Sierra Brooks rides momentum for win at Women’s Southern Amateur

SARASOTA, Fla. (June 5, 2015) -- Things got hot at the 100th Women’s Southern Amateur this week. Friday’s final round was played in the 91-degree heat of Sarasota at Sara Bay Country Club, where Sierra Brooks of Sorrento, Fla. went up against Madison Lellyo of Windermere. Brooks, who will join the Wake Forest Demon Deacons women’s golf team in 2016, just qualified as an alternate for the U.S. Women’s Open after finishing one stroke behind qualifier Haley Italia (142 total) at Sugar Mill Country Club in New Smyrna Beach. She rode that wave of momentum into Friday’s championship, winning 5-and-4. To get to Friday’s 36-hole final, Brooks defeated Orlando’s Kelsey Zeng 5-and-4 while Lellyo triumphed over Katy Harris (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 2-and-1. Lellyo, who just completed her freshman year at Rollins College, was a force in helping her team become NCAA Division II runners-up. Her strong play throughout the year paid off as she was named the Division II Freshman Golfer of the Year.