Meg Tilma’s dramatic rally wins Kansas Women’s Amateur, adds to family legacy

By the time Meg Tilma reached the 18th green, two women who understood exactly what the moment meant were already waiting for her.

Her mother, Cathy Tilma, had spent Thursday caddying for Meg’s older sister, Kate. Kate finished tied for fifth, leaving them free to watch as Meg approached the final hole of the Kansas Women’s Amateur with a one-stroke advantage.

Meg needed one more par to join both of them as a champion.

She delivered it, tapping in on No. 18 to complete a dramatic come-from-behind victory and claim the Kansas Women’s Amateur by one stroke at Wichita Country Club.

Her even-par total of 213 placed her alongside her mother and sister in the most decorated family legacies in Kansas golf.

“I wanted to win so bad because this tournament is such a huge deal to my family,” Tilma said. “And I wanted to be a part of that.”

Nearly four decades after Cathy (Stevens) Tilma won her first of four Kansas Women’s Amateur titles on the same course, Meg earned her own engraving on the trophy.

Her older sister, Kate, won the championship in 2020. Her grandfather, uncle and cousin have their names on the men’s Kansas Amateur trophy. Cathy and her cousin, Sam Stevens, both won at Wichita Country Club.

“Our family just loves Kansas golf,” Cathy said. “So it’s very special for Meg to win this tournament and to win on this course.

”The celebratory scene surrounding the 18th green seemed unlikely a few holes earlier.

Meg walked off No. 15 one stroke behind Stalee Fields, three holes from the finish and running out of time to rescue the championship she wanted more than any other.

Cathy had noticed throughout the week how much the tournament mattered to her youngest daughter — perhaps too much.

“You could just tell she wanted to win this tournament so badly,” Cathy said. “She was probably putting way too much pressure on herself.”

Meg was paired with Fields, the leader, so there was no mystery about where she stood in that race. She did not know Wichita native Kinslea Jones was mounting a furious rally from the group ahead, but Meg figured Fields was the player she had to catch.

After the bogey on No. 15, her approach changed.

There was no longer time to play cautiously.

The par-5 16th was playing short and downwind. After blistering her drive, Tilma arrived at her ball about 220 yards from the green and briefly considered laying up.

Then she reached for her 2-iron.

The choice carried risk, but that was precisely why the moment suited her.

“Meg is a fighter,” Cathy said. “She loves that head-to-head competition.”

Meg struck the shot cleanly and watched it settle on the green about 25 feet from the cup. She still had another decision to make: run the eagle putt aggressively at the hole or protect against a three-putt and settle for a likely birdie.

Her speed was nearly perfect. The putt narrowly missed and stopped close enough for a tap-in birdie that pulled her even with Fields.

One hole later, Meg produced the swing that defined the championship.

The par-3 No. 17 hole was playing about 155 yards and again downwind. She pulled an 8-iron and remained aggressive, firing directly at the flag. Her ball landed about 3 feet from the cup.

The shot was fearless.

The putt waiting for her felt anything but comfortable.

“My heart was definitely pounding out of my chest,” Tilma said. “I had to recite some Bible verses to calm me down.”

Tilma repeated John 14:27, which begins, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you,” and ends, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” She also leaned on Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

“They just calm me down when I recite them,” Tilma said. “It reminds me this is God’s will for my life and whatever happens, it is His perfect plan. So that gives me a lot of peace.”

Meg rolled the putt into the cup for her second consecutive birdie and seized the lead.

“Honestly, coming down the stretch, I didn’t know if I could do it,” Tilma said. “But those verses helped pull me through.”

While Meg concentrated on Fields, Jones had turned herself into an unexpected threat from the group ahead.

The former Maize standout and current Kansas Jayhawks golfer began the final round six strokes behind Meg, then played the front nine in 2 under to move within striking distance. Jones made eagle on No. 16 and birdied the 18th — the most difficult hole of the tournament — to complete a 5-under 66.

Jones waited in the clubhouse at 1-over 214, one stroke behind Meg.

But the consecutive birdies had changed Meg’s posture. She did not reach the final hole trying to protect something fragile. She continued attacking.

Meg striped her drive down the middle of the fairway, then fired at a back pin and knocked her approach to about 12 feet.

Cathy and Kate watched from beside the green. Johnny Stevens, Meg’s grandfather and the man who taught her the game, had arrived from work in time for the finish.

