Florida Golfer Wins World’s Largest Women’s Amateur Golf Competition
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL, September 21, 2006 – Pat Beljan-Ayres a member of the Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast chapter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association has won the 2006 EWGA Championship, the largest women’s amateur golf tournament in the world. Beljan-Ayres, who advanced from the Florida sectional and placed second in last year’s final competition, captured the title shooting a 36-hole score of 156, for a one-stroke victory over Karen Garcia of Sacramento, Calif.
This year’s two-day championship was held Sept. 15 and 16 at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona, featuring a field of 185 women from throughout the country. Winners were crowned in five flights and a scramble division (see complete results below). The 2006 EWGA Championship totaled 2455 participants – another record for this 11 year old tournament – with competitions held in 113 EWGA chapter championships and 12 sectional semi-final rounds prior to the two-day finale.
"Through the EWGA I have enjoyed playing spectacular courses across the country and making friends along the way. We are able to share some laughs and some sympathetic sighs as we grind it out to ‘beat the golf course’," says Beljan-Ayres a broker for Red Hat Realty, which markets resort properties at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie. "The EWGA staff and everyone at Whirlwind Golf Resort put together a first class tournament experience to remember."
Shelly Armstrong, Teri Redmond, Sarah Dekraay and Ginger Zimmerman of the Madison, Wis. chapter successfully defended their 2005 scramble division title, winning this year by a 7 stroke margin. "After the first round we were down by two strokes, and enjoyed the challenge," says Zimmerman, an attorney with Murphy & Desmond S.C. in Madison. "What’s most rewarding is seeing all the people we’ve met and the camaraderie of all the competitors. We look forward to defending again next year."
"The EWGA Championship is a premier event for women of all playing ability levels. For some of our members who did not grow up playing sports, this is one of their first experiences in competitive play," says Pam Swensen, CEO of the EWGA. "The growth and continued excellence of the EWGA Championship series demonstrate our ongoing commitment to providing women with more opportunities through the game of golf."
Since the EWGA started in 1991, more than 80,000 women have benefited from membership in the organization which is dedicated to providing opportunities to learn, play, and enjoy the game of golf for business and for life. There are currently 120 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. EWGA chapters provide a wide range of golf, social and networking activities for both new and experienced golfers. The association is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For more information, visit www.ewga.com.
Following are the top 36-hole stroke play EWGA Championship winners, by flight:
Championship Flight (Handicap 0 – 13.0):
Low Gross: 1. Pat Beljan-Ayres (156), Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast chapter; 2. Karen Garcia (157), Sacramento, Calif. chapter; 3. Patty Pelischek (160), Fond Du Lac, Wis. chapter.
Low Net: 1. Hazel Roy (140), Boston, Mass. chapter; Jeanne Fogarty (144), Columbus, Ohio chapter; 3. Shelley Weiss (145), Metro Detroit, Mich. chapter.
First Flight (Handicap 13.1 – 20.0):
Low Gross: 1. Lisa Brill (170), Boise, Idaho/Treasure Valley chapter; 2. Linda Hartsig (171), Tucson-Old Pueblo, Ariz. chapter; 3. Denise Drake-Spicer (173), Los Angeles, Calif. chapter.
Low Net: 1. Kristen Bruschi (136); Northern New Jersey chapter; 2. Kelly Fitzgerald (141), Worcester, Mass. chapter; 3.Donna Nelson (143) St. Louis, Mo. chapter.
Second Flight (Handicap 20.1 – 27.0)
Low Gross: 1. Wendy Wright (174) Greater Rochester, NY chapter; 2. Nadia Ayoub (180), Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada chapter; 3. Brenda Bailey (182)T; Jacksonville, Fla. chapter.
Low Net: 1. Terisita Aguilar (130), San Antonio, Texas chapter; 2. Janet Souza (137), Sonoma-Marin-Napa, Calif. chapter. 3. Tami Lathan (138), Portland, Ore. chapter.
Third Flight (Handicap 27.1 – 33.0)
Low Gross: 1. Kelly Grant (181) Atlanta, Ga. chapter; 2. Rowena Johnson (193), Jacksonville, Fla., chapter; 3. Amy Massey (196), Raleigh Triangle, NC chapter.
Low Net: 1. Karen katzbeck (134)T, Los Angeles, Calif. chapter; 2. Cyndi Hernandez (134), Sonoma-Marin-Napa Calif. chapter, 3. Teri Walsh (138); Albany/Capital Region, NY chapter.
Fourth Flight (Handicap 33.1 +)
Low Gross: 1. Kristine Growdon (204), Seattle, Wash. chapter; 2. Marcela Tannenbergova (213)T, Long Island, NY chapter; 3. Stephanie Houser (213), Phoenix-Valley of the Sun, AZ chapter.
Low Net: 1. Coleen Roche (135), Syracuse/Central New York chapter; 2. Beth Gaff (136) San Diego, Calif. chapter; 3. Virginia Burton (141), Greater Baton Rouge, La. chapter.
The 36-hole scramble winners were as follows:
First Place Team
Madison Wis. chapter (net 134), Shelly Armstrong, Sarah Dekraay, Teri Redmond, Ginger Zimmerman
Second Place Team
Tri Cities of NE Tennessee chapter (net 141), Sador Black, Jan Compton, Suzanne Donaldson, Marilyn Martin
Third Place Team
Greater Rochester, NY chapter(net 143), Katherine Casion, Annette McKay, Margaret Pierce
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