ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Michigan State graduate Brooke Biermann brought major championship experience and Midwest familiarity to Red Run Golf Club on Thursday – and it paid off in a big way.

Biermann, a Wildwood, Missouri, native, knocked off defending champion Farah O’Keefe in the Round of 16 at the 125th Women’s Western Amateur, closing out the No. 7-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in just 14 holes to win 5 and 4 and advance to the quarterfinals Friday morning.

“She’s a great player and a very nice girl,” Biermann said of O’Keefe, who also claimed co-medalist honors. “I just told myself to be patient. I know my game and what I’m capable of. The conditions here are tough, so it was important to stay steady.”

That patience is rooted in a pre-round ritual with her father, who’s been on the bag for most of her career.

“He always gives me a little shoulder rub because my back’s usually super tight,” Biermann said. “Then it’s a fist bump, a hug and he tells me to ‘go have fun.’ ”

Biermann, an All-Big Ten First Team honoree who played in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, is right at home in Michigan after four years at Michigan State.

“I love this course. Every time I get to tee it up here it’s great,” she said. “Going to Michigan State does help, I feel like there are a lot of Spartan fans out here. I’m used to these types of courses. It’s similar to what I play almost every day.”

Next up, Biermann will face Pimkwan Chookaew, a senior at Iowa State. Chookaew made quick work of Australia’s Jazy Roberts (6 and 5) in her opening match, then outlasted Ella Scaysbrook 1 up in the Round of 16, draining a clutch 10-foot birdie on the final hole.

“I was very confident with my game today in the first match,” Chookaew said. “The second was tougher. I just had to hang on and make birdies where I could.”

Chookaew credited her growth to former Cyclone standout and 2022 Women’s Western Amateur champ Taglao Jeeravivitaporn.

“We had one year together, and she taught me so much about college and the game,” Chookaew said. “Her attitude on the course was amazing. She was always smiling and enjoying it.”

Also advancing was Elise Lee of Irvine, California, who backed up her 2024 runner-up finish with a dominant day – cruising to a 4-and-3 win over Princeton’s Olivia Duan and a 5-and-4 win over South Africa’s Megan Streicher (North Carolina).

“I was hitting it pretty close to the pins today and momentum was super important,” Lee said. “When I started winning holes, I kept gaining confidence.”

Lee will take on Houston’s Maelynn Kim, who edged Wake Forest’s Macy Pate in a 22-hole marathon to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Rounding out the quarterfinal field are Huai-Chien Hsu (Texas), Elizabeth Rudisill (Vanderbilt), Emma Schimpf (College of Charleston) and Kylee Choi (Pepperdine).

Quarterfinal matches begin Friday at 7:30 a.m. ET. Semifinal matches will begin after the conclusion of the quarterfinals.

Held without interruption since 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious annual championships in women’s amateur golf. The tournament is conducted jointly by the Women’s Western Golf Association and the Western Golf Association.

The championship features the top amateur and collegiate players from across the globe. The winner at Red Run this week will join a list of past champions that includes legendary stars Patty Berg, Louise Suggs and Nancy Lopez as well as modern standouts like Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.

Attendance and parking for the Women’s Western Amateur are free.

Round of 32 Results
Thursday, July 17, 2025

Upper Bracket
Farah O’Keefe, Austin, Texas, def. Madison Murr, Los Alamitos, Calif., 5 and 3
Brooke Biermann, Wildwood, Mo., def. Grace Kilcrease, Springdale, Ark., 2 and 1
Ella Scaysbrook, Australia, def. Riana Mission, Las Vegas, Nev., 6 and 5
Pimkwan Chookaew, Thailand, def. Jazy Roberts, Australia, 6 and 5
Huai-Chien Hsu, Taiwan, def. Yijia Ren, China, 3 and 2
Honorine Nobuta Ferry, Flower Mound, Texas, def. Bentley Cotton, Austin, Texas, 5 and 4
Taylor Kehoe, Canada, def. Suzie Tran, Poulsbo, Wash., 19 holes
Elizabeth Rudisill, Charlotte, N.C., def. Addison Klonowski, Naples, Fla., 19 holes

Lower Bracket
Megan Streicher, South Africa, def. Pimchompoo Chaisilprungruang, Thailand, 5 and 4
Elise Lee, Irvine, Calif., def. Olivia Duan, Cupertino, Calif., 4 and 3
Kary Hollenbaugh, New Albany, Ohio, def. Gabriella Nicastro, Huntsville, Ala., 2 up
Maelynn Kim, Katy, Texas, def. Macy Pate, Winston-Salem, N.C., 22 holes
Kaitlyn Zermeño Smith, Covina, Calif., def. Reagan Chaney, Ardmore, Okla., 2 and 1
Emma Schimpf, Daniel Island, S.C., def. Sydney Roberts, Chesnee, S.C., 2 and 1
Kylee Choi, Murrieta, Calif., def. Casey Weidenfeld, Pembroke Pines, Fla., 5 and 3
Ashleen Kaur, Cypress, Texas, def. Isabella Goyette, Medina, Ohio, 3 and 2

Sweet 16 Results
Thursday, July 17, 2025

Upper Bracket
Biermann def. O’Keefe, 5 and 4
Chookaew def. Scaysbrook, 2 up
Hsu def. Nobuta Ferry, 3 and 1
Rudisill def. Kehoe, 1 up

Lower Bracket
Lee def. Streicher, 5 and 4
Kim def. Hollenbaugh, 4 and 2
Schimpf def. Zermeño Smith, 1 up
Choi def. Kaur, 4 and 2