wash. shot consecutive rounds of 1-under par 71 on all three days of competition in running away with the 22nd Washington State Women's Amateur Championship, while Ginny Burkey of Eugene, Ore. won her second title in the Washington State Senior Women's Amateur. Mary Ryan of Renton, Wash. won the Washington State Super Senior Women's Amateur.
The three championships were held concurrently at The Cedars at Dungeness in Sequim, Wash., and were conducted by the Washington State Golf Association.
In last year's championship, Brown finished runner-up to Jordan Ferreira, but this year Brown was the only player in the field to finish under par in the championship on any of the days, and coasted to an 8-shot win over second-place finisher Cherokee Kim, also of Gig Harbor. When asked how it felt to come close last year and then come back so strong this year and finish the job, Brown said, "Both years I was having a lot of fun playing, and that's what it's all about. This year I was feeling good about my game, and this whole week my putting was good, and I think that's really what made the difference."
A graduate of Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, Wash. where she was a 2-time individual 4A State Champion, Brown just finished her freshman year at Washington State University playing on the women's golf team. Four of her team mates were also playing in this championship, and on the 18th green in today's final round, they swarmed around Brown, giving her a group hug. "That was so much fun," Brown said. "To be here together, and to have that kind of support made it really special."
Brown adds her name to a list of past champions that includes LPGA Tour players Paige Mackenzie and Jimin Kang, among others.
Burkey also won the Senior Women's Amateur in 2011 and that year was named the WSGA Senior Women's Player of the Year. "I love playing in this championship," she said. "It great to be here, and I had great playing partners every day." Tied for the lead at the start of today's final round with Katy Wright of Camas, Wash., Burkey birdied the par-4 first hole. "That was a good way to start," she said. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't mess up around the greens today, or lose focus. I hit the ball better today, which gave me more putting opportunities."
Ryan held off a charging Witta Priester of Sequim, Wash. in today's final round of the Super Senior Women's Amateur for a 2-shot victory. Finishing runner-up last year in the inaugural championship, Ryan took the lead for good this year in the second round, shooting a 78 and holding on in the final round. "A lot of these golfers are college players," Ryan said, "and I'm a lot older than most everyone. This is a big deal to me, and this is a nice piece of crystal. I didn't play anything special today; I just tried to hit every shot as best I could. And I tried to figure out these greens, which are a lot quicker than I'm used to."
