Winnetka Native Finishes Third at Illinois Women's Open

Allison Finney knew her cushion on the rest of the field at the Illinois Women’s Open had evaporated.

When she and playing companion Kris Yoo combined to shoot 5-over on the eighth hole Friday morning at Mistwood Golf Course in Romeoville, the leaders’ troubles with the par-5 enabled several pursuers to close the gap.

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Wheaton native Jenna Pearson did just that, firing the low round of the 54-hole championship, a 4-under par 68 to claim her second career title.

Despite shaky ball-striking throughout the back nine, Finney used a solid short game to close with a 75.

One-under par with rounds of 72 and 71 on Wednesday and Thursday, Finney was solo third, behind University of Illinois sophomore Ember Schuldt who earned low-amateur status with her 1-over par 217 performance.

Finney birdied her final hole to take third solo with her collective 218; Pearson was the lone competitor in the 31-player final cut to break par with her 1-under 215 finish.

“Winning was what I wanted to do,” Finney said. “I knew in the back of my mind [that Yoo and I] let everyone back in the tournament [with front-nine struggles].”

Yoo led Finney by a stoke to start the day, but the University of Wisconsin junior had a quadruple-bogey 9 on the eighth hole to surrender a two-shot lead.

“I hated to see that for her,” Finney said.

Finney was a shot behind Pearson and Schuldt to start her inward nine, but the California-based teaching professional who returns to spend her summers at her childhood home in Winnetka was unable to find any red numbers until her final hole.

“The back nine I didn’t hit the ball well at all,” Finney said. “[My round] could have really gotten away from me. I got up and down [to save par] at least four times on the back. I don’t think I hit that many greens [in regulation] at all.”

Pearson would conclude the low round of the tournament with back-to-back birdies to turn back Scheldt  by two shots.

Consecutive bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 were fatal to Finney catching Pearson.
Finney and Yoo were the only players under par after the opening two rounds on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Very solid from tee to green,” Finney said of her first 36 holes.

Brittany Rendell, a senior-to-be at Division I Bucknell University, also made the 36-hole cut, which fell at 14-over 158. The Winnetka resident and 2008 New Trier graduate fired rounds of 79, 79 and 83.

“I kind of started off not as well today compared to [the first two days],” Rendell said. “I like playing in this tournament. A lot of the girls [in the field] are also playing in college. I have been playing against them ever since junior golf.”

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