VanArragon Pulls Away From the Field With a Second-Round 69 at MGA Women's Amateur

July 24, 2019 | 3 min.

 
By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  ST. PAUL, Minn. – Turning in a near-flawless round Wednesday, 14-year-old Kathryn VanArragon posted a 4-under par 69 to take a sizeable seven-shot following two rounds of play at the 2019 Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship at Town & Country Club.
 
With five birdies on her scorecard Wednesday, VanArragon’s only blemish was a three-putt bogey at the 10th hole as she now looks for her second state championship victory since becoming the youngest player to win a Minnesota state high school individual championship in 2018 as a seventh-grader.
 
“Today I was most happy with my putting. I hit some bad lag putts, but made a lot of comeback putts and that kept the momentum going,” VanArragon said following her round Wednesday. “I was striking the ball well and that gave me confidence with my irons.
 
“It was good to get off to that good start with a birdie on three to keep the momentum going from the first two holes. I had the three-putt bogey at 10, but I was able to get a stroke back and then make a birdie at the last hole.”
 
Carding a 2-over 75 to earn a share of the lead following Tuesday’s opening round, VanArragon took the outright lead by sinking her birdie chance from four feet at the par-3 third. Reaching the par-5 sixth in two, VanArragon lagged her eagle putt to tap-in distance to put herself at even par for the championship.
 
After sinking an 8-footer to close out her opening nine at 3-under for the round, VanArragon’s lone hiccup of the second round came in the form of a three-putt bogey at the par-4 10th. Making key par saves over three of her next five holes, VanArragon dropped a birdie chance from six feet at the 16th, moving back to 1-under for the championship and would roll in an 8-footer for birdie on the final hole to shoot a 4-under 69.
 
“On the final day just have no expectations and go out and try my best, stay calm and take one shot at a time,” VanArragon said, looking forward to Thursday’s final round.
 
Since winning the Class AAA championship last June, VanArragon has finished no worse than seventh in her four state appearances. She advanced to the finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club in 2016 and again this past April. She will be a freshman at Blaine High School this fall.
 
Looking to catch VanArragon when the final round begins Thursday is University of Minnesota golfer Grace Kellar, who posted the only other score below par Wednesday when she carded a 1-under 72, as well as Carleton College’s Alyssa Akiyama, whose second-round 74 put her into a share of second at 5-over 151, seven shots back.
 
Kellar, Edina, Minn., played her first five holes at 3-over par before sinking her birdie chance at the par-5 sixth. Beginning her inward nine with back-to-back birdies, Kellar quickly climbed back to even par for the day.
 
The MGA Women’s Match Play champion stumbled with a pair of bogeys at the 13th and 14th holes, but came charging back by sinking three consecutive birdies to finish her day with a round 72 and into a share of second.
 
Akiyama, a senior from Terrace Park, Ohio, posted a 4-over 77 during the opening round Tuesday and started quickly Wednesday by rolling in a pair of birdies over her first six holes. She would turn in 1-over following three straight bogeys to close out her front nine.
 
The three-time All-MIAC award winner and 2016 MIAC individual champion steadied herself during the final nine holes, carding nine consecutive pars to shoot a second-round 74 to put her in a tie for second at 151.
 
University of Nebraska golfer and 2017 champion Kate Smith and University of Sioux Falls’ Lexi Hanson each carded rounds of 77 Tuesday to finish the first two rounds tied for fourth at 153, nine shots off the lead.
 
The final round of the 2019 MGA Women’s Amateur Championship is scheduled to begin at 8:10 a.m. Thursday at Town and Country Club.
 
 

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