Julia Potter

Julia Potter of Granger, an incoming junior at Missouri, survived bouts of pouring rain, gusting winds and high humidity to hang on to the lead, and the title, for the 2007 IWGA Amateur Championship. She finished the 54-hole tournament at two better than par, and one shot ahead of Ellen Mueller of Evansville.

Potter began the third round at 3-under, with a two-round total of 141. She played consistent golf, going out at even par while the rest of the field struggled with the wind and the weather. However, bogeys on holes #10 and #11 dropped her to 1-under par for the tournament. At the same time, Mueller had salvaged her game and managed to get to within one shot.

On the tenth hole, Potter’s drive found the right side rough. She missed the green on her second from the side hill lie, and then chipped her third past the hole to the fringe. She missed the comeback putt and needed to tap in for bogey. Commenting she had a “little swing trouble” on the back nine, Potter again found herself in bad position off the tee in a fairway bunker on #11, resulting in her second bogey while Mueller carded regulation pars for the same two holes.

After the thirteenth, the pair battled for the title “just like match play,” stated Potter, maintaining the same one-stroke difference.

Knowing she needed birdie, Mueller stiffed her tee shot on the 120 yard, 17th hole to less than two feet. Potter landed her shot safely on the green, but about 12 feet from the hole. Making a “heartbreaker” of a putt, Potter rammed in her birdie, foiling the chance for Mueller to tie.

Potter, who was defeated in a playoff against Katie Tewell of Greenwood in 2006, knew that putt was a “fist pump moment” and exactly what she needed. “When I made that putt on #17 it was an uplifting moment for me,” stated Potter. Walking off the green Mueller had commented to Potter what a heartbreaker that was when the putt fell.

Mueller, who posted an even par round of 72, and low round of the field for the day, got her game together on the back nine with a 35 after a shaky front nine. Mueller, who will be attending University of Oklahoma to play golf as a freshman this fall, finished in third place at the Indiana Women’s Open in June.

Potter’s win is the second consecutive year a runner up who was defeated in a playoff the previous year won the title the next year. Last year, Katie Tewell won the title over Potter after being defeated by Kylene Pulley in a playoff in 2005.

Round Two
New leader emerges.
Julia Potter

Julia Potter, Granger, fired the low round of the tournament in round two with a 3-under score of 69. Potter was runner-up in the 2006 IWGA State Amateur Championship after losing in a sudden-death playoff to Katie Tewell of Greenwood. Potter carded five birdies for the day, and only gave back two with bogeys. She is paired with Ellen Mueller, Evansville and Tara Boone from Huntington. Both Boone and Mueller are tied for second place at even par for the tournament.

Flight Leaders for Round Two
Championship Flight
Julia Potter - 141
First Flight
Kaylee Bodine, Abby Wheeling, Michelle Gerbasich, Kimberly Gottwald - T153
Second Flight
Kristen Harrington, Alex Bell, Emilt Dixon, Linnsey Showers - T157
Third Flight
Kelsea Ice, Marcell Moreman, Jessica Dooley, Danielle Wolter - T 160
Fourth Flight
Tina Anderson, Nancy Trimarco, Megan Reynolds - T164
Fifth Flight
Andrea Vogt - 171
Sixth Flight
Kate Wolpert - 182

Complete results may be found by clicking on the leaderboard above.

Round One
Amber Lindgren of Kokomo posted the low score of round one of the IWGA State Amateur Championship with a 2-under 70 at the Battleground GC in Lafayette. Lindgren most recently finished T28 at the Indiana Women's Open. She also finished T2 this season at the Team Championship with teammate Tara Boone, and qualified as the fifth seed in the IWGA Match Play Championship. Lindgren was defeated in her first match.

Amber Lindgren

Brittany Kelly, Fishers, is currently in second place with a 1-under 71 on the 5,753 yard Battlweground GC. Kelly qualified as the 8 seed in the Match Play Championship, advancing to the Round of 8, and finished T9 at the Indiana Women's Open.

Tara Boone, Huntington; Angela Gauck, Greensburg; and Julia Potter, Granger are tied at third with even par rounds.

2006 State Champion, Katie Tewell of Greenwood, is currently tied for 13th.

The field will be flighted upon completion of round two with the low 20 scores and ties in the Championship flight. The final (3rd) round will determine State Amateur Champion and flight winners based on the total three rounds of scores.