Amanda Blumenherst
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Amanda Blumenherst (born November 4, 1986) is an American
professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
who plays on the U.S.-based
LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...
. She was a three-time National Player of the Year at
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
and won the
U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur, also known as the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship, is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf ch ...
title in 2008. In 2013, she announced that she would take a leave from professional golf to spend more time with her husband, major league baseball player Nate Freiman.


Early life and personal life

Blumenherst was born in
Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...
, the daughter of Amy (McClure) and David Blumenherst. She began playing golf at the age of four. She attended high school at
Xavier College Preparatory Xavier College Preparatory is a private, Catholic, all-girls high school in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, it draws students from 120 local schools. History Xavier was founded in 1943 by the ...
in Phoenix, where she was a four-time
Rolex Rolex () is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his eventual brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex ...
All-American and was the third-ranked national recruit as a senior. She led Xavier College Prep to the 5A state championships for four straight years. She held Arizona's 5A High School Girls' Golf State Tournament record with a score of 69–66=135 (−9). Blumenherst married Oakland A's baseball player Nate Freiman in December 2012. He holds Duke University's career home run record, and the school's second-highest all-time batting average. The two were Duke's ACC Senior Male and Female Athletes of the Year in 2009. Freiman has caddied for her seven times at LPGA tournaments. "I'm probably more nervous than she is. I don't choose the clubs, but I have to give her the yardage. I'm adding up all of the numbers, and I better be right. It's nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun," he said. In August 2013, she announced that she would take a leave from professional golf at the end of the year to spend more time with her husband. She said: "I don't want to say I'm retiring, because you never know what will happen. Maybe I'll decide in a couple years to come back, and this will just be a little break, you never know." The couple had a son, William David, in November 2014.


Amateur career


College


2005–06 (Freshman)

At
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
in Durham,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, Blumenherst was named the National Freshman of the Year by numerous publications. She had the lowest stroke average by a Duke freshman, 71.62, and was the second freshman at Duke to win her first collegiate golf tournament. She set a Blue Devil freshman record with a 54-hole total of 208 at the Mason Rudolph Championship.


2006–07 (Sophomore)

Blumenherst was named the NGCA National Player of the Year for the second year in a row. She won the Golfstat Cup to join
Lorena Ochoa Lorena Ochoa Reyes (; born 15 November 1981) is a Mexican former professional golfer who played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour from 2003 LPGA Tour, 2003 to 2010 LPGA Tour, 2010. She was the Women's World Golf Rankings#World number ones, top-ranked ...
as the only two-time winners. She set a school-record 71.00 stroke average, and tied an NCAA record with a 63 (−9) at the NCAA East Regionals.


2007–08 (Junior)

Blumenherst won her second consecutive
Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in t ...
for golf as the best collegiate female golfer, which put her in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award as the collegiate Female Athlete of the Year. She was named the ACC Player of the Year for the third consecutive year, and had 30 career top 10 finishes. She won her third straight individual ACC championship in
Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona†...
, and finished fifth at the NCAA championships at
Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
. She led the Blue Devils to a second-place team finish at the NCAA East Regional and a third-place national finish in New Mexico. Blumenherst won a third "NCGA" National Player of the Year award.


2008–09 (Senior)

In her senior year, Blumenherst saw less impressive results, winning only once during the regular season, while still being named the ACC Co-Player of the Year. She graduated
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
with a 3.84 GPA from Duke in May 2009 with a degree in history and minors in English and Theater. She was awarded the Dinah Shore Trophy Award by the LPGA Foundation for the second consecutive year. The award is presented to the female collegiate golfer who excels in both academics and athletics, while also demonstrating outstanding leadership skills and community service. In 2009, Blumenherst was a semi-finalist (one of twelve) for the Sullivan Award given annually to the world's most outstanding amateur athlete. She was also one of nine finalists for the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.


Other amateur golf achievements

In 2008 Blumenherst finished 30th at the LPGA
Kraft Nabisco Championship The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Sinc ...
on the LPGA Tour, and in 2006 and 2008 she helped the U.S. win the
Curtis Cup The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match. It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and The R&A and is contested by teams representing the United States and " ...
. At the
2006 U.S. Women's Open The 2006 U.S. Women's Open was the 61st U.S. Women's Open, held June 30 to July 3 at Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island. Delayed by fog for a day, the first round started on Friday and the final two rounds were played on Sunday. The ...
, she finished tied for tenth and shared low
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
honors with Jane Park. The following year she finished tied for 50th at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open, one of four amateurs to make the cut. She advanced to the second round of match play at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (WAPL), and at the
North and South Women's Amateur The North and South Women's Amateur Golf Championship is an annual golf tournament held since 1903 at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina. An invitational tournament, participants are chosen based upon their performance in national ama ...
. Blumenherst was the runner-up at the 2007
U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur, also known as the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship, is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf ch ...
, falling 1 up to Mariajo Uribe in 36 holes. In
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, she again made the cut at the U.S Women's Open and finished tied for 38th. A month later she won the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur in
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
, with a 2 & 1 victory over NCAA champion,
Azahara Muñoz Azahara Muñoz Guijarro (born 19 November 1987) is a Spanish professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour. Amateur career Muñoz was born in Málaga, Andalusia in southern Spain and had a successful amateur career in ...
, in the 36-hole final on August 10.


