Fields leads at 12th Women’s Stroke Play Championship
Stalee Fields of Lantana leads after the first round of the 12th Women’s Stroke Play Championship at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club – Miller Course. The Kansas State women’s golfer carded a 2-under 70 to open the second women’s major championship of the 2026 season.
Fields battled her way through the front nine en route to the first-round lead. The Lantana native opened with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3, then slipped back into a crowded leaderboard with bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5. She answered with birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 to make the turn at 34. A birdie on No. 10 kept the momentum going before a bogey on No. 11, and Fields played steady par golf on Nos. 12 and 13 before another bogey on No. 14. She closed strong, though, with a birdie on No. 18 to walk off with the lead.
Chasing Fields is Melay Dittrich of Spring, who sits alone in second after an even-par 72, well within striking distance heading into moving day. The CSU Bakersfield women’s golf commit will look to keep the pressure on Saturday.
Madeline Buckley of Magnolia sits alone in third with a 1-over 73. The Magnolia native battled all day and finished strong to build momentum heading into the weekend.
Grace Heiss of Dallas and Mia Nixon of Martins Mill round out the top five in the Championship Division, each carding a 2-over 74 in the first round.
In the Mid-Amateur Division, Shannon Fish-Martin of Montgomery grabbed the lead with an even-par 72, building a three-stroke cushion over the field. Fish-Martin played steady golf all day, opening with pars on Nos. 1 through 4 before dropping her first shot on the par-4 fifth. She answered quickly with a birdie on No. 7, added pars on Nos. 8 and 9, then turned in strong play on the back nine with a birdie on No. 12 and pars the rest of the way until a closing bogey on No. 18. The 104th Women’s Texas Amateur semifinalist will look to carry her strong opening round into Saturday with the lead in hand.
Weather was ideal for players in the opening round. Temperatures were in the high 70s by the time the first group teed off and climbed quickly, peaking at 92 degrees with a heat index of 95 and 65% humidity factoring into the afternoon.
The hardest hole of Round 1 was No. 5, a 387-yard par 4 that bends left to right with water in play throughout. The hole yielded just one birdie against 10 pars, 30 bogeys and 15 double bogeys or worse.
The easiest hole of Round 1 was No. 7, a 295-yard par 4 that played far more forgiving. The hole produced 11 birdies, 32 pars, 12 bogeys and just one double bogey or worse.
Round of the 12th Women’s Stroke Play will commence Saturday, July 25 at 7:30 a.m. off No.1 tee.
To see results from Round 1 at the 12th Women’s Stroke Play Championship, click here. To learn more about the 12thWomen’s Stroke Play Championship, click here.