NAPLES, Fla. – The Women’s Florida Cup will stay in the South for another year, as the South captured its fifth-straight victory. South Florida was victorious during the two-day championship, raising the cup with a 18.5-13.5 victory on Tuesday at Quail West Golf & Country Club.
It was the South’s fifth Women’s Florida Cup victory. This year’s five-point margin of victory is closest Florida Cup result in the championship’s 10-year history.
Four-Ball Matches
The championship began on Monday morning with eight four-ball matches. Both came out strong, with the South team taking 4.5 points and the North earning 3.5 points.
Mary Jane Hiestand and Carolina Hart birdied the final hole to capture a 1-up victory for the South over Susan Keane and Liliana Ruiz-Munoz. Susan Cohn and Sherry Herman won three of six holes on Nos. 13-18, capturing a 3-and-2 win for the South over Tama Caldabaugh and Carolyn Creekmore.
Elise Gordon and Kerstin Koenig took the biggest win of the morning for the South, defeating Christine Martin and Prudence Hornberger, 4 and 3. Kelli Pry and Kaylin Crownover earned the first point for the North, taking down Kim Benedict and Marie Arnoux, 1 up. North’s Sarah Matin and Dree Fausnaugh won back-to-back holes to start the match and never let the lead go, defeating Vanessa Vela and Wendi Christensen, 2 and 1.
Foursomes Matches
Monday afternoon’s foursome matches saw another close session. South’s Kim Keyer-Scott and Hart earned a decisive 5-and-4, winning the last three holes. Koenig and Nancy Bradley also earned a big win for the South, taking down Melanie Clegg and Prudence Hornberger.
On the North side, Kiely Allen and Ruiz-Munoz won 2 and 1, while Susan Keane and Jodi Sullivan also earned a point for the North with a 2-and-1 win.
After grabbing 4.5 points in the afternoon, the South headed into Tuesday’s final round with a 9-7 lead over the North, needing 7.5 points to retain the Women’s Florida Cup.
Singles Matches
Both teams captured some dominating wins on Tuesday in the 16 singles matches. Adrienne MacLean put the first of the day on the board for the South, winning the first six holes and defeating Allen, 8 and 6. South’s Benedict and Cohn both earned 6-and-5 wins against Sarah Matin and Creekmore, respectively. Hiestand also earned a big win for the South, defeating Jodi Sullivan, 6 and 4.
For the North team, Pry and Melissa Gotfredson both won 4 and 3 over Marie Arnoux and Bree Hartlage, respectively. Dree Fausnaugh won the first four holes of her match against Wendi Christensen and never gave up the lead, winning 5 and 4.
The South team picked up 9.5 points in the singles to take home the victory, while the North ended with 6.5. Four players finished the weekend undefeated: Keyer-Scott, Hart, Gotfredson and Koenig.
Results
