Smith Holds Off Burnham and Ledwein to Win MGA Women's Amateur Championship

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org


  DULUTH, Minn. – Despite a string of bogeys to begin her back nine Wednesday, Kate Smith held off defending champion Sarah Burnham and a surging Taylor Ledwein to win the 2017 Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship at Northland Country Club.

Smith entered the final round with a three-shot lead over 18-hole leader Alex Stewart and would card four bogeys over her first six holes on the back nine to fall into a tie for the lead before two-putting for victory on the final hole after late bogeys by both Burnham and Ledwein.

“This might be one of the biggest wins I’ve had,” Smith said after her victory Wednesday. “The people who have won this trophy, the competition I was up against and to win at this course is amazing. Coming out of [freshman season at Nebraska], I think I’m a lot better golfer and this makes me excited for the future.

“I knew the three-shot lead was not very much, especially playing with the players I did. I wanted to play like I did for the past two days and it didn’t go as planned,” she joked, “It still worked out okay.”

Smith opened the championship with a round of 75 Monday and followed it with one of just two scores below par all week, a 3-under par 69 to take the 36-hole lead by three shots to the final round.

Playing a back-and-forth front nine, Smith bogeyed the opening hole before rolling in a short birdie at the fifth to remain even for the day. Her lead slipped to two following a bogey at the seventh, but rolling in a second short birdie at the par-3 eighth would put her to the back nine at even for the round, still carrying a two-shot advantage.

“I had a good front with a couple birdies—the birdie on [No. 8] was crucial so I felt good going into the turn,” she said.

Smith’s troubles around the green started at the 10th with a three-putt bogey before failing to convert a short birdie putt at the 11th.

Unable to get up-and-down for par at the 12th, Smith managed a three-shot lead before rolling her approach off the back edge at the 14th leading to a bogey, while a Burnham birdie at the 13th and a two-putt par at the 14th put her one shot back of Smith.

“My putter decided to not work for a while, so that was frustrating,” Smith said of her start to the final nine Wednesday. “It was a mental block and I didn’t feel like I had much going. Sarah kept knocking it close, so it was hard to keep going knowing my putter wasn’t going well because that’s such a big thing out here.”

Struggling to reach the green at the par-4 15th, Smith needed to roll in a tester for bogey as her lead evaporated with just three holes to play.

“I was pretty nervous,” Smith said when Burnham pulled even late during the final round. “With her record—it’s tough to go up against that.”

Burnham couldn’t get her short par putt at the 17th to fall and dropped back to 6-over, while Ledwein, who was playing in the group ahead of Burnham and Smith, three-putted for bogey at the 17th to slip to 6-over as well.

“You don’t expect to go a shot up from making par—that was a bit of a gift,” she said of Burnham’s late bogey to regain the lead. “I’ve had my struggles on 18 so I just wanted to get it in play and hit it to the middle of the green and I ended up hitting one of the best irons I hit all day.”

Smith made a routine two-putt par on the final hole to earn the biggest victory of her career at 5-over par 218, her first win since the Resorters Invitational at Alexandria Golf Club last season.

The five-time Class AA individual champion won the 2013 MGA Junior Girls’ Championship as well as individual titles at the MGA Team Championship in 2012 and 2013 and also earned the title of Ms. Golf Minnesota during her senior season at Detroit Lakes High School.

Considered by many as the best high school golfer the state has ever produced, Smith’s game has transitioned well to the collegiate level. As a freshman at the University of Nebraska, she claimed four top-10 finishes and seven finishes inside the top-25. She broke the school-record for a scoring average of 73.90 during her first season of college golf and was named the Big Ten Player of the Week in October 2016.

Unable to maintain her typical consistent play Wednesday, Burnham watched a number of chances to keep pace with Smith slip away. After a birdie on the opening hole, she missed a short birdie putt at the second and would three-putt three of the next four holes.

Burnham opened the back nine with a bogey to fall back to 6-over for the championship before reaching the par-5 11th in two and two-putting for birdie.

Missing a short par putt at the 12th, the two-time MGA Women’s Player of the Year bounced back by sinking her eight-foot birdie at the 13th. After a solid up-and-down to save par at the 14th, Burnham appeared to gain momentum late as Smith began to struggle down the stretch.

Burnham’s tee shot at the 17th rolled off the back edge and after nearly chipping in for birdie, missed her short comeback par putt to relinquish the lead to Smith. Needing birdie at the final hole, Burnham’s long and sweeping birdie attempt stopped short of the hole to give Smith an easy two-putt par for the victory.

“I was thinking I’d have to go pretty low to be in contention today, but I didn’t play my best. I had some three putts early and probably played too aggressive,” Burnham said Wednesday. “I was able to make some birdies today, but just made too many bogeys.”

Burnham, one of the state’s most decorated golfers over the past five seasons, won her first MGA Women’s Amateur Championship in 2012 at Mendakota Country Club, before cruising to an eight-shot victory a year ago at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club.

With 18 amateur victories to her credit since 2011, Burnham said this week’s championship will likely be one of her last, intending to turn professional following her senior season at Michigan State University next spring.

“I’ll definitely take away the experience because this is my last [Women’s Amateur], so I’m just glad to be here and glad to be a part of it.”

Ledwein posted only the second round below par this week with her final-round 69 Wednesday to challenge Smith late before finishing in a tie with Burnham for second at 6-over par 219.

Beginning the final round seven shots off the lead, Ledwein carded two birdies with two bogeys on the front nine to turn at even for the day before sinking her birdie chance at the 11th and chipping in for birdie at the 12th to quickly move within three shots of the lead.

Ledwein earned a share of the lead momentarily after sinking a 12-footer for birdie at the 16th before three-putting the 17th to fall back a shot. Her birdie on the final hole didn’t miss by much and tapped in for par and a second-place finish.

“My goal was to stay below 10-over because five shots is a lot to make up in one day in just 18 holes. It’s beautiful out here so I really just wanted to come out and have fun,” Ledwein said. “I made some good birdie putts and played a lot better on the back. It was one of those days where things were going in. I controlled my emotions—after making that big putt on 16, I got to 17 and my heart was racing.

“I felt like myself out there. Early this summer I was not playing well and it was nice to play well three days in a row.”