EAST LANSING — Natalie Brehm did not play what she considers to be her best golf during her second round at the GAM Women’s Championship at Forest Akers West Golf Course on Tuesday, but she still managed to snare a victory in the two-day golf tournament.

In what Brehm (East Lansing/MSU) described as an up and down round (70-76-146), she managed to beat Alainna Stefan (Dearborn) (73-74-147). Brehm just came off her solid match play win at the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship at St. Clair River CC to capture this stroke play championship.

“It was a battle today,” said Brehm. “Yesterday, I made three birdies and only one bogey and today I was up and down all day. I can’t believe I won. I’m shocked. It wasn’t pretty. But I had to stay patient with my game through the two days of stroke play competition, so that I could be holding the Betty Richart Trophy at the end.”

Brehm starting playing golf when she was a freshman in high school.

She’s heading into her fifth year at Michigan State University where her home course for her team is Forest Akers West.

“This was a great championship and to be able to play it at my home course adds a lot of momentum going into my final collegiate year,” said Brehm.

This is the end of summer competition for Brehm as she prepares for her final year at MSU studying nutrition and plans to graduate in April of 2011, and then find employment at a hospital. She said she is not entertaining the idea of turning professional since there’s already one family member who is a professional golfer — her brother, Ryan Brehm.

When asked how it was competing against her head golf coach, Stacy Stobink-Stoll, Brehm replied, “we warmed up next to each other on the practice tee and she told me to go out and get them. We have a great team going into this year.”