The Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) announced its year-end award winners which include the MGA Players of the Year (in six categories), the MGA Fritz Corrigan Evans Scholar of the Year, and the MGA Member Club of the Year.
University of Nebraska senior and Detroit Lakes golf standout Kate Smith was named the Women’s Co-Player of the Year with Taylor Ledwein.
Smith, 21, of Detroit Lakes, is a member of Detroit Country Club. At Stillwater Country Club and the MGA Women’s Amateur Championship she won handily by six shots for her second women’s state amateur title. Smith, who was exempt into the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship field (there being no sectional qualifying due to Covid-19), qualified for match play and advanced to the Round of 32. She finished in 10th place at the Minnesota Women’s State Open.
This is Smith’s first MGA Women’s Player of the Year honor.
Ledwein, 23, of New Prague, is a member of New Prague Golf Club. She finished runner up to Kathryn VanArragon at the Minnesota Women’s State Open and took second place at the MGA Mixed Amateur Team Championship with partner Alex Schmitz. Ledwein, with partner Megan Welch, won the MGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, she reached the semifinals of the MGA Women’s Amateur Match Play Championship, and she finished in the top ten (9th) at the MGA Women’s Amateur Championship.
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This is Ledwein’s first MGA Women’s Player of the Year honor.
Other award winners were: Men’s Player of the Year Frankie Capan, 20, of North Oaks; Senior Women’s Player of the Year Betsy Aldrich, 54, of Minnetonka; Senior Men’s Player of the Year Jerry Rose, 62, of Alexandria; Junior Boys’ Player of the Year Nate Stevens, 16, of Northfield, and Junior Girls’ Player of the Year Kathryn VanArragon, 15, of Blaine.
Amanda Polanski, was named the Fritz Corrigan Evans Scholar of the Year. Polanski is a caddie at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis and a senior at the University of Minnesota, carrying a 3.9 GPA, and majoring in Biology with a minor in Leadership.
Stillwater Country Club was named the 2020 MGA Member Club of the Year in recognition of the facility’s support of the MGA Associate Member program and its willingness to host MGA events, such as the MGA Senior Tour and Member Days’, MGA amateur championships, including, most recently, the 2020 MGA Women’s State Amateur, and USGA qualifiers.
View the full press release here.
