What started as a two-horse race ended in a two-horse race. Jillian Hollis and Kelli Ann Strand walked off of the 18th tee tied for the lead at 13-under for the tournament. Each player took a much different route to get there, with Hollis chasing Strand at the beginning of the day, but Strand chasing Hollis by the end of the day.
Hollis started the round three shots back of the lead but immediately put the pressure on, making two birdies in her first three holes. A bogey followed shortly after on No. 4, but the 28-year-old would get the shot back before the turn with a birdie on No. 8. As the pair made the turn, Hollis held a one-shot lead after a shaky start from Strand.
The back nine started with a bogey from Hollis, however, bringing Strand back into the mix immediately. The tie was short-lived as Strand would make a bogey on No. 11, giving the lead back to the three-time Epson Tour winner as she made birdie, making it a two-shot swing. Hollis would add another birdie on No. 15 to get it to 13-under.
While it looked like Hollis was going to pull away, Strand started to plot a comeback. The 21-year-old made back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14, cutting the lead to one shot. Then, on No. 17, she answered the bell, rolling in a birdie putt to tie Hollis going into No. 18.
Both players hit the fairway and laid up to a short yardage on the par five, leaving themselves with great birdie opportunities. Strand went first, landing near the pin, but the firm greens led to a bigger bounce than intended, leaving her a 30-foot putt for birdie. Hollis, on the other hand, hit a low spinning wedge to about four feet uphill.
The putt came up short for Strand, leaving Hollis with a short putt for her fourth Epson Tour victory and first since her win at the 2022 Circling Raven Championship. The veteran stepped up and buried the putt, sealing her fourth title and setting the new 54-hole scoring record at the Otter Creek Championship.
“It’s been a long time coming, and my game feels really good right now, and I’ve just like found some peace in my golf game and kind of just in the rest of my life too,” explained Hollis. “I think the golf’s really good, but everything else is I’m in a really good place right now, like very happy.”
The Epson Tour heads to a one-week break before heading out east for the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship presented by Munich Re.
Provided by: Epson Tour Communications
