HASTINGS, Minn. – Making their first appearance at the Minnesota Golf Association Mixed Amateur Team Championship this week at Hastings Golf Club, the team of Betsy Kelly and Kirk White posted a bogey-free 7-under 65 Tuesday to take a one-stroke lead over the brother-sister combo of Madi and Ben Hicks.
“We had it going pretty good today and played well,” Kelly said after the opening round Monday. “We left a few out there—the last hole we had a six-foot birdie putt and missed it. This course is doable, but it was a little harder today with the wind.”
Following Monday’s four-ball format, the championship switches to a Modified Chapman alternate shot format for the final 18 holes of play Tuesday.
“A little cushion before the alternate shot—which is the hardest format,” Kelly said. “We’ll have to really think our way around tomorrow. Way more strategy.”
“We won’t be able to play as aggressively as we did today,” White added. “But we play together every weekend, so we know each other’s game pretty well—our strengths and weaknesses.”
Starting on the 10th hole, Kelly and White wasted little time moving into red figures Monday, trading birdies over their first three holes to quickly reach 3-under for the championship.
Taking advantage of the par-5 16th with a birdie, Kelly and White played their opening nine in 4-under.
A former professional who won back-to-back Minnesota Women’s State Open titles in 2021 and 2022, Kelly got her birdie look from four feet to fall at the second before White converted his birdie chance from five feet at the fourth.
Kelly got up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the seventh, sinking her 10-foot birdie chance to help put her team at 7-under for the championship and in sole possession of the lead with an opening-round 65.
After carding just two birdies during their opening nine, the Hicks heated up during the final nine holes by converting four birdie chances to post a bogey-free 6-under 66 to sit one back of the lead with one round to play.
The two traded birdies to begin their back nine, reaching 4-under before Ben, a former University of South Dakota golfer, capitalized on his birdie chance at the par-3 sixth.
Madi, a senior at North Dakota State University, countered by dropping her birdie look at the seventh to help the twosome to a round of 66.
The elder Hicks partnered with Julia Hall to claim the title when the championship was last held at Hastings Golf Club in 2020.
Olivia Herrick and Trent Peterson, winners of the 2016 championship at Valleywood Golf Course, went bogey-free during their opening round Monday, posting a 4-under 68 to finish in a share of third with the twosome of former Edina High School golfers Brooke Bothwell and Jimmy Abdo.
Bouncing back from an early bogey to begin their opening round Monday, Leigh Klasse and J.T. Johnson, winners of the 2009 championship at Medina Golf and Country Club, posted a 5-under 67 to open up a five-stroke advantage over the team of Brenda Williams and Dave Carothers in the Senior Division.
The final round of the 35th MGA Mixed Amateur Team Championship is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Hastings Golf Club.