VanArragon Takes Medalist Honors as McCauley Earns Top Seed in MGA Women's Match Play Championship
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Kathryn VanArragon was the only player to break par Monday, carding a 1-under 71 to claim medalist honors in stroke play...
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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – A day after grinding through a playoff to claim the final spot in the bracket, Taylor Ledwein reminded the field exactly why her No. 16 seed never told the whole story, toppling top-seeded past champion Reese McCauley and powering into the semifinals of the 2026 MGA Women's Match Play Championship on Tuesday.
Ledwein, the No. 16 seed out of New Prague Golf Club, is no stranger to the winner's circle, and she played like it, dispatching McCauley 6 and 4 in the Round of 16 — a commanding margin against one of the most decorated names in the bracket. She kept rolling in the afternoon quarterfinals, closing out No. 8 Emma Welch 2 and 1 to secure her place in the final four.
Ledwein wasn't the only seed to author an upset. No. 12 Hannah Boraas (Alexandria) bounced fifth-seeded Alyssa Raghuveer 5 and 3, and StoneRidge's Genevieve Birkeland, the No. 10 seed, ousted No. 7 Sophie Cook 4 and 3 to advance out of the morning. Welch had earned her quarterfinal berth with a 2-and-1 win over No. 9 Bella Leonhart before running into Ledwein.
The top of the bracket largely held. Medalist and No. 2 seed Kathryn VanArragon (StoneRidge) ran past No. 15 Kieley Hanson 3 and 2, No. 3 Emma Davies (Olympic Hills) handled No. 14 Caylin Cantwell 5 and 4, and No. 4 Olivia Salonek (Keller) eliminated No. 13 Abby Stendahl 3 and 2. No. 6 Ruby Reding (Hazeltine National) needed every hole to edge StoneRidge's Amelia Morton, 1 up.
The quarterfinals tightened the screws. Salonek surged past Boraas 6 and 5, while Davies closed out Reding 5 and 4 to keep the third seed advancing in style. The afternoon's best theater belonged to VanArragon, who outlasted Birkeland in 19 holes — the medalist surviving extra holes to preserve her place among the final four.
That sets up a pair of Wednesday-morning semifinals brimming with intrigue. Ledwein, riding as much momentum as anyone in the field, draws No. 4 Salonek in one bracket, while the other delivers a heavyweight meeting between medalist VanArragon and No. 3 Davies — a 2-versus-3 collision of two of the steadiest players in the field.
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