Bridget Butler's first competitive tournament in 11 months ended in her claiming the 92nd Illinois State Women's Amateur title.

92nd Illinois State Women's Amateur Championship
June 16-18 • The Grove Country Club (Long Grove)

Day Three: Wednesday, June 18

BUTLER TRIUMPHS IN RETURN TO COMPETITIVE GOLF, CAPTURES 92ND ILLINOIS STATE WOMEN’S AMATEURLONG GROVE, Ill. - It’s been nearly a calendar year since Bridget Butler (Barrington) competed in a high-level amateur golf tournament. For some, it might have taken a few events to get their feet back underneath them, to feel the pressure of championship play once again.

The 19-year-old proved Wednesday that she didn’t need such a grace period by emerging victorious in the 92nd Illinois State Women’s Amateur Championship at The Grove Country Club. Butler’s final-round 1-under 71, along with rounds of 69 and 72 on Monday and Tuesday, positioned her atop the 54-hole event leaderboard at -4 overall. Kayla Sayyalinh (Rockford), the leader following Tuesday’s second round, and Alexis Myers (Northbrook) tied for second at -1.

“This is my first tournament in 11 months, since I redshirted at Nebraska,” said Butler of her recent time away. “So it means a lot, this win. I worked on my swing a lot, putting and chipping - my whole game. I really focused on my short game and wedges.”

Playing together in Wednesday’s final group, Butler began the round two shots shy of Sayyalinh. She quickly closed that gap, snagging birdies on The Grove’s first and second holes as Sayyalinh dropped shots with bogies on each. Butler’s consistent start featured her “looking for fairways and greens to give myself good looks.”

Related Links: (Full Recap) / (Scoring) / (Photo Gallery)

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Day Two: Tuesday, June 17

SAYYALINH INCREASES STATE WOMEN’S AM LEAD; URBANKOVA EARNS LOW MID-AM HONORS
LONG GROVE, Ill. - After entering Tuesday of the Illinois State Women’s Amateur Championship with a one-stroke lead, Kayla Sayyalinh (Rockford) stood on the tee box of her eighth hole trailing by four strokes following four bogeys.

Ten holes later, she was back atop the leaderboard, doubling her 18-hole advantage following a sizzling 1-under 71. Sayyalinh carded five birdies down the stretch, capitalizing on the shorter side of the course with her length and consistency off the tee to card the only red number of the hot and windy day at The Grove Country Club.

“I was mostly just trying to adapt to the wind and limit as many mistakes as possible,” said the Southern Illinois junior of the breezy conditions. “Going into the front nine [her second nine holes], I was confident, because I knew there were a lot more birdie opportunities and it was shorter, so it was playing for my game.”

Related Links: (Scoring) / (Photo Gallery) / (Video Recap) / (Round 3 Tee Times)

Even before making the turn, Sayyalinh jumpstarted her round with a second-straight birdie on No. 18. She then kicked into high gear with circles on Nos. 2, 4, 6 and 7 to move to 5-under overall.

Sayyalinh finds herself in a familiar position, as she was in the top five entering the final day of competition of last year’s event. Despite struggling to a final-round 86 and T-13 finish, Sayyalinh feels the experience could be valuable as she seeks to win the championship and claim a U.S. Women’s Amateur berth on Wednesday.

“I know that I have to go in with confidence, not really worry about where everybody else is at and just focus on my own game,” Sayyalinh said.

The closest competitor to Sayyalinh is Bridget Butler (Barrington), who was 2-under on the day until a tree-impacted double bogey on her final hole resulted in an even-par 72. Butler’s 3-under total is two shots shy of Sayyalinh.

“It was kind of an up-and-down day,” Butler, who recently transferred to Stetson for her redshirt freshman season, admitted. “It was really hot out, so I was just trying to hydrate and stay fueled throughout the round. I had a hard time hitting fairways with the wind today, but overall, it was just a solid round.”

Sayyalinh and Butler will be joined in Wednesday’s final group by 2024 Illinois State Junior Girls’ Amateur Championship winner Alexis Myers (Northbrook). The incoming Illinois freshman followed up an opening-round 71 with an even-par 72 and trails Sayyalinh by four shots.

While the main prize will be up for grabs on Wednesday, the winner of one piece of hardware has already been determined. Dasa Urbankova (Chicago) became the first Illinois State Women’s Mid-Amateur champion as the lowest competitor age 25 and up following 36 holes of competition. The 27-year-old UIC alum remains in contention for the championship proper as well, as she is T4 at +2.

“It is cool to play with the younger girls,” said Urbankova, who was paired with 13-year-old Anaisha Singh (Schaumburg). “I usually play with much older girls and ladies, so it was fun to compete with them, see their game and compare my game to theirs. Seeing that I am right there with them has been fun.”

Originally from the Czech Republic, Urbankova played four years at Menlo College in California before transferring to UIC for two graduate seasons. Her positive experience as a Flame led her to make Chicago her post-graduation home and the place to begin her career in the golf industry.

“When I came to Chicago I fell in love with the city, so I decided to stay,” Urbankova said. “After I graduated from UIC, I started working for The Golf Practice north of Chicago. That has been a great experience for me so far.”

