Welch goes wire-to-wire in a win of redemption at the Tennessee Women’s Open

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. — Tucked away in the plateaus of Crossville sits a gem of a course in a gem of a community. Stonehenge Golf Club is one of five courses in the Fairfield Glade community and one of the toughest tests of golf in the area. Jessica Welch is no stranger to that test.

Having played in four Tennessee Women’s Opens at Stonehenge before this year, Welch knew coming into the week the challenge ahead of her. Every elevation change, every blind tee shot, every undulation of the green she had seen in years past. Each time she played, she got close to winning, but hadn’t quite gotten there yet.

Leads and amazing rounds can vanish quickly at Stonehenge, and Welch had firsthand knowledge of that fact. In last year’s final round, Welch was just two shots back of the lead to start and pulled within one before an early quadruple bogey derailed her round and slid down the leaderboard to 11th place. A year removed from that disappointing finish and a six-stroke lead of her own, she was determined not to let history repeat itself.

“Coming in with the history I have in this golf tournament and to finally get it done, vindication might be a strong word, but I believe it is the most accurate,” Welch told The Chattanoogan. “I was the front-runner of the carnage that occurred late in last year’s tournament, so it feels great to put that behind me with a win.”

Steady play was the theme of the day for Welch. For every bogey on the front nine, Welch matched with a birdie to make the turn even for the day. Over three rounds, the Thomasville, Georgia, resident played the front nine 2-under-par.

Welch’s final round back nine got off to a rocky start, bogeying two of the first three holes and dropping her to 4-under. While that was happening, 2020 Tennessee Women’s Open Champion Michaela Morard was staging a comeback. 

After playing the first six holes at 3-over-par, Morard played the final 12 holes blemish-free with four birdies to pull within four entering the final hole. She ultimately finished three shots back of Welch after Welch bogeyed the 18th.

But in the end, Welch emerged victorious, buoyed by her record-tying first round where she matched the tournament low 18-hole round of 65, last done by Kynadie Adams in 2020. A win of redemption for Welch, finally climbing the mountain top and hearing the cheers of victory from the patrons on 18 crescendo for her: the 2025 Tennessee Women’s Open champion.

Now a professional and the 2020 Tennessee Women’s Open Champion, Michaela Morad secured a strong second-place finish, turning in two rounds under par. 

The amateurs found themselves in a tight battle, each finishing just one stroke apart. In the end, it was Lexanne Halama who claimed low-amateur honors, steadily improving her performance with rounds of even par and 1-under on the final two days. 

Team Tennessee’s Tori Robinson hit her stride in Round Two, posting a 71 that helped her climb the leaderboard. She ultimately tied for fourth with Kentucky Wildcat Karlie Campbell, who delivered consistent play throughout the tournament, including an even-par opening round and steady scoring across all three days.

In the Senior Division, competitors battled over 36 holes for the title. Defending champion Cheryl Fox, now the first ever back-to-back Women’s Open Senior Division winner, took a commanding lead after Round One with an impressive score of 70. 

Her championship experience was on full display as she overcame early setbacks by scoring bogey and a double bogey on the front nine. Fox closed out her round with three straight birdies on the back nine and a steady par on 18, setting the tone for another title run.

As for the rest of the field, the Stonehenge Golf Course showed its true difficulty, but it was the Nashville resident, Helen Holland who took the honors as the low-amateur winner. Rattling in pars for the majority of her Round 2 outing, she closed strong with a birdie on 17 to take a one stroke lead and claim the trophy. 

Illinois native Margie Muzik got off to hot starts in both rounds, notching early birdies on holes 1 and 3. She finished tied for third with South Carolina’s Jeannete Kohlhaas, who bounced back from a rough front nine to finish strong on both days—highlighted by birdies on holes 11 and 13.

Click here for full results on the 27th Tennessee Women's Open.