Reno golfer cruises to Nevada State Women’s Amateur title

Any nerves Audrey Brust may have felt starting the final round of the Nevada State Women’s Amateur with the lead were quickly settled when she birdied the opening hole Tuesday at The Club at ArrowCreek in Reno.

Another birdie on the fifth hole and an even-par 36 on the front nine allowed her to make the turn with a nine-shot lead. She coasted home to a five-stroke victory over Karen Beglin in the year’s most prestigious women’s amateur event in Nevada.

Brust, a prep star at Bishop Manogue in Reno who recently finished her freshman season at Santa Clara, opened her summer season in the best way possible. Her closing-round 74 left her at 5-over 149 for the tournament and adds her name to a trophy that includes such icons as LPGA Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan, who won the tournament as a junior a record four times.

“I’m just really proud of myself and how I played,” said Brust. “This gives me a lot of confidence.”

Brust said patience was the key, especially on Monday when strong winds whipped through Northern Nevada and sent scores soaring. The conditions knocked most of the field out of the hunt, leaving Brust and Beglin in an almost match-play situation to start the final round.

“I was very accepting of the conditions and managed things to the best of my ability,” she said.

Did she ever. Brust was the only player in the field to have nothing worse than a bogey on her scorecard.

“It also helped to have my mom walking with me for the rounds,” she said. “She makes me feel comfortable.”

Patience and course management are two areas that have improved significantly for Brust since she became a college golfer, she said. All of the travel, different courses, grasses and longer layouts have helped her adapt to conditions more quickly, she said.

With the tournament held in Northern Nevada and on weekdays, this year’s state tournament lacked many of the top players from the Las Vegas area who would normally play such a prestigious event. But Brust said that takes nothing away from her win.

“There were still a lot of good players in the field, some good college players and former college players,” she said. “I’m proud to have my name on the trophy.”

In the Silver division, Christy Atencio rolled to an 11-shot victory on her home course, winning the title she also claimed two years ago when the tournament was also outside Reno at Red Hawk Golf Club. Atencio had a final-round 79 to finish at 16-over 160, well ahead of runner-up Katie Keller, who captured the Silver net title.

ArrowCreek will also be the site of the Nevada State Men’s Amateur, which begins Friday.

U.S. Junior qualifying

Six dozen of the best junior golfers will converge on Las Vegas National on Wednesday for qualifiers for the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur.

Thirty-four girls will be chasing one of three available spots for the the national event, set for July 17-22 at Eisenhower Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Thirty-seven boys will vie for two available spots in the national tournament, slated July 24-29 at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina.

Henderson’s Yana Wilson won the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which earned her a spot in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, among many other rewards.

Weekend event

Las Vegas Golf Club is still taking entries for a Sunday Scramble this weekend. Cost is $168 for a two-person team, which includes green fees, on-course contest, lunch and more.

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. Reach him at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.