Led by three FSGA veteran players, Hannah Berman of Ponte Vedra Beach, Alexa Popowitz of Boca Raton and Julie Steinbauer of Palm Beach, the US Women's Golf Team won the gold medal at the 20th World Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel. The US team defeated the Israeli squad on its home course, the Pete Dye-designed Caesarea Golf Club. While the Games ran July 5-17, the Golf Championship was held July 11-13 on the 6,100 yard course, about 45 minutes north of Tel Aviv. Shooting a US team-low over 54 holes (79-73-76/228), Berman, a member of Team Florida in the 2016 Southeastern Women's Matches, took the silver individual medal. US teammate Marni Murez of UC Santa Clara took Bronze (231). The individual gold medal was won by UCLA player (2017), Israel's Hadass Libman who will join the LPGA in the fall. Libman shot even par (216). Rounding out the gold medal squad was Julia Hyman (Georgetown 2019) of Alleghaney, PA.
"Like all of us, my only dream going into these games was to win a team gold medal," said Berman. She continued, "we had a strong team, as did the Israelis, especially with Hadass, and it was a test for us on their home course. I think they knew every blade of grass. So it was a big win for us. To come home as the low American and with a silver medal is beyond my imagination. I was literally shaking coming down the last stretch of holes just knowing we could win a team gold and that I was in contention for a singles medal. I'm not sure I can put into words what this means to me. I don't know that I even understood the scope of these Games, on and off the course, until I got there. I am humbled and honored to be part of the history of the Maccabbiah. The entire experience changed my life in so many ways."
The US Golf Team was coached by Miami native, Peter Epstein. The US Men's team took the silver medal, falling in a score card regression to South Africa after a nine-hole aggregate playoff left them still square. Former Maccabiah Games winners include Bruce Fleisher and Cory Pavin, as well as the 2013 winner, current LPGA player, Lateatia Beck of Israel. Often called the Jewish Oympics, started in 1932, the Maccabiah Games is the world's third largest participatory sports event behind the Olympics. There are more than 12,000 athletes from 80 countries competing in 43 sports. With a dual mission of bringing people to Israel to celebrate their faith and connecting them through sports, the US delegation brought 1,150 athletes to the Games, the largest delegation it's ever brought, and second only to host-nation, Israel with a delegation of 2200 athletes. Commensurately, the US delegation finished second in overall medals with 90 to Israel's 281. The US delegation had been training in Jerusalem, Netanya, Haifa and Tel Aviv since the end of June, mixing in practice with seeing the touchstone sites of Israel as well as doing mission work.
Berman (pictured right) recently made it through to the second round of the Florida State Women's Amateur. She played in the 2015 US Women's Amateur and 2017 US Women's Amateur Four-Ball and was the 2015 AJGA President's Leadership Award and 2016 JAGA Bill Black Award recipient and a 2016 FSGA Scholar. Popowitz was the 2017 Big East Conference tournament champion and Player of the Year and also played in the 2017 US Women's Amateur Four-Ball.Steinbauer was a member of the 2016 D2 National Championship team at Rollins College.
