Indianapolis’ Julia Potter left little doubt as to the
outcome of the 91st IWGA State Amateur Championship. After entering the final round at Tippecanoe
CC with a three shot lead, Potter fired a course record 29 on the front to take
a nine shot lead heading to the final nine holes. Potter never let up, firing a 37 on the back
nine for a new 18-hole course record of 67, a seven shot victory, and her third
Amateur title.
“I don’t think shooting 29 means I wasn’t nervous or didn’t understand
what was on the line,” Potter said. “I
think I channeled those nerves and made sure every swing I made and every putt
I hit were done confidently. Shooting
the course record today was not something I expected, but it is
definitely an added bonus.”
Potter’s front nine was a true testament to her confidence
on the golf course and her ability to keep her composure during competitive rounds. Her nearly flawless day was bogey free until
the par-3, 12th where she failed to get up-and-down from the
bunker. She was able to follow up her
slight mishap with a birdie on 13, maintaining her 4-under-par tournament
total.
“This win is really special to me,” Potter said. “When I won this event in ’07 and ’08, I was
in college and playing golf every day.
Now I am working full time and have had a very busy summer. I now have a lot of confidence that I can
still score even if I can’t practice as much as I would like to.”
This is Potter’s favorite IWGA event and she becomes the
eighth woman from Indiana to win the Women’s Am three times.
“The State Am has always held a special meaning for me,”
Potter said. “There is just something
about winning this event that brings me a lot of state pride. The field was tremendous this week and, like
always, I love representing Indiana.”
Potter is also an IWGA Match Play Champion (’09), a two-time
IWGA Player of the Year (’08, ’09), and the 2013 USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur
Champion. She looks to defend her Mid-Am
title this year in her home state this September.
“This win definitely gives me confidence heading to the
Mid-Am,” Potter said. “Tippecanoe and
Harbour Trees (in Noblesville, Ind.) are both Pete Dye designs. If I was able to put up these kind of numbers
here I should be able to score there as well.”
Richmond’s Trish Witherby finished in second this afternoon
with a tournament total of 3-over-par, 219.
Other flight winners included: First Flight: Emily Tilton
(Pendleton), Second Flight: Caroline Smith (Columbus), Third Flight: Emma Fisher
(Bloomington), Fourth Flight: Lindsey Burklow (Lafayette), Fifth Flight: Shelly Shafer (Hagerstown), Sixth Flight: Karsten Lingenfelter (Rochester).