Neisen Captures Minnesota Women's State Match Play Championship

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. – New Prague’s McKenzie Neisen has long been considered one of the state’s best junior golfers. Neisen claimed her second consecutive Class AAA state championship last month at Bunker Hills Golf Club, finishing second the previous two years.

Neisen has qualified for four USGA events, but has yet to collect her first win as an amateur golfer. That changed Wednesday as Neisen two-putted for par to beat defending champion, Anna Laorr, to win the 19th Minnesota Women’s State Match Play Championship at Minneapolis Golf Club.

Neisen, New Prague Golf Club, made quick work of Lynn Anderson during her opening round Monday, before knocking off 2011 winner, Cassie Deeg. Neisen cruised to a 5 and 4 victory over three-time state high school champion, Katherine Smith, Tuesday to reach the finals Wednesday against Laorr.

With a birdie to begin the final match Wednesday, Neisen took a quick 1-up lead and would keep the lead for a majority of the match, looking firmly in control. Laorr, Hazeltine National Golf Club, evened the match on the third, taking advantage of a Neisen bogey.

Neisen would take another 1-up lead on the fifth hole before rolling in chipping in for birdie on the eighth to take a 2-up lead. Neisen had back-to-back bogeys on the ninth and tenth holes to surrender the lead as Laorr squared the match by making par on both.

As one of the longer hitters in the field Neisen’s length off the tee was key for most of the tournament, but it seemed to become a factor down the stretch Wednesday as she put two approach shots on the par-5 12th and 14th holes close to roll in birdies and take an insurmountable 3-up lead with just three holes to play.

“A couple of the holes I tried to take to my advantage and had some shorter approach shots into the green, so I tried to be a little more aggressive on those,” she said.

Two-putting for a par on the 16th hole, Neisen clinched the match and claimed her first Minnesota amateur championship in the process.

“I felt good the last couple of days—I’ve been hitting the ball well and my putting has felt pretty good,” Neisen said. “I knew it was going to be a close match against [Laorr] today. She’s a great player, it was a lot of fun and this is a great golf course.”

“I like starting on hole one with a par-5 to make birdie definitely helped with momentum and staying confident throughout the whole round,” she said.

Neisen had four top 10 finishes a year ago and after her win Wednesday said she gladly welcomes the change to champion.

“It’s different not being runner-up this time,” Neisen laughed, “it was a lot of fun and I’m glad I was able to play well for the last three days.”

Neisen will play in the Minnesota Women’s State Open beginning Monday at Town and Country Club in St. Paul, Minn., before she heads to Stillwater, Okla., to begin her freshman year at Oklahoma State University.

Despite the loss Laorr showed little disappointment following her round Wednesday.

“I played really well—I got through 16 holes on this course with 14 pars, but I just could not make a birdie,” she said. “It was one of those rounds where I was in it on every hole and I felt like [Neisen] and I had a good match going. There’s not a lot you can do when you’re playing one of the longest hitters in the state.”

“I drove the ball pretty well again today and I felt a little better about my lag putting,” Laorr said. “I had one three-putt and it was from off the green and it was just a hard putt. Even though I didn’t make any birdies, I still felt good about the putts I rolled.”

Laorr returns to the University of Minnesota this fall for her senior season, but will head for Glen Cove, N.Y., Friday to compete in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, taking away a number of positives from her play this week.

“The field at the [U.S. Women’s Amateur] is clearly going to be very good and if I make it to match play, it’s going to be a grind. It was good to get the competitive juices flowing again and start to see some good players as opposed to playing by myself, and getting in some good pressure situations.”



19TH MINNESOTA WOMEN’S STATE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
MINNEAPOLIS GOLF CLUB
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
6,274 YARDS, PAR 73


WEDNESDAY’S FINAL RESULTS
OPEN DIVISION
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
McKenzie Neisen, New Prague GC, def. Anna Laorr, Hazeltine Nat’l GC, 3 and 2


FIRST FLIGHT
Julia Hall, Burl Oaks GC, def. Sarah Sontowski, Baker Nat’l GC, Default


SENIOR DIVISION
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
Leigh Klasse, Keller GC, def. Alison Hurley, Minnesota Valley CC, 4 and 3


FIRST FLIGHT
Ellie Layton, Rochester G&CC, def. Jo-Ann Lindsay, Interlachen CC, 3 and 3


SECOND FLIGHT
Livia Lang, St. Cloud CC, def. Linda Smith, Interlachen CC, 3 and 2


THIRD FLIGHT
Molly Baker, Bent Creek GC, def. Susan Ritter, Keller GC, 6 and 4


FOURTH FLIGHT
Dale Ann Smith, Deer Run GC, def. Jan Nelson, Brookview GC, 4 and 2