The 68th Women’s International Four-Ball Championship, conducted February 16-17, 2015, was a sunny, but windy two-day event at the beautiful Wanderers Club in Wellington, Florida. This, with a combination of fast greens, and pure fairways made conditions competitive for the participants.
In the Championship Division, round one concluded with partners Charlotte Daughan of Orlando, Florida and Sarah Matin of Winter Garden, Florida sitting at the top of the leaderboard, posting a three-under par 69. Daughan and Matin took advantage of the par-5’s and 3’s during their round, sitting one-under and two-under par on those holes respectively. Partners Tara Connelly of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and Meghan Stasi of Oakland Park, Florida, posted a two-under par 70, sitting one back of Daughan and Matin.
When asked about being one shot back, Connelly commented, “We felt like we needed to make a few more putts. In best ball it comes down to having two goes at it and rolling one in. We felt like our putting could be improved.” The duo of Mary Jane Hiestand of Naples, Florida and Judith Kyeinis of Thornhill, Canada, and partners Marie Arnoux of Miami Beach, Florida and Alexandra Frazier of West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania all stood tied for third at even par, 72.
The final round excitement did not disappoint as four of Florida’s top mid-amateurs duked it out for the Championship title in the final pairing. Daughan and Matin had a four-stroke lead over Connelly and Stasi at the turn, but the fight was not over. Connelly and Stasi put together a two-under par 34 back nine in hopes to come out on top. Daughan and 
Matin, however, were able to hold on to finish at 141 overall, with a one shot lead over the defending champions. When asked about how they felt after their victory, Daughan said it best, “I think we knew we could [win], but we just wanted to take one shot at a time. We are trying for the USGA qualifier next month, so that’s big confidence for us. It’s nice to win with a good friend.” Debbie Adams of Asheville, North Carolina and Sherry Herman, or Middletown, New Jersey posted the low final round score of three-under par 69, earning them third place honors at 143 overall.
In the Middle Division, partners Susan Levin and Jill Riehl of Jupiter, Florida were the round one co-leaders posting a two-over par 74, along with Wellington natives Ginny Orthwein and Marlene Streit. Four-time Club Champion Orthwein also recorded an eagle during round one on par-4, No. 16. Mary Kozak of Orlando, Florida and Nicola de Stwolinska of Winter Garden, Florida stood two shots behind them posting a four-over par 76. On the final day, Orthwein and Streit managed to keep it in the seventies despite difficult winds and tough greens, posting a 74-77—151 overall, taking first place honors. Mary Hill of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Penny Locke of Scituate, Massachusetts took second place posting five shots back at 156, and the team of Colleen Adams and Mary Thomas of Jupiter, Florida 
finished third at 159. First place Net honors went to Mary Bruno of Highland Beach, Florida and Diane Carter of Hamilton, Massachusetts, at 130 overall.
In the Forward Division, Eileen Burke of Delray Beach, Florida and Lanette Gustafson of Ocean Ridge, Florida were co-leading with partners Pamela Cooling of Bonita Springs, Florida and Carolyn Hudson, of Bowie, Maryland at eight-over par 80. Liz Findley of Bradenton, Florida and Becky Romich of Sarasota, Florida were one back of the two teams posting an 81 first round total. Burke and Gustafson were eager to get into the seventies, and ended up posting a three-over-par 75 for their final round, awarding them first place honors. Burke and Gustafson kept things closer and consistent to round one, posting a seven-over par 79 for their final round. This ultimately gave them first place net honors in the Forward Division, at 126 overall.
Forty-eight teams represented by 19 states and two countries will travel to Wellington, Florida February 16-17 to contend for the coveted title of ‘Women’s International Four-Ball Champions’. This historic event, first conducted by the Jaycees of Hollywood, Florida, has comprised the names of golf’s finest—Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs, Peggy Kirk-Bell, and others. The format of the championship will be 36-holes of four-ball stroke play, generally known as a two-person, best-ball.
