Wurster wins amateur state golf title

Douglas High senior Bethany Wurster continued her phenomenal summer this week, winning the Nevada State Amateur Golf Championship at the Paiute Golf Course in Las Vegas.

She overcame 100-degree, windy weather and a pair of sizable blisters on her feet to shoot a 1-under par 71 on the first day of the competition and a 75 on Day 2 to win the tournament by five strokes.

"It was getting to the point where I could hardly walk (with the blisters)," Wurster said. "I just tried to concentrate on making pars, getting on the green and pushing through. I really wanted to win this tournament. I tried to stay out in front and ahead of a couple of really, really good players. I just wanted to play well."

Wurster said the grueling conditions were made easier by the company she kept on the course.

"The girls I got to play with were really nice and funny," she said. "We all got along really well and it made everything go faster."

Among the players she defeated was Alex Kuwai, the top-seeded golfer from the south.

Wurster has won every tournament she's competed in this summer, with the exception of a USGA Girls Championship Qualifier in Las Vegas, where she tied for second.

She'll play in the USGA Championship in late July in North Carolina. Having qualified, she stands as one of the top 156 girls' players in the country. More than 1,000 golfers played in qualifiers around the country.

Wurster, a two-time Northern 4A Regional champion, will play in a number of local tournaments in the coming weeks. The open recruiting period for high school seniors began on Thursday and Wurster said she was eager to see if any colleges got in contact with her.

"We've been e-mailing some colleges, but starting (Thursday) they can call me," she said. "We'll just see what happens next."

Joey Crandall can be reached at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.