ST. MICHAEL, Minn. – Angela Ause captured the 2026 Minnesota Golf Association Senior Women's Match Play Championship Friday at Fox Hollow Golf Club, defeating Lynn Anderson to earn the title.
Following the victory, Ause said she was most proud of her ability to stay resilient throughout four days of match play competition.
"The thing I was most proud of was not making a bad swing or a bad hole mean anything," Ause said. "I was able to kind of let that go, and over the course of four days.”
Match play presents a unique challenge compared to traditional stroke play competition, requiring players to focus on winning individual holes rather than posting the lowest overall score. Asked about her strategy entering the championship match, Ause said she focused on staying patient and trusting her game.
"My game plan was to stay within myself, play my own game and really stay patient," Ause said. "You never know what can happen out there."
A critical moment in the match came when Ause made a key par save on 18 that helped her maintain momentum and build an early cushion.
"On 18, I made that par save and that definitely was huge," Ause said. "I think that cushion going into those next holes definitely helped."
Ause credited her patience and commitment to her game plan as her key to success.
"Just staying patient, sticking to my game plan and having fun," she said. "Lynn's a great player. It was great to chat out there and have that opportunity to enjoy ourselves while we were out there."
Despite coming up short in the final, Anderson put together an impressive run to reach the championship match. When asked what she was most proud of from her performance this week, Anderson pointed to her perseverance throughout a demanding week of competition.
"I just hung in there with the weather and the adversities," Anderson said.
She also reflected on the biggest challenge she faced during Friday's championship match and how her strategy remained consistent throughout the week as she advanced through the bracket.
"It's a lot of golf," Anderson said. "Coming out and trying to be fresh every day and focused for four days in a row. As seniors, that focus becomes a little harder."
The MGA Senior Women's Match Play Championship annually showcases many of Minnesota's top senior women amateur golfers, and Friday's final added another memorable chapter to the event's history as Angela Ause earned the championship title at Fox Hollow Golf Club.