2020 MGA Women's Amateur Championship Fact Sheet

• 2020 MGA Women's Amateur Round 3
• 2020 MGA Women's Amateur Round 2
• 2020 MGA Women's Amateur Round 1

View full size image

View full size image

View full size image

The MGA Women’s Amateur Championship
Stillwater Country Club – Stillwater, Minn., July 27-29, 2020
 
GENERAL INFO/FORMAT – The 2020 MGA Women’s Amateur Championship will be held at the Stillwater Country Club, Monday through Wednesday, July 27-29. The Championship Division will play 54-holes of stroke play, while the Flighted Divisions (divisions are flighted by USGA Handicap Index) will play 36-holes of stroke play. A tie for the Championship will be broken by a hole-by-hole playoff.
 
The MGA Women’s Amateur champion’s name will appear on the Patty Berg Memorial trophy.
 
LIVE SCORING ON THE WEB – Live Scoring will be available on the MGA web site www.mngolf.org.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE – Follow us for updates, photos, and results Facebook: Minnesota Golf Association Twitter Handle: @MNGolfAssn; #MGAWomensAm Instagram: MNGolfAssn
 
STILLWATER COUNTRY CLUB OFFICIALS – President Jake Reinseth; Vice President Dave Kelley; Secretary LeeValsvik; General Manager Dave Wolf, PGA Golf Professional Brent Heit; and Golf Course Superintendent Marlin Murphy.
 
STILLWATER COUNTRY CLUB AND CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF – Despite Stillwater CC’s storied history in Minnesota golf, this will be the club’s first time hosting the MGA Women’s Amateur Championship. The club was built in 1924 to accommodate the high demand for golf in the east metro. The club’s Shortstop Tournament (now named after longtime greenkeeper Lyle Cran), which began in 1944, has been one of the premier amateur events in the twin cities and was won by numerous State Amateur and State Open winners. Stillwater’s original nine-hole layout was designed by Tom Vardon, but in 1959, the golf course expanded to 18 holes when Paul Coates designed the second nine, as well as reconfiguring many of the original holes. Fans of Vardon will appreciate that holes 1, 7 through 11, and 18 are original. In 2015, the club rebuilt all of the bunkers on the course, restoring many with grass faces in keeping with Vardon’s original style. New bunkers were added, some repositioned and several eliminated as unnecessary. 
 
Unquestionably, the most decorated player in the club’s history is Bev (Gammon) Vanstrum, once called the “Tiger Woods of statewide women’s golf” by former MGA president and executive director Warren Rebholz. Vanstrum joined Stillwater CC in 1959. During a stretch from 1953 to 1968, she won 17 state amateur championships: seven MWGA Stroke Play and six MWGA Match Play championships, and four Minnesota Women’s Amateur championships. Fittingly, Vanstrum was inducted into the Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame in 1991.


LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP – History was made last year as Kathryn VanArragon became the youngest winner ever of the Women’s Amateur, just one month after turning 14. The tournament, held at Town and Country Club in St. Paul, was led wire-to-wire by VanArragon after opening the championship in a share of the lead with North Dakota State University golfer Sierra Bennion, before distancing herself from the field by firing a 4-under par 69 during the second round. In the final round, VanArragon fought off difficult conditions to card at 79 to win the championship by five strokes over Katherine Smith, a five-time MSHSL Class AA individual winner and the 2017 MGA Women’s Amateur champion.
 
THE FIELD – This year, Kathryn VanArragon returns to defend her Amateur title amongst a formidable field of challengers including:
 
The 2019 MGA Women’s Mid-Am champ and MGA Women’s Player of the Year, Jasi Acharya (Interlachen CC); the 2009-2010 MWGA Amateur champ, 2017 MGA Women’s Match Play champ and five-time MGA Women’s Player of the Year, Olivia Herrick (Dellwood CC); The 2019 Ms. Minnesota Golf and four-time MSHSL all-state selection, now playing at the University of Nebraska, Leah Herzog (Red Wing); the 2019 Minnesota Women’s Amateur Match Play winner and University of Minnesota golfer, Grace Kellar (Olympic Hills); the 2018 Ms. Minnesota Golf and Women’s WGA National Junior champ, Janice Kim (Edinburgh USA); the 2019-2020 MPGA Junior Girls’ Public Links champ, Camille Kuznik (Pioneer Creek); the 2018 MGA Women’s Amateur champ, 2016 State Junior Girls’ champ, and a two-time MSHSL Class AAA medalist (2015-2016) and Bradley University golfer, Taylor Ledwein (New Prague); the 2020 Minnesota High School Senior Showcase winner, Jaycee Rhodes (Eastview High School); last year’s aforementioned runner-up University of Nebraska golfer,Katherine Smith (Detroit CC); and the 2018 MGA Women’s Match Play champ, two-time MSHSL Class AA medalist (2017-2018), the 2018 MGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year, and golfer at the University of Missouri, Sophia Yoemans (Mississippi National).
 
There are 27 players in the field with “plus” USGA Handicap Indexes (that is, having an index that is better than scratch), with Katherine Smith atop the list at +6.6.
 
The youngest player in this year’s field is Jordana Knudsen (The Jewel GC) at 14 years, 7 months and 28 days.
 
Championship Flight Course Set up – 6,325 yards, par 36-36--72
 
Hole #1 – 390 yards, par 4       Hole #10 – 373 yards, par 4
Hole #2 – 367 yards, par 4       Hole #11 – 485 yards, par 5
Hole #3 – 360 yards, par 4       Hole #12 – 340 yards, par 4
Hole #4 – 380 yards, par 4       Hole #13 – 175 yards, par 3
Hole #5 – 511 yards, par 5       Hole #14 – 367 yards, par 4
Hole #6 – 332 yards, par 4       Hole #15 – 410 yards, par 4
Hole #7 – 292 yards, par 4       Hole #16 – 338 yards, par 4
Hole #8 – 160 yards, par 3       Hole #17 – 160 yards, par 3
Hole #9 – 383 yards, par 4       Hole #18 – 500 yards, par 5
Out           3,177 yards   36       In               3,148 yards   37
 
Course and Slope Rating:       72.5/130
 
Flights’ Course Set up – 5,639 yards, par 36-36--72
 
Hole #1 – 334 yards, par 4       Hole #10 – 363 yards, par 4
Hole #2 – 301 yards, par 4       Hole #11 – 485 yards, par 5
Hole #3 – 348 yards, par 4       Hole #12 – 320 yards, par 4
Hole #4 – 375 yards, par 4       Hole #13 – 125 yards, par 3
Hole #5 – 442 yards, par 5       Hole #14 – 296 yards, par 4
Hole #6 – 299 yards, par 4       Hole #15 – 410 yards, par 4
Hole #7 – 249 yards, par 4       Hole #16 – 304 yards, par 4
Hole #8 – 138 yards, par 3       Hole #17 – 145 yards, par 3
Hole #9 – 288 yards, par 4       Hole #18 – 417 yards, par 5
Out           2,774 yards   36      In               2,865 yards   37
 
Course and Slope Rating:       67.1/119
 
ELIGIBILITY – To enter the MGA Women’s Amateur Championship, a player must be an associate member of an MGA club. 
 

PAIRINGS/NOTICE TO COMPETITORS