Ledwein Needs 20 Holes, But Wins Her Round-of-64 Match at U.S. Women's Mid-Am

USGA

WEST NEWTON, Mass. -- Of all the 32 matches that were played on Monday during the Round of 64 at the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship at Brae Burn Country Club, the wildest was probably the one between the No. 22 seed, Taylor Ledwein, and No. 43 Laura Bavaird.

Ledwein, the former MGA Player of the Year from New Prague, was 5 up after 10 holes. She then lost six of the next seven holes, which put her in a 1-down hole with one to play. Undaunted, Ledwein won the 371-yard, par-4 18th with a par, and won the match with a par on the second extra hole (No. 2, par 4, 294 yards). 

Two other matches involving Minnesotans went the distance -- or beyond. That was the case for Betsy Kelly, the former two-time State Open champ from Forest Lake, and this week the No. 26 seed. She was 2 down after four holes to Elayna Bowser (No. 39). But Kelly won the sixth and the seventh with pars, and the 11th with another par. That put her 1 up, but Bowser reversed her, going 1 up by winning the 14th and 15th. Kelly leveled the match by winning the par-3 17th with a par, but Bowser settled the issue by winning the first extra hole with a par.

Emma Groom, the former NDSU star from Eden Prairie, shot 79 in the first round of stroke play on Saturday, and was tied for 49th. But she came back with what tied for the fourth-best score of the day Sunday, a 75, and earned the No, 20 seed with a 36-hole aggregate of 154. On Monday, she was 3 down to Sarah Spicer (No. 45) after 12 holes, but she rallied and pulled even when she won the 17th with a par. The 18th went the other way, however, and Groom lost it -- and the match -- to Spicer's par. 

The top seed in the Women's Mid-Am, Jacqueline Setas advanced with a 4&3 victory over the No. 64 seed, Sydney Gillespie, who got into the match-play portion of the tournament by winning a 4-for-1 playoff early Monday morning, with a birdie on the first hole. 

Sabrina Coffman tied Setas for medalist honors over the weekend, but the No. 2-seeded Coffman lost Monday, 2&1 to No. 63 Raegan Bremer.

No. 3 Jackie Rogowicz lost, too. No. 62 Sherry Zhong beat her in 21 holes. But No. 4 Alexandra Austin won, 4&3 over Olivia Herrick, thanks to a nice little run on the back nine. Herrick, who probably ran out of room at her house for the more than two dozen state championship trophies she's collected in the last two decades, went 1 up when she won the par-3 eighth hole with a par. She was still 1 up after 10, but Austin won the next five holes in a row -- playing those five holes in 3 under -- and that was that.     

U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship

At Brae Burn Country Club 

Par 72, 6,170 yards

West Newton, Mass. 

Stroke play

T1. Sabrina Coffman            75-72--147

T1. Jacqueline Setas            72-75--147

T3. Jackie Rogowicz              74-74--148

T3. Alexandra Austin              70-78--148

5. Judith Kyrinis                       75-74--148

T18. Emma Groom                 79-75--154

T18. Taylor Ledwein               74-80--154

T25. Betsy Kelly                      76-79--155

T55. Olivia Herrick                   81-80--161

What it took to qualify for match play -- 163 (a 4-for-1 playoff)

Paige McCullough                    85-88--173


Match play

Round of 64

(1) Jacqueline Setas def. (64) Sydney Gillespie 4&3

(63) Raegan Bremer def. (2) Sabrina Coffman 2&1

(62) Sherry Zhong (3) Jackie Rogowicz 21 holes

(4) Alexandra Austin def. (61) Olivia Herrick 4&3

(5) Judyth Kyrinis (60) Lucy Burke 4&2

(22) Taylor Ledwein def. (43) Laura Bavaird 20 holes

(39) Elayna Bowser def. (26) Betsy Kelly 19 holes

(45) Sarah Spicer def. (20) Emma Groom 1 up