Lehi • University of San Francisco golfer Annika Borrelli was not entirely comfortable being the first-round leader of the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open.
“Unfortunately,” she said, “it usually gets to my head.”
Not this time. Borrelli pulled away from former Bingham High School star Sirene Blair on the last eight holes Tuesday, winning by four strokes at Thanksgiving Point. Borelli shot 67-68 for a total of 9 under par. Blair (68-71) earned the professionals’ $2,500 first prize after finishing second in the inaugural event in 2017.
“It feels like a great achievement,” Borrelli said, after becoming the first amateur winner of the Utah Women's Open.
The natural question was why Borrelli would enter this tournament with no ties to Utah, other than having once played in St. George. She and her father/caddie, David, just figured Thanksgiving Point was a good venue, the Monday-Tuesday rounds fit into the summer schedule they put together and she likes playing at altitude.
It all added up to a nice trip for the USF sophomore, while Blair also got what she wanted out of the homecoming event. The former San Diego State golfer has endured what she labeled “a rough year” in her third pro season, causing her to skip the 2019 LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, but she produced better results this week.
(Photo courtesy of Fairways Media/Jesse Dodson) Sirene Blair launches a drive on her way to finishing as the low pro in the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women's Open at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
Blair is the 2014 Women’s State Amateur winner and a four-time Utah high school state tournament medalist. She couldn’t match Borrelli’s consistency, though. Playing together in the last threesome, they were tied at 5 under after each player birdied the par-4 No. 10. Blair bogeyed the par-5 No. 11 and fell three strokes behind when Borrelli birdied Nos. 13 and 14.
Instead of being intimidated by playing against a mini-tour pro, Borrelli said, “For me, it was more inspiring to watch her.”
Among the pros, Blair finished one stroke ahead of BYU assistant women’s golf coach Juli Erekson. Women’s State Amateur champion Kerstin Fotu tied with Erekson for fourth overall. Two-time defending champion Lea Garner was fifth. Sacramento State freshman Tess Blair, Sirene’s sister and the 2018 State Am winner, placed sixth.
Final scores (a-amateur)
135 – a-Annika Borrelli (67-68).
139 – Sirene Blair (68-71).
140 – Juli Erekson (69-71), a-Kerstin Fotu (69-71).
141 – Lea Garner (70-71).
142 – a-Tess Blair (72-70).
144 – Jamie Huo (74-70).
145 – Katrina Prendergast (71-74), Carly Dehlin-Hirsch (71-74), Adrienne White (76-69), a-Apelila Galeai (70-75).
146 – a-Jessica Sloot (73-73).
147 – Sadie Palmer (74-73), a-Cristiana Ciasca (68-79).
148 – a-Lydia Austin (74-74), Sam Crawford (72-76).
149 – a-Naomi Soifua (76-73).
150 – a-Kyla Smith (76-74).
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