CARMEL, Ind. (June 17, 2019) – Brooke Biermann fired a 4-under-par 68 Monday to grab the first-round lead in the 93rd Women’s Western Junior Championship at Woodland Country Club in Carmel, Indiana.
Biermann had four birdies in her opening round and no bogeys, posting identical 34s on the front and back nines. Biermann’s consistency set her up for a two-stroke lead going into the Tuesday’s second round of stroke play.
The Wildwood, Missouri, native had nothing but good things to say about her play Monday.
“I had a lot of fun today. I love this course,” said Biermann, a rising junior at Lafayette High School. “The greens were very nice and true. It was really wet out there, but I just had to be OK with my drive not getting much roll. Otherwise, my putting was working. I trusted my line and stuck with it today.”
On her heels tied at two-under 70 are Sarah Arnold and Yanah Rolston.
Arnold, from Saint Charles, Illinois, graduated this spring from Saint Charles North High School. This fall she will be a freshman on the Western Kentucky University golf team.
“My putting was what helped me today,” Arnold said. “It was a little wet, but I wanted to stay positive, which was easy to do on a pretty course.”
Asked what the greatest challenge was, she said, “I focused on it only being a little wet, so I wouldn’t chunk it.”
Rolston, from nearby Fortville, Indiana, is a rising sophomore at Heritage Christian High School.
“It was challenging to keep it in the fairway today,” Rolston said. “Short-game was the key for me and my putts were dropping.”
Defending champion Janice Kim, of Edina, Minnesota, shot a 2-over 74, and is in a seven-way tie for 14th.
The top 16 following Tuesday’s second round of stroke play will qualify for match play. Players advancing to the “Sweet 16” will be seeded in a single-elimination bracket to determine the Women’s Western Junior champion. The first two rounds of match play will be held on Wednesday, with the semifinal and championship matches set for Thursday
The Women’s Western Junior Championship is a testing ground for the stars of the future. Past Champions include Candie Kung (1998), Christie Kerr (1994), Grace Park (1993), and Nancy Lopez (1972, 1973, 1974).
Tuesday’s second round will begin at 8:30 a.m.