Searching for Her First MGA Women's Amateur Title, Yoemans Fires 69 to Lead Round One

• 2021 MGA Women's Amateur Championship Round 3
• 2021 MGA Women's Amateur Championship Round 2
• 2021 MGA Women's Amateur Championship Round 1

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  WACONIA, Minn. – Entering the week with nine state championship titles to her credit, University of Missouri golfer Sophia Yoemans carded three birdies during her opening nine Monday on her way to a 3-under 69 and the first-round lead to open the 2021 Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship at Island View Golf Club.
 
Yoemans will take a slim one-stroke lead over 2018 champion Taylor Ledwein to Tuesday’s second round.
 
“It was pretty steady golf today—my irons were good and I drained a few putts, which was helpful,” Yoemans said following her round Monday. “I’m hitting my driver and irons well, but I’ve been working a lot on my putting—because that’s always been a weakness. Happy with how I putted today. I hit 16 greens, so I had a lot of chances and I’m not mad about that at all.”
 
Yoemans reached the par-5 first hole in two with a 6-iron and two-putted for birdie to quickly move into red figures for the round before rolling in a 25-footer for birdie at the third. Sticking her approach from 100 yards at the eighth to two feet for a tap-in birdie and Yoemans would turn in 3-under.
 
The two-time MGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year took a step back with a bogey at the 11^th, but answered by rolling in a 6-footer for birdie at the par-4 12^th to get to 3-under. Yoemans would get up-and-down for birdie from in front of the 14^th green to move to 4-under, but a three-putt bogey at the 15^th put her in the clubhouse with a one-stroke lead at 3-under 69.
 
In four previous appearances at the MGA Women’s Amateur Championship, Yoemans has finished no worse than sixth, claiming runner-up finishes in 2018 at White Bear Yacht Club and last season at Stillwater Country Club.
 
“My game’s been good and I played well in the [MGA Mixed Amateur Team Championship]. This tournament kind of starts the grind of practicing every day and getting ready for school because I go back the middle of August,” said Yoemans, who will begin her junior season at Missouri.  
 
Ledwein, a former Bradley University golfer, got off to a hot start with four birdies over her first seven to jump to the top of the leaderboard.
 
“This course is a little on the shorter side, so I had a lot of wedges in today,” Ledwein said. “I was hitting them into good spots and had eight to 10 feet [for birdie] on all of them. I’ve been struggling with my putting the last couple of months. Working hard on that and putts were falling.
 
“My game hasn’t really been all there. I’ve been hitting the tee ball really well; I don’t stress about my driver. But it’s been from there in—I could have my irons for three holes and not have my putting and vice versa. Today it was nice, it felt like it was all coming together in one round.”
 
Ledwein, the defending MGA Women’s Player of the Year, birdied the opening hole Monday before rolling in back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth holes to get to 3-under. The former New Prague High School standout would turn in 4-under after converting her birdie opportunity at the par-4 seventh.
 
A three-putt bogey at the 12^th dropped Ledwein to 3-under and she would finish the day one shot back of Yoemans at 2-under with a bogey at the 16^th.
 
Jasi Acharya, the 2019 MGA Women’s Player of the Year and two-time MGA Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, tallied two birdies against one bogey during her opening nine before carding 10 consecutive pars to finish her opening round in third place at 1-under 71.
 
Originally from Montana, Acharya won four consecutive Class B individual titles while in high school before claiming a pair of Montana State Women’s Amateur titles in 2003 and 2005. The 37-year-old Acharya placed seventh in her first appearance at the MGA Women’s Amateur in 2019 at Town and Country Club, and finished tied for 12^th last season at Stillwater Country Club.
 
Former Ms. Minnesota Golf award winner and University of Minnesota golfer Leah Herzog fired a round of even par 72 and will begin her second round tied for fourth with former Gopher golfer Alayna Eldred.
 
A pair of late birdies helped University of Wisconsin-Stout golfer Abbey Filipiak to a round of 2-over 73 to take the early lead of the First Flight. She’ll begin Tuesday’s final round with a seven-stroke advantage over Ellie Breuer.
 
Closing out her first round with four consecutive pars Monday, Molly Baker, of Braemar Golf Course, carded a 10-over 81 to take a five-stroke lead over Christina Payton, from Keller Golf Course, in the Second Flight.
 
The 2021 MGA Women’s Amateur Championship continues Tuesday with second-round tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Island View Golf Club.