(Editor’s note: Golfweek’s Cameron Jourdan is following all the action from Bandon Dunes. Check out his updates from the semifinals here.)
BANDON, Ore. — Seven years ago, Megha Ganne and Brooke Biermann faced off in the finals of the 2018 Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National. On Sunday, they’ll face off again, but this time head-to-head in one of the oldest women’s amateur championships in golf.
Ganne and Biermann survived a historic semifinal Saturday at Bandon Dunes, both winning in 19 holes and advancing to the championship match of the U.S. Women’s Amateur. It’s only the third time in the championship’s 125-year history that both semifinals have gone to extra holes (1900, 2018).
Biermann led 3 up with three holes to play, but Biermann made bogey on the 16th, opening the door for rising Kansas junior Lyla Louderbaugh, who proceeded to roll in birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to extend the match.
“What a putt to keep it rolling,” Biermann said. “Being from Missouri I know her, and so it was a fun match. I mean, that putt on 18 was great. She had to make it and she did.
“My dad was just like walking from 18 to 10, like, ‘Brooke, calm down. You didn’t do anything wrong. She’s doing great.”
The Show-Me-State battle marched back to the 10th tee, where Biermann’s jovial smile never left her face, even in the midst of an avalanche. Both players were in the fairway with their tee shots, with Biermann finding the green with her approach shot and was 15 feet from the pin. Louderbaugh was next, but she sailed the green and was long. Her third had no chance at staying on the back-to-front sloping surface, with the wind pushing it off into the front of the green. Her fourth shot was on, but Biermann only needed a par to secure her spot in the championship final.
Before this week, Biermann had never made a cut at a USGA event. Now she has a chance to hoist the Robert Cox Trophy. And don’t expect her smile to fade.
“If I’m not happy, I don’t know why I would be doing this. I mean, all I’m thinking, like walking up 18 is two little cute deer babies and I think their mom — I was more focused on that, probably my fault. But very cute and to me I was like what is special place. Whatever happens, happens. I’m here, I’m with my family. Like feel like I already won in a sense with like what a great week I’ve had.
“So like it’s all perspective I guess. Yeah.”
In the second semifinal, Australian teen Ella Scaysbrook, the No. 63 seed who hadn’t played a match past the 15th hole, held a 4-up lead with seven holes to go on Ganne, ranked 11th in the world.
But at Bandon Dunes, where the back-nine holes are electric and incredible theater for match play when combined with the wind, anything can happen.
“I don’t say exactly what I was thinking, but you can imagine,” Ganne said. “I think I was a little bit flustered in that moment because I felt like I was gaining some momentum after I went back to 3 down on 10. I reminded myself that I have literally won so many matches from 2 down, 3 down, 4 down. Matches start on the back nine no matter what the score is turning onto the back nine.
“Reminded myself of that and how many times I’ve done it. Today is no different.”
Scaysbrook struggled on the par-3 12th, her double bogey giving Ganne an easy win. Then on the next hole, Scaysbrook missed about a 4 footer to tie, and Ganne was one step closer.
“That was the first putt I’ve seen her miss all day and it wasn’t that short,” Ganne said. “Her putting was beyond impressive. Any time she was around the green or near it I knew I could mark her down for a two there.”
Ganne birdied the par-3 15th to go 1 down. Scaysbrook then hit her approach shot into the penalty area right of the 17th green, and Ganne pounced, making a clutch 5-footer for par after Scaysbrook buried a long bogey look.
In the extra hole, Ganne found the green with her approach and had a good look for birdie from inside 10 feet. But Scaysbrook made the same mistake Louderbaugh did, going right of the green. She was unable to get the ball on the putting surface after two shots and conceded the hole, giving Ganne the win.
And after making the semifinals in 2019 and losing in 19 holes to Albane Valenzuela, Ganne flipped the script this time.
“If you told yourself at 15 this is where you would be you would be pretty proud of yourself,” Ganne said of advancing past the semifinals after falling short in 2019. “I was like, you’re exactly the type of person that could make this happen right now. Let’s just go do it.
Now the championship spotlight is on Biermann, the 22-year-old Michigan State graduate, against Ganne, the 21-year-old rising senior at Stanford. The 36-hole championship final begins at 9:45 a.m. local time Sunday.
Biermann and Ganne are plenty familiar with each other, having face off in their junior careers and in college multiple times. Even dating to the Drive, Chip & Putt national finals, the two players have found themselves in the spotlight when it comes to competing for a championship title.
The stakes are turned up a bit come Sunday, though.
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