Northwestern University Athletics
Elizabeth Burden Wins Illinois Women's State Amateur Title
6/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
June 25, 2001
PEORIA, Ill. - After a nerve-wracking qualifying round followed by three days of intense match play, winning the Illinois Women's State Amateur golf tournament could seem like a heavy burden.
But it was no sweat for Elizabeth Burden, who recently completed her sophomore year at Northwestern University. She claimed the amateur title Friday with a 5-and-3 victory over Pam Holcombe of Quincy.
Whether splitting the tight fairways of the Country Club of Peoria with deadly-accurate tee shots or making its slick greens look like shag carpet with her deft putting stroke, Burden was a match-play machine.
"This is the first time I've won a match-play tournament and you have to go through a lot to do that, but I feel good," said Burden. "I'm really happy with the tournament. It was up and down all week, but this is a good feeling."
After getting up and down to save par at the 177-yard, par-3 No. 8 hole, Holcombe took advantage of a rare Burden bogey to cut the deficit to one. Both players made bogey at the treacherous par-4 No. 9 and made the turn with Burden carrying a 1-up advantage.
Both players found the fairway at No. 10, but the beginning of the end came for the defending champion when her approach from 125 yards fell well short of the green and she could not get up and down.
Burden stuck a wedge inside 10 feet and safely two-putted for a 2-up lead.
"The swing on 10 started the end," said Holcombe. "I'm in the middle of the fairway with a 9-iron and I chunked it. It wasn't a hard shot, I just made a bad swing."
The chunks also got the best of Holcombe on the next two holes. Fat shots at Nos. 11 and 12 led to four consecutive bogeys and a three-hole deficit.
Burden put down the hammer at No. 13, a 114-yard par 3 with the hole precariously located just on top of a ridge that divides the two-tiered green. Both players put their tee shots on the lower shelf.
Holcombe made an aggressive run at her 25-foot birdie attempt and slid the putt about four feet past. Burden sized up her left-to-right 20-footer and drilled it center cup for her only birdie of the match and a 4-up lead.
"The putt at 13," Burden said when asked what was her best shot of the day. "I was having a pretty rough putting day until then, but I knew that had a chance when I hit it."
Burden made routine pars at Nos. 14 and 15, and Holcombe's hopes of extending the match ended when she made a desperation decision at 15. With Burden 40 yards past her in the fairway, Holcombe took aim with a fairway metal from the right rough but pulled the ball into the trees that guard the left side of the green.
Holcombe's fifth bogey in seven holes made the 19-year old the 69th champion of the Women's State Amateur.
"I didn't hit many good shots on the back nine," Holcombe said. "But it all goes back to the putting. Had I made a few more on the front, I might not have been in that position."
This story was written by Greg Stewart of the Peoria Journal Star on June 23
Northwestern Notes: After an easy first-round win on Wednesday, June 20, Burden defeated Northwestern teammate Emily Gilley in an emotional match in the quarterfinal round en route to the title. Gilley held a 2-up lead after three holes on the morning of Thursday, June 21, but Burden came back to take the match 2-up. Burden then defeated Meredith Ward that afternoon, 1-up, to advance to the the championship flight final. Prior to meeting Burden, Gilley won her first-round match against Cynthia McLean, 1-up.
