CHAMPION — Defending champion Paxton Johnson won her opening match in the championship flight on Sunday at the Upper Peninsula Ladies Golf Association tournament.

Playing at the Wawonowin Country Club in Ely Township, the Escanaba resident and member of the Northern Michigan University women’s golf team defeated No. 16 seed Nancy Osier of Wakefield in the opening round of match play.

Match scores weren’t available from event organizers.

Johnson, actually the three-time defending champion after having won this event in 2018, 2019 and 2021, earned the No. 1 seed after her win in ’21. The event wasn’t held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic nor in 2022 due to a low number of entries.

Osier got the final spot in the championship flight after winning a three-way sudden-death playoff after she, Tammy DeBakker and Rachel Annala all shot 92 over 18 holes in Saturday’s qualifying.

DeBakker and Annala went into the first flight as the top seeds there.

The top shooter in qualifying was Avery Elsner with 78. She became the No. 2 seed in the championship flight and defeated No. 15 Dianne Frustaglio in match play on Sunday.

The rest of the championship flight includes Karen Plaisier of Ishpeming and Lori Shea, each with 83 in qualifying; Mary Jo Stuart with 84; Barbara Rossi and Lisa Harry, each with 87; Katie Komsa and Amy Johnson, both with 88; Sue Micklow of Marquette, 89; Heidi Olson and Sandra Collins, each with 90; and Karen McCorkle, Frustaglio and Barb Blewett, all with 91.

Scores were used to determine flights and then seeding within flights.

In the championship flight, the No. 1 player faced No. 16, No. 2 vs. No. 15 right on down to No. 8 vs. No. 9.

The same was true in the first through seventh flights, but with eight players in each, it is No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5.

Here are Sunday’s other championship flight match results — No. 3 Shea def. No. 14 McCorkle, No. 4 Plaisier def. No. 13 Blewett, No. 5 Stuart def. No. 12 Olson, No. 11 Collins def. No. 6 Harry, No. 10 Micklow def. No. 7 Rossi, and No. 8 Komsa def. No. 9 Johnson.

This morning’s quarterfinal matches in the championship flight have No. 1 Johnson vs. No. 8 Komsa, No. 4 Plaisier vs. No. 5 Stuart, No. 2 Elsner vs. No. 10 Micklow and No. 3 Shea vs. No. 11 Collins.

Tuesday’s semifinals, scheduled for 9 a.m., will pit the Johnson-Kosma winner vs. the Plaisier-Stuart winner and also the Eisner-Micklow victor vs. the Shea-Collins winner.

And the finals are set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday between the semifinal winners.

Additionally, losers of Sunday’s championship flight matches are moved into the Presidents flight, similar to a consolation round in a double-elimination tournament.

Those matches, also scheduled for this morning, include Harry vs. Osier, Olson vs. Blewett, Rossi vs. Frustaglio and Johnson vs. McCorkle.

Other flights have similar consolation brackets for those who lost Sunday.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.