Yan Prevails in Playoff to Capture 102nd Iowa Women’s Amateur; Lynch, Kieckhaefer Earn Senior Titles at Hyperion Field Club
For the second consecutive year, the Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship was decided in a playoff between Iowa State teammates.
This time, it was Ames’ Yinuo Yan who emerged victorious, defeating fellow Cyclone Nichakorn Pinprayoon with a par on the first playoff hole to capture the 102nd Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship at Hyperion Field Club.
Yan entered the final round with a three-shot advantage before carding a one-over-par 73 to finish the championship at six-under-par (67-70-73—210). Pinprayoon erased the deficit with a two-under-par 68, highlighted by five birdies—including four straight on holes No. 2 through No. 5—to match Yan at six-under (74-68-68—210). After her birdie run on the front nine, Pinprayoon played a steady back nine, recording nine consecutive pars to force the playoff.
Returning to the par-4 18th hole for the playoff, Yan made a clutch par to secure the title.
The playoff continued a recent trend of Cyclone teammates battling for the championship. Last year at Wakonda Club, Pimkwan Chookaew defeated Keeley Marx in extra holes before later earning a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. This year, Yan and Pinprayoon added another memorable chapter to that storyline.
Yan’s final round required resilience after a difficult start. A bogey-filled front nine left the door open, but she responded with three birdies on the back nine to remain tied for the lead before ultimately prevailing in the playoff.
“I am very excited,” Yan said. “This was a great opportunity. I started off a little off, but was able to catch up. It helped to be creative when needed for each shot. My approaches were off starting off today, but I didn’t know where I stood throughout the day. I don’t like to look at the scoreboard. I didn’t know I needed birdie on the last hole to tie. The tough part is at the end of the day there is only one champion, but I had fun playing with my teammates and appreciate their support. We are happy for each other.”
With the victory, Yan earned an exemption into the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, set for Aug. 4-9 at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee. She will join fellow Iowa State teammate Pimkwan Chookaew, who earned her exemption with last year’s Iowa Women’s Amateur victory.
Yan also became the first player in Iowa Golf Association history to win both the Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship and the IGA Women’s Match Play Championship in the same season, adding another milestone to an already remarkable summer.
Keeley Marx, also of Ames, closed with a two-under-par 68 to finish solo third at four-under-par, just two shots shy of joining the playoff. Maura Peters finished fourth at two-under-par after her second-round charge, while Ainsley Wilson rounded out the top five.
In the 61st Iowa Women’s Senior Amateur Championship, Paige Lynch (left) held off a late charge from Rose Kubesheski to claim a one-shot victory.
The title marks another milestone in Lynch’s distinguished Iowa golf career. She previously won the 1994 Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship, competing as Paige Hoefle, at Des Moines Golf & Country Club.
Lynch posted rounds of 81-82-78 to finish at 25-over-par for the championship. Facing a pressure-filled finish, Lynch made a composed two-putt bogey on the 18th hole to secure the title by a single stroke after learning from a similar putt she faced earlier in the week.
“I made a lot more putts today and less three-putts, so that helped,” Lynch said. “I felt more comfortable today on the greens. It was hard to hit out of the rough. I tried to stay out of it when I could. I had that same putt on No. 18 earlier in the week and learned from that.”
Kubesheski nearly forced a playoff after firing the low senior round of the day, a five-over-par 77, but came up just one shot short.
The Super Senior Division also came down to the final holes as Kim Kieckhaefer (right) edged Kathy Fortune by one stroke to capture the championship.
Kieckhaefer’s consistency proved to be the difference throughout the week, as she carded rounds of 89-89-87 to finish at 49-over-par.
“I just tried to figure out the putting out here,” Kieckhaefer said. “I tried to stay below the hole. Every day I improved on the greens. The first day was so brutal with the heat. I have always struggled with the heat, and then we had wind on the second day, which I have trouble with too. I was afraid I gave it away today with some hiccups coming in.”
Fortune finished runner-up after remaining in contention throughout the championship.
The 102nd Iowa Women’s Amateur and 61st Iowa Women’s Senior Amateur Championships concluded three days of competition at Hyperion Field Club, where players battled oppressive heat, shifting winds and a demanding championship layout to crown champions across three divisions. Yan’s playoff victory marked the second consecutive year an Iowa State duo settled the Women’s Amateur title in extra holes, capping another memorable week of championship golf in Johnston.
Making the biggest move of the day was Maura Peters (right), whose five-under-par 67 was the low round of the championship and vaulted her into solo second at four-under-par overall. Peters carded six birdies while surrendering just one bogey, which came at the par-3 ninth after her tee shot found a greenside bunker.
In the 61st Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, Michelle Klein (left) surged into first place after posting a four-over-par 76, the lowest senior round of the day. Klein sits at 16-over-par overall after a round highlighted by two birdies.
The first round of the 58th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Prairie Links Golf Course, Waverly, was contested under a constant drizzle. Despite the conditions, a 74 (+2) earned Leszczynski (right), of Saint Mary’s, a seven-stroke lead heading into the final day. One birdie on the front nine and two birdies on the back stood out. She alone was responsible for three out of only thirteen birdies in the field, nearly 25 percent.
Leszczynski (right) knew how to win the championship after capturing the title at this event in 2018. She kept her cool the entire round and managed to birdie two par threes. Leszczynski only recorded only two bogeys throughout her final round and capped off a special week at her home course.