Romeoville, Ill. – July 22, 2025 – Amateur Kate Brody (Grand Blanc, Mich.) captured the 2025 Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open title on Tuesday, July 22, at Mistwood Golf Club. Brody posted rounds of 69 and 67 to win the Championship by an impressive seven strokes over Taglao Jeeravivitaporn (Chicago, Ill.), Haeri Lee (Buffalo Grove, Ill.), and amateurs Elyssa Abdullah (Hinsdale, Ill.) and Liv Romer (Wauconda, Ill.).
The tournament opened Monday with a standout performance by Romer, who set the early pace with a 5-under 67. Her round included six birdies and gave her a one-shot lead heading into Tuesday’s final round.
Romer extended her lead early in Round two, carding birdies on two of her first three holes to open up a three-shot cushion. However, a bogey on the par-4 fourth and a three-putt on the par-3 seventh allowed Brody to catch up, and by the turn, Brody had surged ahead by one stroke.
“I played the back nine pretty well yesterday, so I knew what to expect as I made the turn,” Brody said. “We hit a bit of a wait on holes 14 and 15, which are already intimidating, but I knew that if I just picked my spots and executed, I would be alright.”
Tuesday’s round was contested under steamy summer conditions, with temperatures climbing into the upper 80s and high dew points testing the stamina of the leaders, who teed off during the hottest part of the day.
“I ended up having breakfast at 10:00 a.m. You end up missing lunch with this tee time, so by the time I got to six, I knew I needed something,” Brody said. “I got a Liquid I.V., and that really helped refocus me the rest of the way in.”
That second-wind sparked Brody’s charge, highlighted by a birdie at the par-5 eighth, where she chipped to within three feet from the front edge of the green. She added birdies on Nos. 11, 13 and closed the championship with a final birdie on the par-5 18th — the second toughest hole of the tournament.
“My mom caddied for me in an event a couple weeks ago and she brought up the idea of treating playing my rounds just as I would play with my friends, and that ‘chill’ mindset has helped me a lot,” Brody said.
That relaxed approach paid off. Her final-round 67 was the lowest second-round score in the field by three shots. Remarkably, she recorded just one bogey across the 36-hole championship, on her very first hole of the tournament Monday morning.
“It feels really good,” Brody said. “I haven’t won a tournament in a while, so it feels really good. It’s great to be here in Illinois, essentially in between my two homes, Michigan and Wisconsin. It’s been an up-and-down year with golf, so it feels good to string some good things together.”
The Illinois Women’s Open is named in honor of Phil Kosin, who was instrumental in the creation of the Illinois Women’s Open in the mid-1990s. Kosin, publisher of Chicagoland Golf from 1989-2009 and host of a radio show by the same name for 13 years last on The Score 670AM, saw the need for female pros and amateurs to compete in a tournament in Illinois – so when no one else stepped up to provide that opportunity – he did. Phil advocated for making the game of golf accessible to everyone – new players, juniors, and especially women.
Rounding out the leaderboard, Jeeravivitaporn and Lee shared the low professional honors with their one-under par 143 finishes.
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CONTACT:
Brandon Seymour
Illinois PGA Communications (bseymour@pgahq.com)