| Amanda Blumenherst | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 4, 1986 Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Residence | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Career | |
| College | Duke University |
| Turned professional | 2009 |
| Current tour(s) | LPGA Tour (joined 2010) |
| Best results in LPGA Major Championships |
|
| Kraft Nabisco C'ship | 30th: 2008 |
| LPGA Championship | 71st: 2010 |
| U.S. Women's Open | T10: 2006 |
| Women's British Open | T54: 2011 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| (For a full list of awards, see here) | |
Amanda Blumenherst (born November 4, 1986) is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She was a three-time National Player of the Year at Duke University and won the U.S. Women's Amateur title in 2008.
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Blumenherst was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, and began playing golf at the age of four. She attended high school at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, where she was a four-time Rolex All-American and was the third ranked national recruit as a senior. She led Xavier College Prep to the 5A state championships for four straight years. She held the Arizona's 5A High School Girl's Golf State Tournament record with a score of 69–66=135 (−9).
At Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, Blumenherst was named the National Freshman of the Year by numerous publications. She had the lowest stroke average by a Duke freshman, 71.62, and was the second freshman at Duke to win her first collegiate golf tournament. She set a Blue Devil freshman record with a 54-hole total of 208 at the Mason Rudolph Championship.
Blumenherst was named the NGCA National Player of the Year for the second year in a row. She won the Golfstat Cup to join Lorena Ochoa as the only two-time winners. She set a school-record 71.00 stroke average, and tied an NCAA record with a 63 (−9) at the NCAA East Regionals.
Blumenherst won her second consecutive Honda Sports Award for golf as the best collegiate female golfer, which put her in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award as the collegiate Female Athlete of the Year. She was named the ACC Player of the Year for the third consecutive year, and had 30 career top 10 finishes. She won her third straight individual ACC championship in Daytona Beach, Florida, and finished fifth at the NCAA championships at Albuquerque. She led the Blue Devils to a second-place team finish at the NCAA East Regional and a third-place national finish in New Mexico. Blumenherst won an unprecedented third "NCGA" National Player of the Year award.
In her senior year, Blumenherst saw less impressive results, winning only once during the regular season, while still being named the ACC Co-Player of the Year.[1] She graduated magna cum laude with a 3.84 GPA from Duke in May 2009 with a degree in history and minors in English and Theater. She was awarded the Dinah Shore Trophy by the LPGA Foundation for the second consecutive year.[2] The award is presented to the female collegiate golfer who excels in both academics and athletics, while also demonstrating outstanding leadership skills and community service. In 2009, Amanda was a semi-finalist (one of twelve) for the Sullivan Award given annually to the worlds most outstanding amateur athlete. She was also one of nine finalists for the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
In 2008, Blumenherst finished 30th at the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship on the LPGA Tour, and in 2006 and 2008 helped the U.S. win the Curtis Cup. At the 2006 U.S. Women's Open, she finished tied for tenth and shared low amateur honors with Jane Park. The following year she finished tied for 50th at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open, one of four amateurs to make the cut. She advanced to the second round of match play at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (WAPL), and at the North and South Women's Amateur. Blumenherst was the runner-up at the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur, falling 1 up to Maria José Uribe in 36 holes. In 2008, she again made the cut at the U.S Women's Open and finished tied for 38th. A month later she won 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur in Eugene, Oregon, with a 2 & 1 victory over NCAA champion Azahara Muñoz in the 36-hole final on August 10.
On May 27, 2009, Blumenherst announced that she turned professional and had signed with the IMG sports management company and with Nike Golf as a paid member of its touring staff. Her amateur accomplishments qualified her for membership of the Futures Tour and she played in six Futures Tour events in the summer of 2009, with three top-10 finishes. Blumenherst was the medalist at the first stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in September; she was 16 under par over four rounds to win by six strokes. Later that month Blumenherst, entered on a sponsor's exemption, finished tied for 5th at the CVS/Pharmacy LPGA Challenge in California. In December at Daytona Beach, she won the five-round LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament by two strokes to earn her tour card for 2010.[3]
Blumenherst played the first two tournaments of the 2010 LPGA season, the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand and the HSBC Women's Champions as sponsors' invites. She finished T18 and 62nd, respectively, but as a sponsor invite her earnings did not count on the official LPGA money list. She went on to play in 22 tournaments and finished 51st on the 2010 money list and fourth in the LPGA Rookie of the Year standings, won by Muñoz.
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | DNP | DNP | 30 LA | DNP | DNP | T41 |
| LPGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 71 | CUT |
| U.S. Women's Open | T10 TLA | T50 | T38 | T52 | CUT | CUT |
| Women's British Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T54 |
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = did not play
"T" = tied
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
| Year | Tournaments played |
Cuts made |
Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish |
Earnings ($) |
Money list rank |
Scoring average |
Scoring rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T10 | n/a | 72.00 | n/a | |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T50 | n/a | 74.00 | n/a | |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | n/a | 73.87 | n/a | |
| 2009 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T5 | 74,0251 | n/a | 71.56 | n/a |
| 2010 | 22 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | T7 | 178,1812 | 51 | 72.86 | 64 |
| 2011 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T9 | 143,162 | 52 | 73.16 | 74 |
1 Blumenhurst turned pro in May 2009 and was not an LPGA member; earnings were unofficial for the 2009 LPGA money list.
2 February earnings at the 2010 Honda PTT LPGA Thailand ($16,156) and 2010 HSBC Women's Champions ($3,251)
were unofficial under LPGA rules (sponsor invite) and are not included.