Fields still had an opportunity to force a tie, but her birdie attempt slid past the cup. Meg calmly rolled her first putt next to the hole and tapped in for the championship, finishing one stroke ahead of Fields and Jones.

Johnny greeted his granddaughter with a smile and a high-five. Cathy and Kate were there to celebrate a title they understood better than almost anyone.

“It just meant a lot to me to see how excited he was and see him smile,” Meg said. “I wanted to win it for him because he’s helped me so much.”

The victory completed a week in which Meg had to embrace her family’s history without allowing its weight to overwhelm her.

She carried a one-stroke lead into Thursday after firing a 5-under 66 in the second round, a 10-shot improvement from her opening 76. That night, she told Cathy how badly she wanted to win.

She wanted to join her mother and sister. She wanted to reward Johnny for the countless hours he had spent teaching her. She wanted to add another chapter to the history she had studied since childhood through trophies, medals and scrapbooks documenting Cathy’s career.

Cathy could sense that desire becoming a burden.

She reminded Meg that she did not have to win because her mother had. She did not have to match Kate, Johnny or anyone else in the family. Thursday’s score would not determine whether they were proud of her.

“There definitely is some of that internal pressure you put on yourself,” Tilma said. “But that talk with my mom reminded me that there really is no pressure or expectations to live up to. The only expectation for me is to try my hardest and everyone is going to be proud of me.”

That conversation completed a family effort that had touched virtually every part of Meg’s game.

After the opening 76, she remained at Wichita Country Club to work on her swing with Johnny, who still helps with the mechanics of the game he taught her.

Meg also worked on her putting with Kate. The sisters made friendly wagers on the practice green to manufacture pressure and sharpen Meg’s touch.

The next day, she shot 66 and moved into the lead.

Her grandfather helped restore the swing. Her sister unlocked the putter. Her mother lifted the weight of expectation.

Then Meg supplied the nerve.

“I couldn’t have done this without my family,” Tilma said. “Having that reassurance there is no pressure and they’re going to love me no matter what, it really gave me peace. If I had that pressure on me, I don’t know if I would have been able to win.”

The family resume is difficult to match in Kansas golf.

Cathy won Kansas Women’s Amateur championships in 1987, 1991, 1996 and 1997. Her four victories are tied for the third-most in tournament history with the first coming at Wichita Country Club.

Kate joined her mother on the trophy in 2020.

Johnny, affectionately known as “Slim” in Kansas golf circles, won the Kansas Amateur in 1960 and 1961. He is the only golfer in state history to win the Kansas Junior Amateur, Amateur and Senior Amateur.

His son, Charlie Stevens, won the Kansas Amateur in 2010. Charlie’s son and Meg’s cousin, PGA Tour player Sam Stevens, won the championship in 2015 and recently recorded a top-10 finish at the U.S. Open.

Johnny, Charlie and Sam represent three generations of the family on the Kansas Amateur trophy. Cathy, Kate and Meg now give the family three women on the Kansas Women’s Amateur trophy.

Cathy and Sam also won their state amateur championships at Wichita Country Club, adding another connection between the course and the family.

Meg grew up surrounded by that success, but her mother rarely called attention to it. Tilma said someone unfamiliar with Cathy’s past might never realize she was one of the most accomplished women’s golfers Kansas has produced.

Cathy did not spend much time discussing her own victories. She was more interested in supporting her children.

That approach helped Meg develop her own identity.

Tilma helped Kapaun Mt. Carmel win Class 5A team championships in 2021 and 2022, placing in the top three individually both seasons. She later transferred to Classical and stepped away from Kansas high school golf to compete in year-round tournaments before joining the Oklahoma women’s golf team.

After finishing third at the Kansas Women’s Amateur last summer, Tilma returned following her freshman season with the Sooners and completed the climb to the top.

In the Kansas Women’s Mid-Amateur competition, former Andover standout Katy Winters rallied from two strokes behind with a final-round 66 to win her third title. Winters finished at 2-under 211, two strokes ahead of former Kansas State golfer and 2023 champion Briony Bayles.

Kapaun senior-to-be Ximena Sarinana, a two-time high school state champion, earned low-junior honors with a 7-over total of 220.

This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Meg Tilma’s dramatic rally wins Kansas Women’s Amateur, adds to family legacy."

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

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Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.