Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Melanie Green

The road to reaching the pinnacle in any sport can certainly be a very challenging one.

For Medina golfer Melanie Green that challenging and very successful road from high school to college to international competition to the Epson Tour has vaulted her to the sports’ pinnacle as she recently earned a coveted LPGA Tour card for 2026.

“It’s feels great but not much has changed,” said Melanie. “Golf will never fill the void in my heart that Jesus does. It’s a very large added bonus to my life that I get to play it as my profession! I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Capturing back-to-back state championships during her scholastic days at Medina High, Green earned a scholarship to the University of South Florida where she was a multi year All Conference and All American honoree setting a number of school records.

Last summer she made a sparkling debut on the international golf scene winning the R&A Women’s Amateur (formerly British Women’s Open Amateur) championship in Ireland, helping Team USA win the Arnold Palmer Cup Tournament also in Ireland and competing in the LPGA major Evian Championship in France.

This summer she has likewise had an outstanding debut season on the Epson Tour registering 8 top 10 finishes including one tourney championship and three second play finishes. Those accomplishments have already garnered her enough points to earn one of the first of 15 LPGA Tour cards for 2026 that Epson is presenting this season.

“Experience is better than no experience and I’m fortunate and blessed to compete every where in the world recently!” said Melanie. “All types of your game are tested in these places and it’s always a great test.”

Interestingly, Melanie has become just the second Medina High graduate to reach the very top level of their professional sport. The first was Ernie Clark who was a linebacker for the NFL Detroit Lions in the mid 1960’s.

On the Epson Tour road to successfully advancing to the LPGA Melanie has had a special partner this season as her former USF teammate Leonor Medeiros has been her caddie.

“She has been herself,” said Melanie. “She is my best friend and I’m so grateful that we got to have a lot of fun together this summer. She is off into the real the rest of the year but it has been a joy to travel with her. She is someone that everyone wants in their corner because she roots for you and is just as excited as I am in the highs of everything!”

Now Melanie is looking to keep the winning momentum going into the final few events on the Epson Tour and then to begin another rookie season next year at women’s golf’s highest level – the LPGA Tour.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Banes shortstop Connie Heschke waits for the ball as Dana Siffringer reaches second base safely for White Birch during this afternoon’s ‘A’ League playoff championship game won by Banes.

Avenging an earlier round loss, Banes edged White Birch 9-6 in the Medina Women’s Softball ‘A’ League playoff championship game this afternoon at the Jr. Wilson Fields.

Breaking away from a 6-6 tie, Banes took the lead for good by scoring twice in the fourth inning on RBI singles by Morgan Allis and Cathy Allen. Singles by Connie Heschke and Jamie Chatt set up the opportunity.

Banes tacked on an insurance run in the fifth on a single by Jamie Chatt.

Earlier, Banes scored 3 runs in both the first and second innings. Jamie Chatt, Lindsay Chatt, Amy Lavender and Sue Seefeldt all had hits in the first while a two-run triple by Morgan Allis highlighted the second inning uprising.

White Birch also scored 3 quick runs in the first inning as Aubrey Lewis and Maddy Boyle had singles.

White Birch added 2 more in the second as Dana Siffringer, Brynn Howell, Lily Kompe and Ella Lewis all had hits. An RBI single by Bekah Hoffee plated a run in the third to knot the contest at 6-6 but White Birch could not cross home plate again.

Banes advanced to the finals by outlasting Jr. Wilson 22-18 in the losers bracket final as Lindsay Chatt had a home run and 3 singles, Morgan Allis a home run, triple and 2 singles and Cathy Allen a home run, double and single.

Sara Flansburg had a double and 2 singles for Jr. Wilson.

Regular season champion White Birch reached the finals by edging Banes 7-5 and Jr. Wilson 17-15.

A 6 run fourth inning on hits by Aubrey Lewis, Anna Lewis, Gracie Johnson, Kenzi Muck and Hoffee sparked White Birch past Banes.

A 4 run sixth inning on a home run by Aubrey Lewis, a triple by Howell and a double by Siffrimger then provided the margin of victory for White Birch over Jr. Wilson.

