Randy Dodson, Fairways Media

BYU golfer Berlin Long is a competitor and goes into every tournament determined to give herself a shot to win.

That was the goal as she took on Tess Blair (formerly of Sacramento State but who recently transferred to Iowa State) in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Utah Women’s State Amateur golf tournament at Jeremy Ranch Golf and Country Club on Thursday morning.

Long said both golfers played well but Blair was able to pull in front to get the 3-and-2 win and advance to the semifinals, ending Long’s run.

“It was a really fun match,” Long said. “I wasn’t able to get it done in the end but there were a lot of positives. I played probably the best I have this whole week.”

The Cougar golfer took advantage of a couple of opportunities to go in front early but said things turned around on the fifth hole.

Randy Dodson, Fairways Media

“I actually hit my second shot into the weeds and had to take an unplayable,” Long said. “Tess left her first putt about 10 feet short of the hole and I had a really good chip to about a foot. It was one of the best I made. But she ended up making her putt for par to win the hole. I think that was kind of a big confidence builder for her because you could kind of tell the way she started playing after that.”

Long would’ve preferred to have rallied to win, but there was a silver lining to bowing out on Thursday instead of reaching Friday’s finals.

That’s because Long is headed to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, which will take place at Bel Air Country Club in California on Aug. 7-12. She leaves Friday evening to start her preparations.

“After the loss, we talked about how we have some time to get some things done,” Long said. “I’ll have time to practice tomorrow and tighten some things up before we head to California. In the end, it doesn’t work out too bad.”

She said she’s thrilled at the chance to play on a great course against the best amateurs in the country.

Randy Dodson, Fairways Media

“I’m really excited,” Long said. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about the event and everyone has kind of been telling me that it’s really cool. It’s such a cool opportunity. The United State Golf Association makes sure it’s a good event and they set everything out to make sure it’s a fun week. I’m just really excited for the opportunity to be able to go and kind of represent BYU and the state of Utah.”

This will be her third consecutive week of facing elite competition. Prior to the Utah State Women’s Amateur, she competed at the Sea Island Amateur in Georgia.

She said she feels like facing talented opponents on great courses is good preparation for the Cougar golf season.

“A lot of these tournaments have been against other college golfers,” Long said. “It’s just cool to be able to play with all these girls. They’re all just kind of learning experiences. College golf is my priority right now and so everything I do prepares me for that. To be able to go to these tournaments and compete at such a high level of competition, it’s just preparing me even more.”

She took a moment to think back to all the opportunities golf has given her over the years and said she just feels really grateful.

“I’ve been really lucky to be invited to some really cool tournaments,” Long said. “I’ve done it for a long time so I’ve played in most states across the country. It’s given me nothing but cool opportunities. I’m excited to see where it continues to take me and the opportunities that will come.”

Long was the last Utah Valley golfer to be eliminated from the 2023 Utah State Amateur. Blair advanced to Friday’s finals where she will face Arizona State golfer Grace Summerhays.

For complete details from the event, go to http://UGA.org.

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