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| Thrilled to make the cut, Amanda Blumenherst prepares to play the ninth hole Saturday. . (John Mummert/USGA) |
2007 Women’s Amateur Finalists Grind It Out
By Stuart Hall
Bethlehem, Pa. — Early morning weekend tee times at the U.S. Women’s Open are often side notes to a larger script being written at the championship. At 8:20 a.m. on Saturday, the No. 5 group standing on the first tee appeared to be one of those overshadowed by the feature players.
The rising sun was shooing away the last remnants of dew and chill at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course and the twosome would walk off the 18th well before the third round’s final pairing was announced at 1:30 p.m.
Newly-turned professionals Amanda Blumenherst, 22, and Maria Jose Uribe, 19, were two of 13 players to make the weekend right on the cut line, 9-over-par 151, 12 strokes back of 36-hole leader Cristie Kerr.
They were longshots, at best, to win as 54 players stood between them and the lead. In the championship’s 64-year history, the record for largest 36-hole comeback is nine strokes. That came in 1990, when Betsy King chased down Patty Sheehan at the Atlantic Athletic Club, in Duluth, Ga., to win her second straight Women’s Open.
This pairing, though, was linked to history when it was determined early Saturday evening.
“When I was waiting, I knew the pairings are set by how you finished, so I kind of knew that if I made it, I was going to play with her,” said Uribe, who nervously waited with members of Amanda’s family for the USGA’s computer scoring to refresh and display that the cut had moved from eight to nine over.
Nearly two years ago, Blumenherst and Uribe met in the final of the U.S. Women’s Amateur championship, an epic match that went the complete 36 holes at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. Neither player ever held more than a one-hole lead, and the match swung in Uribe’s favor on the 35th hole when Blumenherst three-putted. Uribe halved the final hole and became the 12th foreign player to win the national title.
For both players, that match is several chapters ago.
“Kind of,” said Uribe when asked if she flashed back to that Sunday, “but it was more like cool to play with her. She’s a great player.”
“Not really,” was Blumenherst’s response.
In fact, the two players had not been paired together, nor competed head-to-head, in the two years since that match.
For Blumenherst, the defeat is buried deep on her illustrious amateur career resume. A two-time member of the victorious USA Curtis Cup team in 2006 and 2008, Blumenherst won her own Women’s Amateur title last August. During a four-year career at Duke University, Blumenherst was National Freshman of the Year and a three-time National Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year, helping the Blue Devils to NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007.
Uribe, who turned pro this spring after her sophomore season at UCLA, said that while winning the Women's Amateur is a highlight in her career, she prefers to live in the present. The here and now brought Uribe a third-round 2-under 69, while Blumenherst posted a frustrating 2-over 73.
“I just had a few holes where I didn’t play well,” Blumenherst said. “I couldn’t get some putts to fall, and you know it’s bad when you’re fist-pumping after three putts.”
Both players are making their fourth Women’s Open appearance, but first as professionals. And while Blumenherst has four professional starts to her name — two on the Duramed Futures Tour and two on the LPGA — Uribe made this week her debut.
“I feel like I was ready,” said Uribe, who will play Futures Tour events in advance of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in the fall. For Blumenherst, the next step was inevitable. “I had accomplished about all I could,” she said.
From the opening tee shot, Saturday’s round had a collegiate sense of déjà vu.
The respective caddies — Bill Blumenherst, Amanda’s uncle, and Pedro Russi, Uribe’s coach — traded pleasantries just as they did two years ago at Crooked Stick. The players did the same and then entered their competitive mode.
Blumenherst took on her strictly business persona, while Uribe displayed her emotions openly, pumping her fist for birdies, as she did on the first hole, and dropping completely to her knees after missing a delicate chip for par on the 15th.
Blumenherst’s family, including her parents, aunt, caddie uncle and a cousin, was tracking her round from outside the ropes, applauding for her best shots.
Uribe’s Spanish-speaking supporters, which included one with a Colombian flag draped over his shoulders and two who won a raffle during a fundraiser held by Uribe’s charitable foundation— cheered loudly for each Uribe highlight.
On the 18th green, Blumenherst and Uribe exchanged a hug, just as they did following that Women's Amateur championship. And while this round didn’t carry the same significance, they will remain forever linked.
Stuart Hall is a freelance writer whose stories have previously appeared on uswomensopen.com.
