Klasse Defeats Miller to Win Seventh MGA Women's Senior Match Play Title

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  CANNON FALLS, Minn. – Minnesota Golf Hall of Famer Leigh Klasse entered the 2023 Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Senior Amateur Match Play Championship Friday as one of the event’s most successful players, setting a tournament record by winning six consecutive titles.

But it’s been seven years since she last hoisted the championship hardware when she defeated Lynn Anderson at Bent Creek Golf Club in 2017.

On Sunday, Klasse rolled in her birdie chance from four feet at the par-4 15th to claim a victory over Barb Miller, 4 and 3, at Cannon Golf Club for her seventh win at the championship.

“This win means a lot because I beat very good opponents this week, people who I know play very well,” Klasse said following her win Sunday. “My goal was to play very steady and hit a lot of greens, and I did that today—I missed two greens. I didn’t make a lot of putts, but when you’re hitting greens, you have a lot of opportunities.”

Klasse fell behind early Sunday when Miller drilled her birdie chance from 30 feet at the first.

Miller extended her lead by sinking another birdie chance at the par-4 sixth, but would soon run into trouble by carding four consecutive bogeys as Klasse took the lead for good by winning the 10th.

The ever-steady Klasse took advantage of a bogey by Miller at the 12th and won the 13th with par to increase her lead over Miller to three.

Sticking her approach inside of six feet at the 15th, Klasse sank her only birdie of the round to close out the championship, 4 and 3.

“I probably bored [Miller] to death with all of my pars today, but that was my goal, to make a lot of pars,” Klasse said.

Opening the championship Friday with a win over Tracey Donesky, 8 and 7, Klasse then faced 2011 champion Brenda Williams during the semifinal round Saturday, carding birdie on the opening hole on her way to a second victory, 6 and 5, to meet Miller in the finals.

Klasse’s remarkable run at the championship began in 2012 by defeating Williams at Mankato Golf Club, and continued it by successfully defending her title five times.

Nancy (Harris) Blanchard remains the tournament’s winningest golfer, claiming nine victories between 1992 and 2006.

A former University of Minnesota golfer, Klasse, 63, will undergo knee surgery Wednesday, hoping for a potential return in time for the MGA Women’s Senior Amateur Championship, which she has won six of the last seven years.

With her runner-up finish Sunday Miller falls short of her second win of the season after teaming with Cathy White to win the MGA Women’s Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Owatonna Country Club earlier this month.

“It was tough with all of the puddles and trying to take the right club, wondering if you were going to get the bounce you got two days ago, or if you’re going leave it short,” Miller said of the wet conditions, which delayed the start of the final round Sunday. “I was second-guessing a lot between that and the wind, which definitely picked up the last few holes.

“My putter is probably what kept me in it the whole time—I made some great birdie putts. I played with a different putter this week and did my best to get comfortable with it. I had a lot of putts right on line today, but they were a little short.”

Miller paired up with Klasse to win her first title at the MGA Women’s Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Burl Oaks Golf Club in 2019, and would partner with Betsy Aldrich to win the championship again the following season at Forest Hills Golf Club.

Beginning the week by taking down defending champion Adele Peterson in 21 holes Friday, Miller again went extra holes during her match against 2021 champion Claudia Pilot Saturday, winning on the first playoff hole by sinking a lengthy birdie putt to send her to the championship match.

Elevating her play in recent years, Miller has earned 17 top-5 finishes at senior state championships since 2013, while finishing no worse than eighth during that stretch.

“I feel strongly about the fact that I got to play against [Peterson, Pilot and Klasse], who are three women that I look up to and consider them all to be fantastic players,” Miller said.