Council Rock North junior Erica Herr has qualified to compete in the U.S. Open later this month. She also has made a verbal commitment to Wake Forest University.
By Ben Reese
This has been an eventful time for Council Rock North junior Erica Herr. And one which she won't forget for some time to come.
Herr has qualified for the U.S. Women's Open and has also verbally committed to play her college golf at Wake Forest University. She is thrilled by both of them.
“Yeah, it has been pretty eventful,” she said of the recent few weeks. But she won't commit to which of the two, the Open and Wake Forest, holds sway over the other.
“They are both equal,” she said. “I mean I've wanted to go Wake Forest since I was a kid and qualifying for the U.S. Open is another dream of mine.
“I don't think I could choose one over the other.”
The Open qualifying is the most recent. Herr and her father, Eric, traveled out to Butler County Club for the two qualifying rounds. In the morning, Erica shot a 74, the low score for the opening round.
In the afternoon round, played in freezing conditions, she shot a 78, giving her a 152 total. She feared the 78 would cost her one of the two available spots for the Open, which begins June 27 at Sebonak Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y.
But, after signing her scorecard, she was told that she had qualified. And she had qualified as the medalist.
It was her third attempt to qualify for the Women's Open.
“We went to New Jersey the first two times,” Herr said.“We finally decided to change it up. It (the qualifier in Western Pennsylvania) fit my schedule better than the one in New Jersey because I think I had a conflicting event with that one.
“It opened up perfectly for me. That was really the only reason (for going west).”
One thing that was familiar for Herr was the weather in Butler. The temperature was more closely associated with winter than spring.
It was familiar because she has competed in the PIAA Regional and State Championships in middle and late October for the past three years, when the weather is anything but balmy. She has won the PIAA girls title the past two years, giving her a chance to become the first Pennsylvania female golfer to win three straight state titles.
It was cold in Butler and windy. In fact, some snow even fell on the golf course.
But it was all the same to Herr. It wasn't something she hadn't endured before, except maybe the snow.
“We're playing high school golf in the heart of fall where it's freezing cold so I am definitely used to it,” she said.
When asked if she felt that she has gotten one over on her brother Zach by qualifying for the Open, she disagreed.
“I don't look at it that way,” She said. “I see it more as a team thing.
“I feel that I qualified for the U.S. Open as a team. Not only did I make it, but we made it.
“I feel it is more like a family experience. Team Herr.”
As for Wake Forest, as she said, it is something she has dreamed about for many years.
At Wake, she will be part of the team that head coach Dianne Dailey is putting together for the Demon Deacons. Herr also had offers from Clemson, Boston College, Stanford, UCLA and Notre Dame.
She will join a team that finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference this spring. The Deacons will be losing one senior from this year's squad.
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