Play will begin at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, with the final group slated to tee off at 7:54 a.m.

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Day One: Monday, June 16

FIVE IN RED FIGURES FOLLOWING OPENING ROUND OF 92ND ILLINOIS STATE WOMEN’S AM
LONG GROVE, Ill. - One year removed from an opening round that featured a scoring average over 82 and just two rounds under par, the field of the 92nd Illinois State Women’s Amateur Championship welcomed a calm, warm summer day at The Grove Country Club Monday. With scoring down more than two shots and five women under par, the race for the title at week’s end is sure to be competitive.

Those posting numbers in red figures include Kayla Sayyalinh (Rockford), who ended the opening round one shot shy of the lead a year ago, Bridget Butler (Barrington), Nicole Johnson (Edwardsville), Alexis Myers (Northbrook) and Dasa Urbankova (Chicago).

Related Links: (Scoring) / (Photo Gallery) / (Video Recap) / (Round 2 Tee Times)

Sayyalinh’s first-round 68 has her standing above the rest this time around after being one shot back in 2024, as six birdies and an eagle allowed her to pace the field.

“I was pretty confident because I’ve been practicing and I knew that my game was where it needed to be,” said Sayyalinh following her round.

Her hard work certainly came into fruition early on Monday, as Sayyalinh erased a bogey-birdie-double bogey start with four birdies in a five-hole stretch before the turn to post a front-nine 34. Four-consecutive pars to begin her second nine kept Sayyalinh near the top of the leaderboard before an eagle at the 360-yard par-4 14th proved to everyone her game was tuned and ready to go.

“I hit a pretty good drive, just slightly left into the shorter rough, like 115-120 yards out,” Sayyalinh said of the 14th hole. “I saw it going near the hole and I was like, ‘oh, it’s on, I’m going to putt,’ but then I heard my parents yelling and screaming and I was like, ‘oh, it went in!’”

Sayyalinh erased a bogey at the par-5 15th with a closing birdie to conclude her round.

“It is a really good confidence booster just knowing that, with 17 holes before that, I still have the groove of my game right now,” she said of her birdie at No. 18.

Just one shot behind Sayyalinh are Butler and Johnson, who posted rounds of 3-under to put their names in the ring.

Butler, who began her day sandwiching a bogey at the par-5 second with two pars, followed Sayyalinh’s lead with three-straight birdies at Nos. 4-6 to get herself into red figures. She would go out in 34 before two birdies and a lone bogey on the back finalized her round of 69.

“I think greens in regulation was huge, I only missed three greens today and just gave myself a lot of good looks out there,” Butler said following her round.

Johnson, who began her day on The Grove’s 10th hole, leveled out a double bogey at the par-3 11th with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 12 and 13. A bogey and a birdie coming in carded her opening-nine 36. A trio of birdies at Nos. 3, 5 and 6, and a 20-foot par save at No. 9, highlighted Johnson’s flawless 33 on her second nine.

“I just had a lot of birdie chances out there,” Johnson said. “I mean, I had some close ones. I was hitting my wedges pretty close, but at the end of the day it was my putter. On No. 18, I sunk a 20-footer for par to shoot 3-under, so it was really just a lot of par putts and short birdie putts. It was a good day out there.”

Myers and Urbankova both sit at 1-under par following Monday’s first round. The two combined to card five birdies and an eagle to join the leaders under par.

Formerly a match-play event, the Illinois State Women’s Am is being contested as a 54-hole stroke-play championship over three days again in 2025. Tuesday will feature 18 holes starting at 8 a.m. for the entire field once again before a cut to the low 20 and ties. The conclusion of Tuesday’s second round will also mark the crowning of the Illinois State Women’s Mid-Amateur champion for the first time in event history. Urbankova currently holds a six-shot lead over the next closest mid-amateur competitor.

The top 20 and ties will return to The Grove to compete for the title and a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship on Wednesday.

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Preview

Following its first administration by the CDGA in 2024, the 92nd Illinois State Women's Amateur Championship returns to The Grove Country Club in Long Grove, June 16-18. Formerly administered by the Illinois Women's Golf Association (IWGA), the event is open to Illinois residents with a Handicap Index® of 10.4 or below.

Schedule

Monday, June 16
The entire field will play 18 holes of stroke play.

Tuesday, June 17
The entire field will play 18 holes of stroke play, with a cut to the low 20 and ties occurring after the completion of Round 2. New for 2025, the low mid-amateur (age 25 and older) will also be crowned following Round 2.

Wednesday, June 18
The low 20 and ties will play 18 holes of stroke play.

CLICK HERE or the image for a full preview and notes package.

Related Links: (Full Preview) / (Round 1 Tee Times) / (Round 2 Tee Times) / (Field) / (2024 Recap) / (Event History)

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Championship Information

The Illinois State Women's Amateur Championship, traditionally conducted annually by the Illinois Women's Golf Association, was first played in 1934 at Evanston Golf Club. Conducted as match play through 2023, the event is now a 54-hole stroke play competition contested over three days. Buffalo Grove native and former Drake University golfer Haeri Lee captured her first State Women's Am crown in 2024 at The Grove.

The Illinois State Women's Amateur champion earns an automatic exemption into the current year's U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.

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