Blonien edges Cannon to win WOGA State Amateur Championship

By Sam Hutchens

Through three match wins at the Stillwater Country Club, Natalie Blonien had always avoided the fairway bunker when teeing off on hole 12. Going in it, as things turned out, ended up being a good thing.

Facing off against Evyn Cannon in the WOGA State Amateur championship on Thursday morning, Blonien hit a rare wayward drive on the par-four 12^th. Her ball bounced hard and bounded into a right-side bunker.

“It was sitting on the downhill slope,” Blonien said. “I knew I wouldn’t chunk it out of there. If anything I would thin it. I just took the exact club for the yardage and thinned it out of there. It came out perfectly.”

Blonien hit a soaring 9-iron from 137 yards out. It landed on the green and rolled left toward the back pin. She sank a mid-length right-to-left putt to punctuate a stretch of three straight birdies. It ultimately boosted her to a 1-up win.

“That was definitely a turning point,” Blonien said. “That gave me a lot of confidence, draining that.”

Cannon, a 14-year-old, battled valiantly. The pair went to the back nine all square and Cannon made it to 18 down one despite Blonien’s birdie blitz on 10, 11 and 12. After a good drive and nice fairway wood, Cannon had a 40-foot birdie putt on 18. It would have tied the match if it fell, but Cannon’s putt died off a little to the left and barely missed.

Cannon beat four players throughout the week to earn her place in the championship match. Both she and Blonien played well on Thursday.

“I’m glad I was able to stay in it,” Cannon said. “I played good, a lot better than I’ve been playing lately. I feel like I’ve been improving and honestly just proud that I stayed in it and made it to the final match.”

With the win, Blonien accomplished a goal she’s been eyeing for a long time. The Altus native earned an invitation into the 124th U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa. She was presented with an invitation to the storied tournament shortly after tapping in her par putt on 18.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur is scheduled to be held August 5-11.

“It’s amazing, I can’t wait,” Blonien said. “This is what I’ve been wanting. I tried to qualify for the U.S. Amateur in Texas. I missed the cut by one. This was my last chance. This means the world to me.”

Cannon will enroll as freshman at Deer Creek High School when the school year starts up.

“[Cannon] is a great young player,” Blonien said. “She’s going to do big things.”

Complete results for all flights are here.