Megha Ganne rallies to reach US Women’s Amateur final against Brooke Biermann

BANDON, Ore. (AP) — Megha Ganne rallied from 4 down with seven holes left to win in 19 holes Saturday and reached the championship match in the U.S. Women’s Amateur against Brooke Biermann, who narrowly avoided another stunning comeback.

Biermann was 3 up with three holes to play when Kansas junior Lyla Louderbaugh won the final three holes with a 10-foot birdie on the 17th and a 30-foot birdie on the 18th.

But on the first extra hole at the par-4 10th, Louderbaugh hit wedge well over the green, chipped across the green into the fairway and still had 5 feet for bogey when she conceded the match to Biermann.

Ganne, the highest-ranked player remaining at No. 11 in the women’s amateur ranking, was on the ropes when Ella Scaysbrook of Australia holed a 40-foot birdie putt from just off the green at No. 11 to go 4 up.

But the Aussie gave away two holes, chipping into a bunker on the par-3 12th and three-putting for par on the 13th. Ganne holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 15th to get within one, and Scaysbrook hit into the bushes and lost the 17th to a par.

On the par-5 closing hole at Bandon Dunes, both were in bad spots off the tee, couldn’t reach the green in three shots into the wind and halved the hole with bogeys.

The 19th hole was nearly a repeat to the previous match. Scaysbrook went over the back of the green at No. 10. Ganne stuffed her wedge into 6 feet and never had to putt. The Aussie took two chips before conceding the birdie.

Ganne, a senior-to-be at Stanford, will get a crack at her first USGA title. She reached the semifinals in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur, and the New Jersey native nearly stole the show at Olympic Club in 2021 by contending on the weekend before claiming low amateur honors.

Biermann just finished her college career at Michigan State and plans to turn pro after the U.S. Women’s Amateur. The winner is exempt into the U.S. Women’s Open next year at Riviera.

Even though she lost a late lead, Biermann relied on experience. This was her third match since Wednesday that went extra holes. She had to go 22 holes in the second round to advance, and in the round of 16, Biermann missed a short putt on the 18th hole to go overtime and calmed herself to win in 19 holes.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf