Arkansas Golfer Wins World’s Largest Women’s Amateur Golf Competition
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL, September 21, 2007 – Melissa Holland, of Little Rock, Arkansas, a member of the Central Arkansas chapter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association has won the 2007 EWGA Championship, the largest women’s amateur golf tournament in the world. Holland captured the title shooting 77 and 72 for a 36-hole score of 149, a six-stroke victory over Pat Beljan-Ayres of Port St. Lucie, Florida, last year’s champion.
This year’s two-day championship was held Sept. 7 and 8 at the Hermitage Golf Course in Old Hickory, Tennessee with 218 competitors from throughout the United States and Canada. Winners were crowned in five flights and a scramble division (see complete results below). The 2007 EWGA Championship totaled 2447 participants qualifying at 117 local EWGA chapter championships with winners in each division advancing to 15 semi-final rounds prior to the two-day final.
"To be the champion of the world’s biggest amateur women’s tournament is pretty amazing," said Holland, 26, an Alltel executive and former Arkansas State University golfer playing in her first EWGA Championship. "The EWGA has helped me professionally and personally. I have met wonderful career oriented women who have helped guide me towards a prosperous career path and met people I would consider friends for life."
Shelly Armstrong, Teri Redmond, Sarah Dekraay and Ginger Zimmerman of the Madison, Wis. chapter successfully defended their scramble division title, winning for the third year in a row, and this year by a 10 stroke margin.
"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 demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing women with more opportunities through the game of golf."
Since the EWGA started in 1991, more than 85,000 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 over 120 chapters throughout the United States, as well as international chapters in Canada and France. EWGA chapters provide a wide range of golf, social and networking activities for both new and experienced golfers. The EWGA is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For more information about the association and membership, visit www.ewga.com.
Following are the top 36-hole stroke play EWGA Championship winners, by flight:
Championship Flight (Handicap 0 – 13.0):
First Place Low Gross: Melissa Holland, Little Rock, AR, Central Arkansas chapter – 149
Second Place Low Gross: Pat Beljan-Ayres, Port St. Lucie, FL, Port St Lucie chapter – 155
Third Place Low Gross: Pattie Pelischeck, Campbellsport, WI, Fond du Lac chapter – 158
First Place Low Net: Jill Prince, Irving, TX, Dallas chapter – 144
Second Place Low Net: Lisa Kaplan, Orlando, FL, Orlando chapter – 146
Third Place Low Net: Tracey Hebert, West Hills, CA, Los Angeles chapter – 147
First Flight (Handicap 13.1 – 20.0):
First Place Low Gross: Mary Browning, Jersey City, NJ, Northern New Jersey chapter – 169
Second Place Low Gross: Linda Heurkins, Austin, TX, Austin chapter – 171
Third Place Low Gross: Susan Barber, Nashville, TN, Middle Tennessee chapter – 172
First Place Low Net: Kim Lloyd, Latham, NY, Albany/Capital Region chapter – 144*
Second Place Low Net: Jill Tracy, Folsom, CA, Sacramento chapter – 144
Third Place Low Net: Laura Posey, Richmond, VA, Greater Richmond chapter – 147
* scorecard playoff
Second Flight (Handicap 20.1 – 27.0)
First Place Low Gross: Deb Hess, Meridian, ID, Boise/Treasure Valley chapter – 173
Second Place Low Gross: Amy Hurst, Myrtle Beach, SC, Myrtle Beach chapter – 174
Third Place Low Gross: Kristine Kyllander, San Diego, CA, San Diego chapter – 183*
First Place Low Net: Crissy Lovizio, Davenport, FL, Polk County chapter – 136
Second Place Low Net: Cathy Monforte, Orlando, FL, Orlando chapter – 137
Third Place Low Net: Norma Tirado-Kellenberger, Beaver Dam, WI, Fond du Lac chapter – 139*
Third Flight (Handicap 27.1 – 33.0)
First Place Low Gross: Pat Rausch, Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville chapter – 188** (playoff)
Second Place Low Gross: Lisa Greenstein, Villa Hills, KY, Cincinnati chapter – 194
Third Place Low Gross: Carol Golde, Saint James, NY, Long Island chapter – 199
First Place Low Net: Judy Wu, Santa Monica, CA, Los Angeles chapter – 188
Second Place Low Net: Jane Doyle, Stroudsburg, PA, Stroudsburg chapter – 199
Third Place Low Net: Yvonne Sadtler, Port Orchard, WA, South Puget Sound/Tacoma – 207
Fourth Flight (Handicap 33.1 +)
First Place Low Gross: Alisa Reigert, Leawood, KS, Kansas City Metro chapter – 195
Second Place Low Gross: Stacy Brown, Lyndhurst, OH, Cleveland chapter – 208
Third Place Low Gross: Lissa Dailey, Morrisville, NC, Raleigh chapter – 211
First Place Low Net: Beth Gaff, San Diego, CA, San Diego chapter – 131
Second Place Low Net: Lisa Scott, Issaquah, WA, Seattle chapter – 139
Third Place Low Net: Christine Betterton, Fredericksburg, VA, Greater Fredericksburg – 141
The 36-hole scramble winners:
First Place Team: Madison WI Chapter – net 129
Shelly Armstrong, Madison, WI Teri Redmond, Madison, WI
Sarah Dekraay, Madison, WI Ginger Zimmerman, Sun Prairie, WI
Second Place Team: Houston, TX chapter – net 139 *
Stephanie Flower, Houston TX Robin Famiglietti, Pearland, TX
Lynne Hoyt, Spring, TX Melinda Manning, Houston, TX
Third Place Team: Jacksonville, FL chapter – net 139
Angie Browning, Gainesville, FL Jeri Rosche, Neptune Beach, FL
Susan Barrett, Atlantic Beach, FL Susan Albrecht, Atlantic Beach, FL
Contact:
Angie Niehoff
Niehoff Marketing Associates
561-868-0297
niehoff@bellsouth.net
