Morgan Hetletved fells Abbie Kelm for 1st Birchmont title in 4th attempt
Jul. 29—BEMIDJI — Morgan Hetletved's 2022 Birchmont Golf Tournament didn't go the way she wanted it to.
In last year's iteration of the Birchmont at Bemidji Town and Country Club, Hetletved, the No. 3 seed in the field, was upset in the Round of 16, bringing an abrupt end to her run one year after finishing as the runner-up in the women's division.
In 2023, she left no doubt. Returning to the championship match on Saturday again as the third seed, Hetletved clinched her first-ever Birchmont crown over top-seeded defending champion Abbie Kelm, besting Kelm 3-and-1 with a gorgeous three-shot combo on the 17th hole.
"I was really nervous coming down the stretch," Hetletved said. "So it feels good to finish 'er out."
She didn't look it. Hetletved struck her tee shot well on 17 and hit the fairway with room to spare, then laid up a picturesque second shot within 10 feet of the pin. A perfectly executed putt for birdie ensured that the Birchmont would add a new women's champion in its 99th edition.
"I'm happy for her," said Kelm, Hetletved's former teammate with the North Dakota women's golf team. "She played really well today, and she deserves it."
Hetletved held the lead for most of the round, going 3 up by the turn and fluctuating between 2 up and 4 up from there. Kelm began to come back with consecutive victories on holes 14 and 15, but Hetletved rediscovered her best strokes in the nick of time.
"(I was taking) deep breaths coming down the stretch," Hetletved said. "That's really all that got me through that. ... (It was) a relief that I actually made the putt, because putting down the stretch was a little rough. So it was good to finish on a birdie."
For her second shot, Hetletved embraced the nervous energy saturating her body and infused it into her swing. With that much juice in her system, it made sense to swing for the fences.
"I was 114 out, and I was like, 'Well, that's not a great yardage at all," Hetletved said. "I knew I had adrenaline, and I (thought), 'My one club, if I hit it good, can go 105. And I hit it 114. So (I) clubbed down for sure on that one."
In her fourth year competing at the Birchmont, Hetletved is finally on top. She plans to be back next year to defend her title, and it sounds like Kelm will be waiting for her once again.
"Probably (I'll be back)," said Kelm, who returned to Bemidji for the first time since moving to Spokane Valley, Wash., in December. "It's a great week to come back. The weather's amazing."
"This week is so fun," Hetletved agreed. "I love it here. You kind of forget about reality when you come here, honestly. I have so many emails to attend to, but I just forget about them. I'm like, 'Oh, they're not there.' Because we're here, and we're having fun with all of our friends and playing golf. There's nothing better."
Along with Hetletved and Kelm, fellow UND women's golfer Lily Bredemeier joined the championship foursome and herself took home the women's consolation championship. It was a Kelly green kind of day at BTCC.
"It's fun (to play together)," Hetletved said. "Really, it's just for fun, and whoever wins, I'd be happy if (Kelm) won. We are really good friends, so it didn't really matter to me."
Though she solved the course in sterling fashion on Saturday, Hetletved still has one riddle left to resolve — how she'll celebrate the momentous occasion.
"I don't know," Hetletved laughed. "I've got to go home, and then I guess we'll figure it out. (But I'm relieved). I can breathe."
