Future College Teammates Ledwein and Welch Cruise to Women's Four-Ball Championship

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  HUTCHINSON, Minn. – On Sunday Taylor Ledwein rolled in eight birdies to help her team to an opening round 64 to take the early lead at the 2018 Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Crow River Golf Club. During Monday’s final round it was partner Megan Welch’s turn as she carded five birdies and an eagle as the two ran away from the field, earning a five-shot victory at 17-under par 127.
 
“Yesterday I made a lot of putts and hit a lot of good shots and Megan was hitting a lot of good shots in close for par and today we just switched roles,” Ledwein said following her third victory of the season Monday. “I don’t think I’ve ever played better. I’m putting really well lately and my short game has definitely improved.”
 
“It was the opposite today—it was kind of funny. I was making a lot of putts today," Welch said. "I didn’t really make any yesterday and [Ledwein] made most of the birdies. I was focusing on hitting better putts and a lot more fell than yesterday.”
 
Playing as a team for the first time this week, the two entered Monday’s final round with a one-shot advantage over the twosome of Olivia Herrick and Natalie Roth. Welch’s putter quickly caught fire by rolling in a 6-footer at the third for birdie before sinking a 25-footer at the fourth to put the pair at 10-under for the championship.
 
Ledwein reciprocated by dropping her birdie chance from 15 feet at the par-4 eighth and the two would turn at 3-under for the round and maintaining a one-shot lead over Herrick and Roth.
 
“The other two were playing pretty well, too, and we wanted to have a bigger gap between us so down the stretch it wouldn’t be as tense.” Welch said
 
“Yesterday we played well on the back yesterday and we knew we could do it again,” Ledwein added.
 
Ledwein, fresh off her Women’s State Amateur Victory two weeks ago, and Welch would do just that and distance themselves from the field over the final nine holes as Ledwein and Welch both carded birdies at the 10^th before Welch dunked her approach at the par-4 11^th from 118 yards to give her team a three-shot lead.
 
Welch drilled another long putt from 25 feet at the 15^th and Ledwein added a final birdie at the 16^th for good measure, sinking her putt from 12 feet to putt the pair at 17-under and five shots clear of the field.
 
“We tried to do what we did yesterday and have one of us make par so the other one could go after their birdie putts,” Ledwein said.
 
“Taylor just hit all of her chips really close when she missed the green, so I was able to hit my putts and go for them and not have to worry about that and that was really helpful,” Welch added.
 
Ledwein picks up her third win of the season after claiming both the Women’s State Match Play Championship at Faribault Golf Club in late June, as well as the Women’s State Amateur at White Bear Yacht Club by four-strokes last month.
 
She extends her lead over Herrick in the point standings for MGA Women’s Player of the Year honors, but with strong showings at the Women’s State Open next week, the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and MGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships, Herrick could upend Ledwein to claim her fifth player of the year nod since 2010.
 
Ledwein will look to carry momentum to the fall season when she begins her junior season at Bradley University and will be joined by the incoming freshman Welch. Along with her top-10 finish at the Women’s State Amateur last month, Welch claimed three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Class AAA individual tournament while at Lakeville North High School.
 
“This means a lot and it was really fun to play with my future teammate,” Welch said, “It was one of the best tournaments I’ve played this summer. Hopefully it’s preview of what’s to come and really good momentum going into the school year.”
 
Sisters Alexis and Abbe Partington posted a 6-over par 140 Monday to earn a three-stroke victory in the First Flight over the team of Morgan Bleyhl and Laura Longie, while sisters Shelby and Sydney Busker posted a 13-under par 131 to claim the Second Flight by 11 strokes.
 
Firing a 5-over par 149 Monday, the pairing of Kari Haug and Terry Henschel cruised to an eight-shot victory in the Third Flight.
 
 
 
2018 MGA WOMEN’S AMATEUR FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
CROW RIVER GOLF CLUB
HUTCHINSON, MINN.
6,191 YARDS, PAR 72
 
 
MONDAY’S FINAL RESULTS
1. Ledwein/Welch, 64-63—127
2. Herrick/Roth, 65-67—132
3. Herzog/Herzog, 72-67—139
4. Kim/Ouyang, 70-70—140
T5. Eldred/Kellar, 72-70—142
T5. Aldrich/Klasse, 69-73—142
T7. Carlson/Tollette, 74-72—146
T7. Schintz/Schintz, 70-76—146  
9. Hantge/Parsons, 74-75—149
10. Pilot/Williams, 77-74—151