Professional career


2009

On May 27, 2009, Blumenherst announced that she turned professional and had signed with the
IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics *IMG (file format), file that stores a complete and uncompressed copy of the contents of a storage device * IMG, a prefix for camera ima ...
sports management company and with
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
Golf as a paid member of its touring staff. Her amateur accomplishments qualified her for membership of the
Futures Tour The Epson Tour, previously known as the LPGA Futures Tour, and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed Futures Tour and between 2012 and 2021 as the Symetra Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour ...
and she played in six Futures Tour events in the summer of 2009, with three top-10 finishes. Blumenherst was the medalist at the first stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in September; she was 16 under par over four rounds to win by six strokes. Later that month Blumenherst, entered on a sponsor's exemption, finished tied for 5th at the
CVS/Pharmacy LPGA Challenge {{use mdy dates, date=June 2025 {{Infobox golf tournament , name = CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge , image = , location = Danville, California, U.S. , establishment = 1996 , course = Blackhawk Country ...
in California. In December at
Daytona Beach Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropo ...
, she won the five-round LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament by two strokes to earn her tour card for
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
.LPGA.com
– 2009 Final Qualifying Tournament – results – December 6, 2009


2010

Blumenherst played the first two tournaments of the
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
LPGA season, the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand and the
HSBC Women's Champions The HSBC Women's World Championship is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour first held in 2008. It was played on the Garden Course of the Tanah Merah Country Club in eastern Singapore, adjacent to Singapore Changi Airport fro ...
, as sponsors' invites. She finished T18 and 62nd, respectively, but as a sponsor invite her earnings did not count on the official LPGA money list. She went on to play in 22 tournaments and finished 51st on the 2010 money list and 4th in the LPGA Rookie of the Year standings, won by Muñoz.


Results in LPGA majors

^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013. LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
T = tied


Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (2006 U.S. Open – 2010 LPGA) *Longest streak of top-10s – 1


LPGA Tour career summary

*official as of November 24, 2013Yahoo! Sports
Amanda Blumenherst – 2009 LPGA Tournament Results
Retrieved October 16, 2011.
* Includes matchplay and other events with no cut.
1 Blumenhurst turned pro in May 2009 and was not an LPGA member; earnings were unofficial for the 2009 LPGA money list.
2 Earnings at the 2010 Honda PTT LPGA Thailand ($16,156) and 2010 HSBC Women's Champions ($3,251) were unofficial under LPGA rules and are not included.


Awards


Junior golf and high school

*Rolex Junior All-American (2002–2005) *Two-time Arizona 5A State Player of the Year (2003–2004) *Phoenix Women's Sports Association H.S. Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2004) *Arizona Female High School Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2005)


College and amateur career

*NGCA National Freshman of the Year (2006) *''Golf Week'' National Freshman of the Year (2006) * Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award (2006) *ACC Freshman of the Year (2006) *Golfstat Cup winner (2006–2008) *NGCA First Team All-American (2006–2008) *
Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in t ...
golf (2007, 2008) *''Golf Week'' First Team All-American (2006–2008) *ACC Player of the Year (2006–2008) *ACC First Team (2006–2008) *NGCA National Player of the Year (2006–2009) * Nancy Lopez Award (2007–2009) *''Golf Week'' National Player of the Year (2007) *NGCA Scholar All-American (2007) *''
ESPN The Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue, with the cover line "NEXT.," was published on March 11, 1998 (cover date March 23, 1998), and featured K ...
'' Academic All-American (2007, 2009) *''
ESPN The Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue, with the cover line "NEXT.," was published on March 11, 1998 (cover date March 23, 1998), and featured K ...
'' Academic All-District III (2008) *'' Golf World'' Player of the Mid-Year (2008) *NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist (2009) *Sullivan Award Semi-Finalist (2009) *ACC Co-Player of the Year (2009)


U.S. national team appearances

Amateur * Junior Solheim Cup: 2002 (winners), 2003 *
Curtis Cup The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match. It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and The R&A and is contested by teams representing the United States and " ...
:
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
(winners),
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
(winners) *
Espirito Santo Trophy The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation. The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fren ...
:
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...


References


External links

*
GoDuke.com
– profile – Amanda Blumenherst

– Amanda Blumenherst Q&A {{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenherst, Amanda American female golfers Duke Blue Devils women's golfers LPGA Tour golfers Winners of ladies' major amateur golf championships Golfers from Scottsdale, Arizona Golfers from Phoenix, Arizona 1986 births Living people