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The Illinois Women’s Amateur trophy-presented by the Illinois Women’s Golf Association (IWGA).
WRITING FROM THE GROVE COUNTRY CLUB-in Long Grove Illinois.
The 90th Illinois Women’s State Amateur is down to two players.
Both have won this championship in the past, both want to win it one more time.
Sarah Arnold of Geneva the #2 seed was a past winner of the championship in 2019. Then after a year off because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Grace Curran of New Lenox took home the title in 2021.
But in 2022 it was Megan Furtney who was the champion. This year Furtney is up at the University of Minnesota attending summer school. But two months from now Curran will join Furtney her roommate at Minnesota.
Grace Curran will play at the University of Minnesota starting this fall.
So right now both Arnold and Curran are looking to hoist the trophy for a second time. The road both players had to reach the finals wasn’t an easy drive. Arnold heading into her fifth year at Western Kentucky University had a 3 Up lead in her quarter final match with Catie Nekola.
But three late bogeys left her lead at 1 Up heading to the 18th hole. Arnold then dug down and made birdie to win the match 2 Up. Arnold never trailed in her afternoon match with Katherine Lemke a fellow native of Geneva, closing it out on 16 for a 3 & 2 win.
Curran has been rolling through the championship and had wins in the quarterfinals 3 & 2 over Reese Clark of yes-Geneva. Then 4 & 2 over Barrington’s Mara Janess the 2021 Women’s Western Golf Association (WWGA) Junior Champion.
Curran got 3 Up after six holes, and never let the lead get less than 2 Up. Every time Janess made a charge, Curran held her off.
Sarah Arnold points to where she wants to be, after Thursdays championship match at The Grove Country Club.
Curran, Arnold and Janess will all play at the Women’s Western Amateur at White Eagle in Naperville next month.
Curran and Arnold will both play at Mistwood Golf Club in the Illinois Women’s Open in July. Janess hasn’t decided yet, but could them at the Phil Kosin IWO.
The key for the championship match will be which play can get out to an early lead. Because both players have been doing that in their four previous matches, in the championship match one of them might have to come from behind to earn a second time with the trophy.