By Brad Ziemer - The first sign that it just might be Megan Osland’s week came in her opening round of the St. Louis Women’s Championship on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour. The Kelowna native started her back nine of that first round with seven straight birdies.
“Never done that before,” Osland said with a laugh in a telephone interview. “That’s my longest birdie streak. I think my previous best was five in a row. I think it may also have broken the record for the longest birdie streak on the Annika Pro Tour as well.”
Osland’s first-round 65 gave her an early lead and she hung around the lead the rest of the way. It came down to the 72nd hole, where Osland rolled in a clutch 15-foot putt for birdie to beat China’s Siyan Chen by one shot.
“My approach from about 155 yards landed right next to the pin and rolled to about 15 feet,” Osland said. “The girl who I was tied with left her birdie putt about one foot short, so I knew I had my putt to win. It was a down-hill slider and I made it.”
Osland, who won with a 72-hole total of eight-under par, earned $12,500 US for the win. She also moved into third spot on the tour’s Callaway Race to Qualifying points list.
That’s important as the top five players on that list at the end of the season earn a pass to the second stage of LPGA Qualifying School. “To not have to go to first stage would be really nice,” Osland said. Tournament organizers played a recording of O Canada during the trophy presentation.
“They had a speaker set up and someone from the gallery had told them, ‘you guys should play O Canada,’ so when I came up to get my trophy they were playing O Canada. It was just hilarious.”
Osland, who played her collegiate golf at San Jose State University, didn’t have much time to celebrate after her win. She was on the road right away to drive to Metamora, Ill., the site of the Children’s Hospital of Illinois Championship.