Ledwein Cruises to Second Straight MGA Women's Mid-Amateur Title

  STILLWATER, Minn. – Sticking her approach close at the 16th and converting the birdie putt gave Taylor Ledwein the finish she'd been looking for, capping a two-day 6-under 138 and an eight-stroke victory Wednesday at Indian Hills Golf Club to win her second consecutive MGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship.

Ledwein, who has been a familiar name atop MGA leaderboards for nearly a decade, opened with a 4-under 68 to take control of the championship before finishing with a 2-under 70 to become the only player in the field to break par in either round.

"Both days I hit my driver really well. I think I only missed two fairways total," Ledwein said. "I was just hitting the ball really well, and I putted really solid. Between the two days I had one three-putt, so that's pretty huge for my putting."

Despite a lead that never seriously came under threat, Ledwein admitted the finish carried extra weight.

"I don't have the best history of finishing well in tournaments, so I think today, just a few putts, but my approach on hole 16 — I hit it really tight, and then I made the birdie putt," she said. "Granted, there were only two holes left, but I just felt that really solidified to me that I could finish the round off and finish well."

Ledwein pointed to her play off the tee as the difference at a course that rewards position over power.

"Honestly, the course is in great condition. The pins were pretty fair," she said. "It's not tree-locked, but being in the fairway is key really anywhere, and I just happened to hit my driver good enough to be in the fairway the majority of the time."

With the win, Ledwein adds to one of the most decorated résumés in Minnesota women's amateur golf. After a prolific junior career, she captured the MGA Women's Amateur in 2018 and again in 2022, the same season she added the MGA Women's Match Play, and teamed with Megan Welch to win three Women's Amateur Four-Ball titles over a four-year span, including back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021.

Ledwein's play has twice earned her the state's top individual honor, sharing MGA Women's Player of the Year honors with two MGA Women's Amateur champion Kate Smith in 2020 before claiming the award outright in 2022.

Jasi Somrock claimed runner-up honors, posting matching rounds of 73 to finish at 2-over 146.

No stranger to the top of this leaderboard, Somrock owns a run of five consecutive MGA Women's Mid-Amateur titles from 2019 to 2023.

"As a whole, my ball striking is starting to come together. It hasn't been great this summer, so I feel like I saw a little light at the end of the tunnel," Somrock said.

"Putting wasn't bad. I just didn't really find much dropping, but I feel like a lot of the girls were finding the same thing."

Somrock said the challenge at Indian Hills came in the details — reading greens that moved less than they appeared to, and finding the correct side of the fairway off the tee.

"There's some subtle stuff going on on the greens. It's not huge movements like you see at some courses," she said. "And there are a couple holes where placement off the tee — not only in the fairway, but which side of the fairway — really comes in, because there could be trees blocking, to set you up for your approach shots."

Asked what she was most proud of, Somrock alluded to something other than her play.

"Probably the mental side. I really stayed within my routine, which is something I've kind of gotten away from," she said. "Just trying to keep it simple and focus on what I can control. It sounds really boring, but I guess I was proud of being able to do that, even through the bad holes."

Betsy Kelly finished third at 3-over 147 after rounds of 74-73, while Olivia Herrick rounded out the top four at 5-over 149 with a closing 74.

Alexandra Gnotke at 155, good for fifth place, followed by Danelle Johnson and Paige McCullough, who tied for sixth at 157.

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