Courtney Dow (USGA Photo)
The last two U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur victors both won the championship in their maiden voyage. This year’s rookies want to keep the streak going, and
Courtney Dow, 25, of Frisco, Texas, made a statement on Saturday at Stonewall.
Playing in her first year of eligibility, the Texas A&M women’s golf alum bested the rest of the field by 5 shots. Carding a 7-under 64 on the tricky Pennsylvania layout known for its undulating greens, Dow shot the competitive course record on Stonewall’s North Course. The 64 was also the 18-hole stroke play record at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, besting a 66 by Jennifer Peng in 2021.
“I knew I had some good par 5’s at the end because I was starting on [hole] 10 today,” said Dow. “So if I could get through the first nine, I would have some scoring chances toward the end. I missed the fairway on both par 5s and ended up having to birdie them differently than I thought I might. I laid up to a good wedge number and was able to recover with good wedges in.”
With a 3-under on her first nine (Stonewall’s back), Dow really picked up the pace for her final eight holes. After a par on the par-4 1st hole, she carded five birdies, and no bogeys, over her final eight holes.
Dow, who got married in July, currently works in sports partnerships for Endeavor, with a focus on college football and Formula 1. Right after the Women’s Mid-Am, she will head to Gainesville, Fla., beginning a stretch of almost two straight months on the road for work.
Courtney Dow
“I love the mid-am attitude towards golf,” said Dow. “Everybody has jobs now, and nobody’s doing this every day, so it’s fun to play more relaxed with people that are just here for a good time, but still competitive and still have those same commonalities and same spirit. But we are all just in a different phase of life now.”
Taylor Ledwein, 25, of New Prague, Minn., also made the most of her debut in the championship. Jumping out to the early lead at Stonewall on Saturday with the low round of the morning wave, the 2022 Minnesota Women’s Mid-Amateur champion and 2023 runner-up fired a 2-under-par 69 early in Round 1 to set the pace at the 36th edition of the championship. Ledwein got off to a hot start, playing her first 11 holes in 4-under par.
“My putter saved me quite a bit,” said Ledwein. “I made some decent-length putts for par and then snuck a few birdie putts in there. On 17, I hit a very poor tee shot but ended up making a 12-footer to save par. Stuff like that saved me all day.”
Ledwein sits T2 after the first 18, alongside Jessica Spicer, 25, of Bahama, N.C., who had the highlight of the day with an eagle 2 on the par-4 371-yard tenth hole, holing an approach shot with a gap wedge from 94 yards.
Judith Kyrinis, the seventh oldest player in the field at 59 years old, comes in fresh off low amateur honors at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Waverley Country Club and continued her hot play.
“It was a pretty scary course in the practice rounds,” said Kyrinis, who shot a 1-under par 70 to sit T3. “The greens are very challenging. Sometimes when you come in with a little different expectation, you surprise yourself, but this course will come up and bite you in a hurry.”
ABOUT THE U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur
The U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur originated in
1987 to provide a national competitive arena
for amateurs 25 and older. Besides the age
restriction, the event is open to those with a
USGA Handicap Index of 9.4 or lower. It is
one of 14 national championships conducted
annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly
for amateurs.
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