By Nick Hunter
LAKE ELMO, Minn. – When University of Minnesota senior Isabella McCauley began the final round of the 25th Minnesota Women’s State Open presented by Yamaha Golf and Utility at Royal Golf Club, she held a three-stroke advantage over the field.
When her par putt fell on the 18th hole Tuesday, she’d posted a round of even par 72 to claim victory by the same margin for her first state victory in four seasons.
“It means a lot to represent Minnesota and my home state,” said McCauley, who wins for the first time since she became the first female golfer to win the Minnesota Golf Champions at Minneapolis Golf Club in 2021. “We play in a lot of tournaments, but there’s always a difference in being able to come out and win a tournament. A win today will be a big boost heading into the fall season.
“My goal today was to come out and put a good round together. It was a little tougher today with the wind and some of the pins, but it made for a good test, and it was fun to battle down the stretch.”
Not only does the older McCauley head into the collegiate season with a win under her belt, but she does also so on the same course the Gopher women will play when they host one of the best women’s college events of the season in the Annika Intercollegiate next month.
“A lot of the pins today were Annika pins, so that was fun to see,” Isabella McCauley said Tuesday. “We play it a little bit longer, but it still really good prep heading into the season. It’s also a pretty big confidence boost knowing that we can play well out here.”
The Gopher senior fired a 4-under 68 during her opening round Monday to set up a final pairing with a familiar—but friendly—foe during the final round.
“We don’t get the opportunity to competitive golf too often because we’re on the same team,” Isabella McCauley said after playing in the final group Tuesday with younger sister, Reese, for the first time since the final round of the 2020 Minnesota State Junior Girls’ Championship.
“It was fun to see her on the competitive side, but it felt pretty normal after all of the rounds we’ve played together growing up.”
The elder McCauley stumbled out of the gate with a bogey on the opening hole Tuesday, but rebounded by converting a birdie look from four feet at the third before rolling in a 15-footer for birdie at the fifth.
The 2022 Ms. Minnesota Golf award recipient then dropped a 25-foot putt to save par at the sixth to maintain a four-stroke advantage over the field at 5-under for the championship.
Despite a three-putt bogey at the 11th, Isabella McCauley kept her four-stroke advantage and cruised over the final seven holes, keeping the ball in play and knocking down par putts, including a 10-footer at the 13th.
A routine two-putt par at the 18th put her alone at the top of the leaderboard at 4-under 140 for a three-stroke victory over younger sister Reese for the seventh state victory of her career.
“What was encouraging to see was some improvement with putting and the short game. I was able to make some up-and-downs and make some putts that I was happy with. Putting is really something that I believe can come and go and last week at [the U.S. Women’s Amateur], I struggled a little bit with my short game.
“I was able to stay away from big numbers this week and then I was able to bounce back from a bogey with a birdie here and there. But staying out of major trouble was helpful.”
Isabella McCauley’s first state victory came in 2018 at the Minnesota Junior PGA Tournament of Champions.
The following season she won both the Class AAA individual title as well as the Minnesota Girls’ Junior PGA Championship.
She won her second straight Minnesota Girls’ Junior PGA Championship in 2020, while adding a Minnesota State Junior Girls’ title to her growing golf resume.
Carding a 9-under 207 at Minneapolis Golf Club in 2021, the elder McCauley became the first female to win the Minnesota Golf Champions since the event’s inception in 1975.
Tuesday’s victory validates a couple of near misses in recent years, finishing inside the top-6 on four occasions.
“I was close in 2021 at [Minnesota Valley Country Club] and last year I was close—I think I made an eight on 17, so I’ve had some bad luck in the state open,” she said. “Definitely fun to come out on top and figure it out on the last day.”
Another strong showing for the younger McCauley Tuesday, coming into the week with a win already under her belt at the Minnesota Golf Association Women’s Amateur Match Play Championship at Spring Hill Golf Club in June.
“I was really not trying to think about scores or how many back I was. I feel like after a pretty good first round, it’s so easy to throw a lot of pressure on yourself and you can end up shooting a worse score,” Reese McCauley said Tuesday. “I thought my ball-striking was more consistent today and my short game was a little more consistent yesterday.”
Playing her opening nine in 2-over Tuesday, Reese McCauley found her stride on the back nine with an early birdie from four feet at the 11th to get back to even par for the championship.
A three-putt bogey essentially put her out of contention at the par-3 16th, but she’d rally late with a two-putt birdie at the 17th and a short birdie to close out the tournament by shooting a final-round 72 to finish second at 1-under 143.
James Madison University junior Grace Petzold improved by two strokes during her final round Tuesday, shooting a 1-under 71 to finish in third place at even par 144, while two-time champion Kathryn VanArragon moved up three spots on the final day to finish fourth at 3-over 147.
Notables
Professional Isabelle Lynch (Interlachen Country Club) carded a 2-over 74 for a second consecutive round Tuesday to earn low professional honors, finishing in fifth at 148, a stroke better than four-time champion Lisa Grimes (Alexandria Golf Club), who tallied a 4-over 76 on the final day to place tied for sixth.
Karen Weiss, 58, moved up 15 spots during the final round Tuesday by carding a 1-over 73 to finish in eighth place at 151. Weiss travels to Chula Vista, Calif., next week to compete at the 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Open at San Diego Country Club.
Leaderboard: https://mnpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpga25/event/mnpga258/contest/9/leaderboard.htm