Chasity Chinn had a home run for Jr. Wilson.

Banging out hits were Morgan Allis, left, for Banes and Ella Lewis for White Birch.

The Medina Women’s Softball ‘A’ League double elimination playoffs will wrap up on Saturday at the Jr. Wilson Fields.

Regular season champion White Birch will face Banes at 8 a.m. with the victor taking on Jr. Wilson in the winners bracket final at 9:45 a.m.
The loser will face Parkitects in a losers bracket contest also at 9:45.

The losers bracket final is scheduled for 11:15 and the championship contest at 12:45. If necessary, a second game would follow.

The playoffs began this past Monday with Banes edging Dubby’s 4-2 and Jr. Wilson downing Parkitects 12-5. Dubby’s has since dropped out due to not having enough players for Saturday.

Closing out the season, Roy-Hart dropped a 4-2 decision to visiting KSC Tuesday in a Buffalo District Youth Soccer League girls U19 Division game.

Maria Trombley and Julia Verratti each scored a goal for Roy-hart which finishes the season at 1-7-2.

KSC winds up at 3-7.

The Roy-Hart girls U15 team finished the season at 5-5.

Epson Tour Photo – Melanie Green

The Epson Tour announced today that Medina’s Melanie Green has officially become one of the first three players this season to lock up a coveted LPGA Tour Card for the 2026 season.

Green has vaulted back into the No. 1 spot in the Epson Pro Golf Tour’s Race for the Card competition after tying for second at the Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Indiana over the weekend.

Each year the Epson Tour awards LPGA Tour cards to the top 15 point getters at the end of the season.

Now for the second time this season, Green holds the top spot in the race for a coveted LPGA Tour card with 1849 points after 15 events. She holds a 26 point lead over the runner-up and a 187 point lead over third place.

With five tournaments still remaining on the Epson Tour schedule Green’s point total has mathematically locked up one of those top 15 spot for a coveted LPGA card for her.

Green now has 8 top 10 finishes to date including one tourney victory (at the Island Resort Championship in Michigan), three seconds, one 4th, one 6th, one 8th and one 9th.

Her 8 top 10 finishes is tops among tour players.

She previously held the top spot in the Race for the Card after her victory at the Island Resort Championship.

The Epson Tour’s next tournament will be in Oregon August 15-17. After that only three more tournaments remain before the Tour championship at Indian Wells in California in early October. Melanie has opted to try to qualify for the LPGA tournament that will also be held in Oregon the same weekend.

Banes edged Dubby’s 4-2 and Jr. Wilson downed Parkitects 12-5 in the opening round of the Medina Women’s Softball ‘A’ League playoffs.

The playoffs will resume on Saturday as Banes will face regular season champion White Birch at 8 a.m. Dubby’s will also play Parkitects at 8 a.m. in a losers bracket contest. Jr. Wilson will then play the White Birch vs. Banes winner at 9:45 a.m.

Banes 4, Dubby’s 2
Breaking away from a 1-1 tie, Banes took the lead for good by scoring 3 runs in the third inning on singles by Connie Heschke, Jami Chatt, Lindsay Chatt, Kathy Allen and a sac fly by Morgan Allis.

Heschke and Lindsay Chatt had 2 hits each. Chatt’s included a double.

Jr. Wilson 12, Parkitects 5
Junior Wilson’s scored 3 runs in the first, and 6 in the second to take a quick 9-0 lead.

Stormi Beach had a triple and Jodi Zacher a sac fly in the first inning to score Sara Flansburg and Jaclyn Rodriguez, who both walked.

In the second inning, hits from Sharon Korzelius, Jenna Wlostowski, Connie Hornquist and Jenn Thom helped score 6, along with a triple from Jessica Rosenbeck.

Korzelius had an RBI double in the third and later scored on an RBI single from Hornquist.

Korzelius, Wlostowski, Beach, Hornquist, and Rosenbeck all finished with two hits for Junior Wilson’s.

Kelsey Mest and Alishia Foss had two hits for Parkitects.