Yoemans, VanArragon and Acharya Among Quarterfinalists at MGA Women's Match Play Championship

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  PRIOR LAKE, Minn. – Time and time again it has been proven that anything can and will happen in match play on the golf course. The only certainty when the quarterfinal round at the fourth Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship at The Wilds Golf Club begins Thursday is that there will be no shortage of accomplished players.
 
Among the first to advance from Wednesday’s Round of 16 was University of Missouri golfer and former Red Wing High School star Sophia Yoemans, who bounced defending champion and University of Minnesota’s Grace Kellar, 5 and 3.
 
“I played well this morning—the driver was good for me and putting was a lot better than [the qualifying round]. The greens are pretty fast, so I kind of got a hold of those this morning and putted a lot better and hit most of the greens,” she said. “This afternoon was a grind, mentally and physically. The wind picked up, so it was just minimizing your misses. I hit a lot of fairways and my irons were pretty solid throughout the day.

“This is my first tournament back so I’m still trying to get in the swing of things,” Yoemans said after the NCAA cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 season in March, putting an early end to an impressive freshman season.
 
Yoemans, owner of eight state titles and twice named MGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year, played in five events during her freshman season and recorded a scoring average of 73.86, placing her 23^rd in the SEC Conference.
 
After defeating Molly Stevens during the opening round early Wednesday, Yoemans jumped out to the early lead before Kellar stumbled to begin the back nine. Taking advantage of four consecutive bogeys by Kellar, Yoemans closed out the match at the 15^th, sinking a 12-footer for birdie to win, 5 and 3.
 
Yoemans will square off against Kathryn VanArragon, who beat Emily Doeden during the opening round and then pulled away late in the second round to beat Leah Herzog, 3 and 2.
 
“I felt good of my irons today and thought I could take advantage of the par-3’s,” said VanArragon, who played the short holes at even par during the second round. “I felt good about my putting, too. The most important thing about match play is to not give up. I tried to stay confident and positive and forget about past holes and past shots.”
 
VanArragon, who turned 15 last week and will begin her sophomore year at Blaine High School this fall, became the youngest player to win the Minnesota State Class AAA individual title as a seventh-grader in 2018. Last year she became the youngest to win the Minnesota Women’s State Amateur Championship shortly after turning 14-years-old, earning her 2019 MGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year honors.
 
Taylor Ledwein, winner of the event in 2018 over Olivia Herrick, picked up a pair of victories Wednesday over Madison Hicks and Ally Chan to advance to the quarterfinal round and will face Jasi Acharya when the tournament resumes Thursday.
 
“I hit the ball a lot more solidly in the second round. The first round I really struggled with my irons,” Ledwein said. “In match play, in the heat and on a course that’s difficult like this, I just played for par and they’re either going to have to make par to halve or make birdie to beat you.”
 
Beginning her senior season at Bradley University last fall, Ledwein suffered a shoulder injury, but will use an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to obtain a second degree and play a fifth season for the Braves. Winner of the MGA Women’s Amateur Championship in 2018, Ledwein has seven state titles to her credit.
 
“I only played in two tournaments last fall and then two more this spring. I’m not saying [COVID-19] was a blessing, but I was going to medically redshirt. It’s been a tough time—we weren’t sure if we were going to get another year and no one knows if we’re going back in August. Our school did the best they could with what they had.”
 
Acharya, the defending MGA Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, downed Emma Carpenter during the Round of 32 Wednesday thanks to a late birdie on the 17^th hole to capture a 1-up victory.
                              
Acharya, named the MGA Women’s Player of the Year last season, was a two-time Montana Women’s Amateur champion, a four-time individual medalist in high school and won the Big Sky Conference championship while at the University of Montana in 2006. A former professional who played on the Symetra Tour, Acharya has played inside the top-5 in all but one state event in Minnesota since the start of the 2018 season.
 
University of South Dakota’s Megan Munneke defeated Clair Orcutt before ousting Tuesday’s qualifying medalist Shelby Busker, 3 and 2. The former Champlin Park High School golfer was named All-Conference five times and she notched a pair of top-5 finishes during her first two seasons for the Coyotes.
 
Munneke will face Gopher golfer Grace Curran during the quarterfinals Thursday. Curran, an Illinois State Junior Amateur champion, claimed one top-10 finish during her freshman season for Minnesota in 2019-20.
 
Kate Strickland, who is a member of Minnesota’s Youth on Course program, slipped past Woodbury High School standout Aayushi Sarkar early Wednesday before cruising past Duke University’s Megan Furtney, 5 and 3, during the Round of 16.
 
Strickland, a 16-year-old currently ranked 299 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, became the youngest to win the Nebraska Women’s Match Play Championship at age 15 last year. In 2018, She won the Nebraska Girls’ Amateur on her way to Nebraska Girls’ Golfer of the Year honors.
 
She will face Bethel University’s Nicole Miller early Thursday. Miller, downed Julia Hall to open the championship Wednesday before knocking out the five-time Minnesota match play champion Herrick, 2-up.
 
Miller, claimed six top-10 finishes during her sophomore year for the Royals, earning All-Conference honors. She was named All-Conference while playing at Eden Prairie High School.
 
In the First Flight, former Minnesota State University, Mankato golfer and current Central College women’s golf coach Tabitha Kunst outlasted Maddie Simon during Wednesday’s semifinal match, 2 and 1, and will now face Greta Mcarthur during the final match Thursday.
 
The quarterfinal round of the fourth MGA Women’s Amateur Match Play Championship is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. at The Wilds Golf Club.