Florida Finishes Second at State Team

Florida finishes in second place for the second consecutive year in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship held at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, September 10 through September 12. Dalhousie Golf Club is a par 72 course playing approximately 6,203 yards for the Championship. Three distinguished players led Team Florida; Tara Joy-Connelly, 2015 Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Champion and Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion, Meghan Stasi, five-time Florida Player of the Year, and Kendall Griffin, 2013 Florida Girls’ Junior Amateur Champion.  

The competition consisted of 54 holes of stroke play, counting the lowest two out of three scores as the team total for each round. Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia competed in the biennial Championship. Florida started off the tournament scorching with two under-par scores from Stasi and Joy-Connelly that settled the team into an early first place lead. Meghan Stasi, of Oakland Park, holed three impressive birdies on the back-nine to finish one-under par, 71. Tara Joy-Connelly, of Palm Beach Gardens only faltered to one bogey which was combated by six birdies for a five-under par, 67. Tara’s nearly flawless round was the low score of the day and tied the Championship's record for lowest round. Team Florida finished six-under par, 138, one stroke ahead of Team Georgia (139) after day one. Virginia finished in third place with a two-under par total, 142.

After round two the field would be cut to the top 21 teams at 16-over par or better. Team Florida had later tee times, due to starting round one early, and continued with the same momentum. Kendall Griffin, of Sebring, fought hard with three birdies to contribute to the team score with a two-over par, 74. Stasi continued on her birdie train from round one and birdied five holes for a consistent one-under par 71. A 145 (+1) round two total propelled Team Florida to a record setting 36-hole team score of 283 (-5). Despite Florida’s accomplishment, Georgia continued to chase the lead, but remained in second place, two-strokes behind.

Saturday, September 12th marked the final round of the Championship. Tara and Meghan were no strangers to the last day of the State Team Championship as the duo played on Team Florida in 2013, and neither women wanted another second place finish. Florida has not seized the title since 1999. Kendall, Meghan, and Tara struggled through the final round, finding more bogeys than birdies. Both Tara and Meghan stated that they got off to a slow start and could not turn their respective games on. Although Kendall faced a tough round, she finished strong with a birdie on the 18th hole. Team Georgia did not post any under-par rounds but was able to pull ahead of Florida with a 151 final round team score compared to Florida’s 156 team total. Georgia finished the Championship four-over par (436), three strokes ahead of Florida’s seven-over par (439) total. This will be Georgia’s fourth State Team win after their victories in 2005, 2009, and 2011. Defending Champion, New Jersey, finished 21st with a tournament total of 468 (+ 36).

Florida will return in 2017 fighting for first place after a second consecutive year finishing in second place. In the 2014 USGA Men’s State Team Championship team Florida, Jon Veneziano, Sam Horsfield, and Gabriel Lench, captured second place. Ready for redemption, Florida is excited for next year at the Men’s State Team Championship.

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