THOMPSONVILLE – Milagros “Mila” Chaves, a 30-year-old native of Paraguay and a Del Mar, CA, resident, made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a three-golfer sudden-death playoff and won the Coca-Cola/GameAbove Michigan Women’s Open at Crystal Mountain Thursday.
It was her first professional win in eight years chasing the LPGA dream, and she topped the ANNIKA-Women’s All-Pro Tour money leader, former Michigan State University star Katie Lu of New Jersey, and former UCLA golfer Kate Villegas of Arcadia, CA, on the first playoff hole, the par 5 18th on the Mountain Ridge Course.
She earned $10,000, an exemption into the LPGA’s Greater Toledo Open in July and she jumped up in the Callaway Race 2 Qualifying standings on the ANNIKA-WAPT where the top five golfers earn Epson Tour status for 2027 and pass through to Stage Two of LPGA Qualifying this winter.
“It feels amazing,” said the former San Diego State golfer who shot a closing 3-under 69 to land at 8-under.
Chaves had to save a par on No. 18 in regulation play from the tree-line and jumped into a tie with Villegas, who a few minutes earlier had closed out her 67 with an eagle-3.
Lu then had the last chance to win it in regulation. She reached the green in two shots, but her 15-foot eagle putt stopped just a few inches short of the hole. She finished with a 70 and in the tie at 208.
Chaves was emotional and said she would be calling her parents in Paraguay to tell them it finally had happened. She also said the win rejuvenates her career.
“Honesty, after so many years of trying you start to think you’re never going to win,” she said. “You think you have been close before, and you know your game is good, so you try again. I missed the cut here last year by a shot, but I knew I could be up there and that I could do better. So, this year I have just been trying to put myself in contention every week. I didn’t make putts the last time here. This time I made putts.”
Chaves was two shots off the lead when the weather-suspended second round was concluded Thursday morning before the final round could start. Once the round started, she jumped up among the leaders and held it alone at times with five consecutive birdies on holes 6 through 10. She said she didn’t look at the leaderboard through the round but realized when people started following her playing group that she must be in contention.
“I made two bogeys, one in the last few holes (hole 13), but I was still hitting it really good, and I was putting it well,” she said. “I just tried to put myself in the fairway and on the green and tried to make birdies all day. I really enjoyed the golf course and the resort. Michigan golf courses are always so pure, and I had a great host family (Laura and Jerry Durkin) that I stayed with who treated me so wonderfully.”
Following the playoff trio was another trio at 209 that included first-round leader and GameAbove-sponsored Janae Leovao. The Eastern Michigan University golfer had the lead coming down the stretch, but bogeys at 17 and 18 left her one shot out of the playoff.
Also finishing at 209 were Jasmine Ly, a former Detroit area resident from Canada now playing professionally, who shot 67, and Florida Gulf Coast University golfer Sydney Deal of Ohio, who shot 71.
Lu, who also earned an exemption into the LPGA’s Greater Toledo Open, said losing in a playoff stung, but she was pleased she worked her way into the playoff.
“It was a good week, and I put myself in contention, so there are positives,” she said. “That eagle putt (in regulation play) just needed maybe one-and-a-half more revolutions.”
In the Legends Division tournament inside the tournament, two-time defending champion Suzy Green-Roebuck of Ann Arbor made it three in-a-row. She shot even-par 72 for a three-round 6-under 210 total and her third title among the seniors. It matches the number of times the Michigan Golf Hall of Famer has also won the Michigan Women’s Open.
“I really wanted this, because it was the third time and I have three of the Opens, so that was important to me, and the (U.S. Senior Women’s Open) is at my club (Barton Hills Country Club) in August, so everything is kind of preparation for that,” she said. “I didn’t have my A-game today. It was a bit of a grind, so I’m pleased I kept it together to shoot even-par and win. It’s always great to win.”
Barb Moxness of Stuart, FL, and Tracy Hanson of Holland both shot 72 for 217 to tie for second. Like Green-Roebuck they are former LPGA players.
ABOUT ANNIKA WAPT: The ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour (WAPT) was established in 2019 to provide a premier developmental opportunity for female golf professionals to hone their competitive skills while preparing for a life on the Epson and LPGA Tours. Through its partnership with the LPGA’s Epson Tour, the ANNIKA WAPT provides weekly opportunities for players to earn exemptions to select Epson Tour events. Learn more at www.wapt.golf.
ABOUT CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN: Crystal Mountain is a premier four-season destination in Thompsonville, Michigan, about 30 miles southwest of Traverse City and Cherry Capital Airport. The 1500-acre resort offers two championship golf courses, a wide variety of lodging accommodations, dining, shopping, the award-winning Crystal Spa, and seasonal outdoor recreation, including skiing and Michigan’s only Alpine Slide. Learn more at www.crystalmountain.com.
ABOUT GAMEABOVE: GameAbove is a title sponsor for the first time. It is a growing strategic investor in golf. Its brand, GameAbove Golf, has investments in multiple golf brands, including McLaren Golf, PLATFORM Golf and CHIP’d Golf, and it manages several professional golfers.
ABOUT COCA-COLA: Coca-Cola has been a sponsor of the Michigan Women’s Open since its first year at Crystal Mountain. Learn more at Home Page | Coca-Cola US
MEDIA CONTACT: Greg Johnson, 616-560-8995
