Furnish ready to enjoy championship golf event, verbally commits to Missouri State

Megan Furnish plans to enjoy the biggest tournament of her life.

And, it will be against the top players across the country and overseas.

Furnish finished third at a United States Golf Association qualifier to earn a berth in USGA U.S. Girls' Junior Championship on Monday at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club's South Course.  She tees off at 7:20 a.m., playing with Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., and Ally Shin from Canada.

The field will be tough, but she said the goal is to play her best with hopes of earning a top-64 spot after stroke play for match-play competition.

“I cannot wait,” said Furnish, 17, who will be a senior at Cedar Rapids Jefferson. “It's going to be a really fun experience and it's a once in a lifetime chance to be able to play against some of the best girls.”

A third-place finish at the qualifying tournament June 15 in St. Charles, Mo., secured a berth to the championship event that includes players from China, Indonesia and Thailand. Furnish carded an 81 at Bogey Hills Country Club, edging two others by one for the  final spot and finishing five out of second.

She said she didn't know what to expect and had a whatever happens happens approach. Furnish mainly wanted the experience at that level and was surprised by the result.

“When we found out my scores, I couldn't believe it,” Furnish said. “I was really happy about that.

“I called pretty much all my family and told them ... They congratulated me and then we went home and celebrated and took it all in.”

Her hard work this summer has paid dividends. She has also qualified for the 36th PGA Junior National Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind., from Aug. 2-5 after winning the Iowa Section Championship at Hunters Ridge earlier this month. Furnish, who placed sixth in PGA Junior Series event in June at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, has devoted more time to her game, focusing on regional competition against the top golfers.

“She's one of the hardest workers out there,” said Airport National co-owner and PGA Golf Pro Matt Erger, who has worked with Furnish for more than 10 years. “She's got the ability and the desire to want to be better.”

It's a good bet top find her at the course, fine-tuning her skills three to four days most weeks. She alternates between playing rounds and at least two hours of range and chipping and putting practice. Furnish also credited Erger for work on her swing.

“I've really dedicated my time and practiced a lot more this summer,” Furnish said. “I've planned out what I want to do in practice and have a plan for what I want to work on so I actually get better and improve.”

Much of the focus has been on her short game, an aspect vital for low scores. Erger said Furnish is advanced to where only minor adjustments might be needed for her swing and the goal is to develop the finer parts of her game, getting up and down regularly.

“We really tried to improve that a lot after high school golf was over,” Erger said. “We got it to the point where she can hit , 40, 50, 60, 70-yard shots a lot lower with a lot more spin.

“When you can get those to start spinning and checking like that you're really got it working well.”

Furnish has been one of Iowa's top prep golfers, earning all-Metro and all-Mississippi Valley Conference honors, but her varsity seasons have ended prior to the state meet. She has been disappointed but it has fueled her fire to become the best, inspiring her to practice the same night in May after missing a state berth by one stroke.

"I think it has made me a stronger player," Furnish said. "Definitely, it was a disappointment. Each year I took it as a learning experience and just want to get better along the way."

Her biggest accomplishment yet came in the state she plans to have a college career. Furnish has verbally committed to play golf at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. The Bears finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference in April, a shot out of second. She wanted a school that suited her academically and athletically. The climate and head coach Kevin Kane, a 1984 University of Northern Iowa graduate, influenced her decision.

“I really like the campus down there and the opportunity to play golf almost all year round because the weather is warmer,” said Furnish, considering possible majors in dietetics or elementary education. “I had a really good connection with the coach down there."