ROYAL OAK, Michigan – Houston junior Maelynn Kim capped off a dominant week at Red Run Golf Club by going wire-to-wire to claim the 125th Women’s Western Amateur title on Saturday, outlasting Elizabeth Rudisill 1 up in a thrilling final.

The 20-year-old Kim never trailed in the match, taking a 1-up lead on the third hole and holding off a late charge from Rudisill, an incoming freshman at Vanderbilt. Rudisill was 3 down with three to play but mounted a spirited comeback with wins at Nos. 16 and 17 to force a pressure-packed finish on the par-5 18th.

With a gallery of nearly 70 spectators watching, both players reached the green in regulation and faced birdie opportunities. Kim was first to putt from 15 feet – a left-to-right breaking, uphill look that caught the edge of the cup and dropped for the win. She let out a fist pump and drew a roar from the crowd.

“I felt overwhelmed, blessed and happy – probably every word you can think of that also means happy,” Kim said.

Kim took control early on the par-5 ninth, holing out from 83 yards for eagle that put her 2 up.

“The wind was blowing right to left, and the pin was tucked,” Kim said. “I aimed at a tree behind the flag, hit it perfectly, it stopped and dropped in the hole.”

Rudisill responded with a win at the 10th, but Kim countered with wins on Nos. 11 and 13, extending her lead to 3 up. Rudisill clawed her way back, taking advantage of a Kim bogey on No. 16 before sticking her tee shot to five feet on the par-3 17th to win the hole and head to the 18th just one down.

Kim leaned on her mother – who was also her caddie – for support before the final hole.

“She told me to breathe, to let it go and that it’s a new hole,” Kim said. “She reminded me not to stress out because anything is possible.”

That advice paid off. Kim sealed the match with a clutch birdie, capturing one of amateur golf’s most prestigious titles and earning an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes, Aug. 4–10.

“It’s huge for my game,” Kim said. “This win brings a lot of confidence. I had an iffy year at school but started playing better toward the end. Winning this gives me momentum going into next year.”

Kim’s path to the title was anything but easy. She survived a 22-hole duel against No. 55 Macy Pate in the Round of 32 and went on to defeat No. 22 Kary Hollenbaugh and No. 72 Elise Lee in match play – three players ranked inside the top 75 of the Women’s Amateur Golf Ranking.

Rudisill, despite falling just short, proved she belongs on this stage. Against a field of 120 top amateurs, the 18-year-old exceeded her expectations.

“My goal was just to make match play,” Rudisill said. “I definitely exceeded that. The weather, course and everyone who helped run this tournament made it such a great week.”

The runner-up showed poise beyond her years with her late-round fight.

“I’ve never been in a final like this,” she said. “I showed some resiliency on 16 and 17 to put pressure on her. I can’t wait to be back next year.”

To view the match play bracket, click here.

Held without interruption since 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious annual championships in women’s amateur golf. The tournament is conducted jointly by the Women’s Western Golf Association and the Western Golf Association.

Round of 32 Results
Thursday, July 17, 2025

Upper Bracket
Farah O’Keefe, Austin, Texas, def. Madison Murr, Los Alamitos, Calif., 5 and 3
Brooke Biermann, Wildwood, Mo., def. Grace Kilcrease, Springdale, Ark., 2 and 1
Ella Scaysbrook, Australia, def. Riana Mission, Las Vegas, Nev., 6 and 5
Pimkwan Chookaew, Thailand, def. Jazy Roberts, Australia, 6 and 5
Huai-Chien Hsu, Taiwan, def. Yijia Ren, China, 3 and 2
Honorine Nobuta Ferry, Flower Mound, Texas, def. Bentley Cotton, Austin, Texas, 5 and 4
Taylor Kehoe, Canada, def. Suzie Tran, Poulsbo, Wash., 19 holes
Elizabeth Rudisill, Charlotte, N.C., def. Addison Klonowski, Naples, Fla., 19 holes

Lower Bracket
Megan Streicher, South Africa, def. Pimchompoo Chaisilprungruang, Thailand, 5 and 4
Elise Lee, Irvine, Calif., def. Olivia Duan, Cupertino, Calif., 4 and 3
Kary Hollenbaugh, New Albany, Ohio, def. Gabriella Nicastro, Huntsville, Ala., 2 up
Maelynn Kim, Katy, Texas, def. Macy Pate, Winston-Salem, N.C., 22 holes
Kaitlyn Zermeño Smith, Covina, Calif., def. Reagan Chaney, Ardmore, Okla., 2 and 1
Emma Schimpf, Daniel Island, S.C., def. Sydney Roberts, Chesnee, S.C., 2 and 1
Kylee Choi, Murrieta, Calif., def. Casey Weidenfeld, Pembroke Pines, Fla., 5 and 3
Ashleen Kaur, Cypress, Texas, def. Isabella Goyette, Medina, Ohio, 3 and 2

Sweet 16 Results
Thursday, July 17, 2025

Upper Bracket
Biermann def. O’Keefe, 5 and 4
Chookaew def. Scaysbrook, 2 up
Hsu def. Nobuta Ferry, 3 and 1
Rudisill def. Kehoe, 1 up

Lower Bracket
Lee def. Streicher, 5 and 4
Kim def. Hollenbaugh, 4 and 2
Schimpf def. Zermeño Smith, 1 up
Choi def. Kaur, 4 and 2

Quarterfinal Results
Friday, July 18, 2025
Upper Bracket
Biermann def. Chookaew, 1 up
Rudisill def. Hsu, 2 up

Lower Bracket
Kim def. Lee, 1 up
Schimpf def. Choi, 19 holes

Semifinal Results
Friday, July 18, 2025
Rudisill def. Biermann, 4 and 3
Kim def. Schimpf, 2 and 1

Final Result
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Kim def. Rudisill, 1 up