McCauley Grabs Medalist Honors at U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifying at Burl Oaks G.C.

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Benign weather with no wind and high-70s to low-80s temperatures met the competitors at Burl Oaks Golf Club in Minnetrista, Minn., on July 18 for U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifying. But the conditions on the course were much more difficult. Thick rough and lightning-fast greens kept all 40 players finishing outside of red numbers. 

Isabella McCauley, a pre-event favorite (who plays for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers golf team), was the only golfer to not shoot over par, as she finished atop the leaderboard with a level-par round of 72 and at three strokes ahead of her next competitor—including her Gophers teammate Megan Furtney.

“It was a bit of a grind out there; this course is in really good shape, so it kept you on your toes every minute you were out there,” Furtney said. “The greens were very fast, very, so you could have pitching wedge in from the fairway and you still felt like you were working for it a little bit.”

McCauley, who is a former Minnesota state champion (from Simley High School), became the first woman to win the Minnesota Golf Champions tournament and has a U.S. Women’s Open appearance on her resume (2021), found the going a bit rough early in the round. Struggling on the par 3s, she bogeyed the short third (127 yards) and then doubled the tough 199-yard 7th hole, which gave a lot of players fits. It wasn’t until McCauley righted the ship on number 9 with an 45-foot uphill putt for birdie that she got things going.

“I think just keeping a good mental attitude [helped me]. I started out a little rough; I was three over through seven,” McCauley said. “So, being able to birdie nine, definitely switched the momentum heading into the back nine. And I was able to putt and chip really well today, which definitely served to my advantage.”

Putting and chipping were indeed the key to medalist McCauley’s round, who admitted her “ball striking wasn’t the best today.” She made up for it with her short game, sinking an 11-foot putt on 12 for birdie and following it up with a chip from the fringe of 25 yards for another one—drawing her even with five holes remaining.

“I was in the first cut/fringe area, so I was debating on whether to putt it, but decided on chipping it,” she said. “Luckily it hit the pin. I don’t think it was going to stay on the green the way I hit it.”

McCauley then made three difficult par-saving putts on the next three holes, until finally missing one on the par 4 17th. But she grabbed back that lost stroke with a perfect approach on 18 for a stressless short birdie putt on the last.

“I kind of knew where I was standing—I was in pretty good standing coming into the last hole,” McCauley said. “But I really like 18—I think it’s a great finishing hole. I thought I could birdie it. I felt good about the club [on my approach] and was happy to finish that way.”

One golfer who didn’t know where she stood coming into 18 was the second qualifier, Natalie Young, from Rapid City, S.D. Young, who carded eight pars and a bogey on the back nine to carry her to a 3-over round of 75. She chipped from the apron on 18, but ran it well past the cup and had a downhill, left-to-right 18-foot knee-knocker coming back to hang onto her second position.

“I had been making putts all day like that, and it really wasn’t anything different,” said Young who earned All-Conference honors at Augustana in 2022. “I kept telling myself I have made hundreds of putts like this and if I miss it, I miss it and I will go make the next one.” 

(Young’s mother, who followed her daughter the whole round, let out an audible gasp of relief when Natalie had secured second place qualifying spot with that tricky putt.)

Emma Groom from Eden Prairie, Minne., finished a shot back of Young with a 4-over 76. She made the turn at one over and then birdied 10 to get to even par before carding four bogeys on the way in.

“I haven’t really competed since college, so it’s been a while,” said Groom, who graduated in marketing from NDSU in 2019. “I feel so old out here. But it was fun to compete again. This field is so strong with a lot of good college players. It’s just fun to compete again.”

Furtney, who finished tied for third with Groom at 76, is a long-hitter from St. Charles, Ill., and came to the Gophers after graduating from Duke University to play a COVID-19 season. She said she couldn’t go long off the tee, but still took advantage of the par fives by laying up and making some tap-in birdies. Last summer Furtney won the Illinois State Women’s Amateur Championship and will now be heading to Los Angeles Country Club for the U.S. Women’s Amateur with her friend and teammate McCauley.

”I've gotten to know Bella very well. We first talked at Nationals,” Furtney said “It’s very exciting to have already been at Nationals together and have that feeling like we are going to get back here.”

For now, for all four qualifiers, it’s on to LA for a big national tournament—which is something McCauley is becoming accustomed to.

“Honestly, I am not looking forward to flying into LAX, but I am excited to see the golf course,” McCauley said with a laugh.

Note: Courtney Wedin of Chanhassen, Minn., finished with a 5-over 77 to grab the first alternate spot, while Madison Hicks from Victoria, Minn., and Camille Kuznik from Orono, Minn., both finished a shot back at 78. The pair competed in a playoff, and Hicks won it with a par on the first hole to secure the second alternate spot.