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Shoemaker, Higgins Named Players of the Year

November 4, 2022

TAMPA, Fla. – Bailey Shoemaker and Gigi Higgins have been named the 2022 Florida State Golf Association’s Women’s Players of the Year. Shoemaker was awarded Amateur Player of the Year honors, while Higgins was named Senior Player of the year.

This is the first Player of the Year honors for Shoemaker, while this is the second for Higgins who was named Women’s Senior Player of the Year in 2016.

Women’s Player of the Year

Bailey Shoemaker, also named the 2022 Girls’ Junior Player of the Year, received this honor after a remarkable season filled with an FSGA Championship victory and runner-up finishes in USGA events.

The Dade City native becomes the first player in FSGA history to be named the Women’s Player of the Year and the Girls’ Junior Player of the Year in the same season

Shoemaker captured her second FSGA championship win and the first of her 2022 season at the 93rd Women’s Amateur Championship. After a grueling 130 holes of golf, Shoemaker defeated Maisie Filler, 3 and 2, to raise the trophy at Streamsong Resort. She became the first junior golfer ever to win the Women’s Amateur Championship in the championship’s 93-year history.

Shoemaker had quite the impressive showing at USGA championships during the 2022 season. Just weeks before winning the Women’s Amateur Championship, Shoemaker made the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in North Carolina. The Florida Junior Tour alum finished the championship in a tie for 49th.

She secured a runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship with partner, Kaitlyn Schroeder. Shoemaker also advanced to the Round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.

Finally, to top off her standout season, Shoemaker advanced to the Semifinals at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay in Washington. 

Women’s Senior Player of the Year

Gigi Higgins earned Women’s Senior Player of the Year honors for the second time. She had a successful 2022 season with strong finishes in FSGA championships as well as multiple USGA showings.

Higgins captured a second-place finish at the Women’s Senior Four-Ball Championship with partner, Lin Culver in March. The pair carded rounds of 72-73 to fall short of the win by only three strokes. Higgins also secured a seventh-place finish at the Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in April, as well as a top-20 finish at the Women’s International Four-Ball with partner, Lin Culver.

In addition, Higgins qualified for and advanced to match play at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Anchorage Golf Course in Alaska. She also teed it up in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship.

Shoemaker and Higgins will be honored at the FSGA’s Annual Dinner in Boynton Beach at The Club at Quail Ridge in November. The Annual Dinner celebrates the best players in the state, volunteers, board members and many other important individuals involved in the game of golf in Florida.