​The 2026 Minnesota Women’s State Amateur Championship is set to get underway on Tuesday at Bearpath Golf and Country Club in Eden Prairie. Defending champion Emma Davies will not be defending her title this year; the recent University of St. Thomas graduate is not among the 90 players in the field. Instead, a number of players from southeastern Minnesota will be competing, continuing a region with a rich history in the event. The last time the trophy rested in southeastern Minnesota was in 2021 when Red Wing’s Sophia Yoemans won the championship.
Here’s a look at the local competitors who will tee it up this week with hopes of capturing Minnesota’s most prestigious amateur title and earning a full exemption into the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, along with full first-round pairings and tee times.
Bronson stands out as one of the best players to ever come from Hayfield. She qualified for the Minnesota Class 1A state meet in all six of her high school years. This spring, as a senior, she was named to the Minnesota High School Coaches Association All-State Team after posting a career-best 81-76—157 at the state meet. Bronson also finished her senior season as the Gopher Conference medalist and the Section 1-1A medalist. She has committed to playing college golf at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall and is making her second appearance in the Women’s State Amateur.
Another newcomer is the recent Owatonna High School graduate who earned four letters and was a three-time All-State performer for the Huskies. She was a Minnesota Miss Golf finalist this spring and claimed the Class 3A state championship as a sophomore, followed by a 12th-place finish as a junior and an eighth-place finish this spring. She also captured three consecutive Big Nine Conference titles and finished as the runner-up at the Section 1, Class 3A meet this spring. She placed 38th in last year’s Women’s State Amateur with scores of 82-81-81—244 and has committed to play college golf at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Matzke has been a key contributor to Lake City’s success as the program captured its first two team state championships in 2021 and 2022, and later finished as state runners-up in 2023 and 2024. A 2024 graduate of Lincoln High School, she earned four letters in golf, and also played volleyball and basketball. She will be a junior this fall at Concordia University, St. Paul, where she competes for the Golden Bears women’s golf team. In her first two college seasons, she has appeared in all 22 Concordia events and posted an 81.07 scoring average this spring. She also finished 22nd at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships and was named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.
Moeschler is among the longest hitters in southeastern Minnesota girls’ high school golf. She led Lourdes High School with an 85.88 scoring average this spring as a junior, improving by nearly four strokes from her sophomore year. She finished third in the Section 1, Class 2A meet (78-78—156) to qualify for the Class 2A state meet, continuing a strong postseason tradition for Lourdes.
These southeastern Minnesota entrants will be joined by other local players who are eager to showcase their talents this week, compete for the prestigious title, and earn the opportunity to advance to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. For fans wanting full first-round pairings and tee times, those details will be released as the tournament progresses.