OSWGA Amateur: 3 straight for Blinn
Crestwood's Valerie Blinn reigns again, defeating
The win came one month and two days after her father, William Blinn Jr., 54, died in his sleep.
When Reilly's 10-foot putt for birdie on the 15th and final hole
lipped out, it sealed Blinn's victory. Reilly, Blinn's good friend, ran over to hug and congratulate her,
and Blinn began crying in her arms.
She was happy that she won, but sad that her father was not there
to see it.
"This week was kind of tough for me," Blinn said. "He is usually out here or calling me in
the mornings and afternoons so this was just a little emotional for me. It just
came out."
Reilly's putting game was nearly perfect in her semifinal 22-hole
victory over medalist Ally Caffrey, but yesterday,
she struggled on the green.
"Everything that worked for me yesterday did not work for me
at all today," Reilly said. "I can't even count how many putts lipped
out and how many came up an inch short. It was bare misses all day long.
Yesterday, I played great. Today, not so great, but truly the better player won
so I can't even get upset about it."
Blinn sank short putts for par to win holes
2 and 3 to go 2-up, but Reilly took advantage of a Blinn
miscue on the par-4 5th hole, which Blinn
double-bogeyed. Reilly won the hole to cut Blinn's
lead to one, but Blinn, who fired a one-under 35 on
the front nine, won holes 7 through 9 to take a four-hole lead at the turn.
Blinn sank short putts for par on holes 7
and 9, and she rolled in a birdie putt on the par-5 8th hole.
"I was putting good strokes on them and reading the putts
well," Blinn said. "I found my putting stroke
yesterday out here so today I felt good about my reads and about my
stroke."
Reilly couldn't say the same after losing the three holes.
"That was a little discouraging, and again that was the
putting, because I couldn't make a putt for whatever reason," she said.
"When I'm out there, I'm just trying to think about fundamentals and it
just didn't work today. . . . I don't really mind losing to Val. She is a great
kid and a terrific player. . . . She really is the best player who played in
this tournament this week, no question. She deserved to win."
Despite her commanding four-stroke lead after nine holes, Blinn said that she still didn't feel comfortable.
"Four-up isn't really that big of a deal because it only
takes four bogeys to let them back in it so you just try and halve the holes to
close out the match and not try to do anything crazy," Blinn
said. "You don't have to be a hero out there to close out the match."
Sticking to that strategy, Blinn and
Reilly halved the 10th hole and Blinn won the par-5
11th, which Reilly bogeyed. And though Reilly rolled in a short putt for par to
win the 12th hole, Blinn, won the 13th hole to go
5-up with five holes remaining, putting Reilly in a must-win situation over the
final five holes.
After hitting the ball out of play on the 14th hole, Blinn conceded the hole and the two halved 15 to give Blinn the victory.
"I can't complain about a thing," Reilly said. "It
was a great round, a great match, and the better player won."
"It's a lot of work and the field is a strong field, you just
have to wake up and play your best," Blinn said
about winning three state amateurs in a row. "I thought I played well. I
hit the shots that I needed to hit. I made the putts that I
needed to make and that's what made the difference."
Blinn and Reilly will both play in the Rhode
Island Women's Golf Association Championships next week.
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Championship Division
Valerie Blinn def. Kibbe
Reilly, 4 and 3.
First Division
Diane Kelly def. Judy Gravier, 5 and 4.
Second Division
Nancy Mendelsohn def. Ann Olson, 7 and 5.