MSU golfer Nau sets records in State Am win

BOZEMAN — Lauren Nau ran away with the 2026 Montana State Women’s Amateur

Championship with a wire-to-wire victory, finishing at minus-13 (66, 70, 67) for the lowest three-day score in the tournament’s 109-year history at Cottonwood Hills Golf Club on Thursday. 

The Montana State sophomore opened the tournament at 6-under 66 for a four-shot lead, and on moving day she only added to her lead before capping off her complete performance with a third straight red number. 

Nau’s final round included five birdies on the front nine and was bogey-free. She won by 15 strokes — the largest margin of victory in a Montana State Women’s Amateur since CeCe Stuer’s 20-stroke win in 1988. Nau she also broke the record for the lowest score in tournament history, breaking Eryn Ellis’ record of 5-under back in 2019. 

“I just got the putter rolling a lot,” Nau said. “My last tournament, I was kind of hesitant in my putting, so I just told myself to trust in my lines, trust where I was hitting it and stay below the pins.” 

Second place was shared by a Montana Grizzly, Katie Lewis of Frenchtown, and Montana State Bobcat, Sailor Graham of Whitefish. Both finished at 2-over 218. 

Lewis, the 2026 Montana State Match Play Champion, was one under through her first two rounds before three bogeys on the final day, including one on 18. 

Graham battled a double bogey on the first hole and five on the day but also had birdies on holes 2, 7, 14 and 15. 

The top finisher from the Flathead Valley was Ashley Maki of Polson; she shot 80 on Thursday and ended tied for 13th at 31 over. Stella Jaffe out of Whitefish Lake Golf Club tied for 15th at 34over; she shot a 78 on the first day and 92 Thursday. 

In the Master-40 Championship, Audrey Wooding of Bozeman and Busby’[s Sable Kerzmann went back and forth on the final round before Wooding pulled out the victory on the 18th green, finishing at 23-over 311 in her first-ever MSGA event. 

Wooding led by one stroke entering Thursday’s championship round but trailed Kerzmann by one at the turn after Kerzmann started with eight pars and Wooding bogeyed holes 3 and 6. On the back nine, Wooding stayed steady with only one bogey on the way in. Meanwhile, 

Kerzmann tallied two birdies, including a clutch putt on the 17th to reclaim her one-stroke advantage heading to the last hole.  

On the 18th Kerzmann’s drive landed left of the fairway and under the canopy of a pine tree. This forced her to settle with an awkward punch out, before having to do the same routine with a limb-covered backswing as she chipped onto the green.  

After Kerzmann Three-putted, Wooding’s textbook par was enough to secure the title by one stroke. She shot a 76 Thursday. 

Jamie Maki of Polson was third, shooting rounds of 84, 84 and 88. 

More final-round drama occurred in the competition for the Carla Berg Trophy — an award for the junior golfer with the lowest three-day score. Heading into the last day, Payton Tryan of Billings led by four strokes over Livingston’s Anna Lende; however, Lende led  with four holes to play after a trio of birdies on holes 1, 7 and 11 and a hole-in-one on the 14th. 

Unfortunately for the Class A State Champion, Lende, wasn’t able to hold on to her one-stroke lead as she bogeyed three of her last four holes while Tryan finished 1-under through her last five. Tryan’s final round 77 left 17-over; Lende shot 74 and finished 18 over. 

Paige Loberg of Billings shot an 81 and was third at 25 over. 

“This was a really great tournament,” Tryan said, “I didn’t really hit the ball super well, but I was proud of how I battled mentally and in the end came out on top.” 

To view photos, videos and other content from the event, follow the MSGA’s social media pages @406golf on Instagram and Facebook. A further collection of photos, including one of every participating golfer, can be found on the MSGA’s SmugMug.  

Finalized scoring and tournament recaps can also be located at MSGAGolf.org or the Golf Genius app with the following GGID: 26MSGAWA.