OWENSBORO, Ky. ? Future Kentucky golfer Krista Burton (Russell Springs, Ky.) captured the 80th Women?s State Amateur Friday at the Summit Golf and Country Club in Owensboro, Ky., over fellow incoming freshman Jessica Smith (Louisville, Ky.).

Burton and Smith both will be freshmen on the UK women?s golf team this fall.

?It was a fun day and we knew that we were going to have a good time either way,? Burton said. ?I am really excited ? this was a prestigious tournament to win.?

In a back-and-forth battle in the match play championship, Burton defeated Smith 2-up after sinking a 10-foot birdie on the 17th hole and also winning the 18th hole to claim the championship.

?I knew it was going to be tough competition with Jessica,? Burton said. ?It was exciting to play one another, especially with how well we both played.?

Burton, out of Russell County High School, is a two-time regional golf champion (2004, 2005) and finished in the top 10 at the 2005 Kentucky High School Athletics Association state tournament. As a junior, Burton was the individual runner-up at the KHSAA state championships. Burton won the 2004 Henry Clay Invitational, finishing one under par and capturing the event by six strokes. As a sophomore, Burton helped her team win the state team title.

Smith, from Assumption High School, is a three-time KHSAA All-State Team member who posted two top-10 finishes in American Junior Golf Association tournaments last summer. Smith was a member of a KHSAA state championship team her freshman year and qualified for the Women’s Amateur Pub Links her junior year after setting the course record at the University of Wisconsin’s University Ridge Golf Course.

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