Blaine sophomore Kathryn VanArragon youngest-ever winner at Women’s Minnesota State Open
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Kathryn VanArragon just finished her freshman year at Blaine High School, but she’s now the queen of women’s golf in Minnesota. She carded a +4 to win the Women’s Minnesota State Open at Jewel Golf Club in Lake City. Just 15 years old, she’s the youngest winner in the history of the event.
Click the video box on this page to watch final round highlights from the 2020 Minnesota State Women’s Open – won by Blaine 15-year-old Kathyrn Van Arragon
VanArragon entered the final round of the two-day tournament at +2. She was +5 going to the back nine of the final round. Thanks to birdies on 10 and 16, she played the closing nine in 1-under and was the clubhouse leader at +4.
But she was way behind at one point.
New Prague’s Taylor Ledwein, who just completed her senior year at Bradley University, had a commanding lead in the late going.
15-year-old Kathryn VanArragon of Blaine High School is the youngest- ever winner of the Minnesota State Women's Open Championship. She won the 2020 event at The Jewel Club in Lake City.[KSTP/Scott Wise]
She was -3 after 10 holes and held a 6-stroke on the 11th hole. After a triple bogey on the 14th hole, Ledwein parred the 15th, 16th and 17th to carry a two-shot lead to the final hole.
But Ledwein’s tee shot on the finishing hole went shot out-of-bounds. After putting her second tee shot inthe fairway, her approach was in deep rough above a bunker. She could have chipped in for the win, but left herself a manageable putt that could have forced a playoff. However she missed the putt, finishing with a triple bogey that left her at 5-over, one shot behind VanArragon.
VanArragon adds being the youngest-ever State Open winner to a resume that already includes an MSHSL State High School individual championship when she was only a seventh grader and last year’s Minnesota State Amateur Championship.
She also played Augusta National when she made the finals of the national Drive, Chip and Putt competition last summer.
Her older brother Caleb was Kathryn’s caddy for the Open. He made history as the first Minnesota high school golfer to shoot a 63 in a competitive match – doing so at TPC Twin Cities back in 2017.