TAMPA, Fla. – Next week, the FSGA season will begin with the 76th Women’s International Four-Ball at The Wanderers Club in Wellington. The Wanderers Club lies in the heart of horse country and is one of the few golf clubs in America to double as a polo venue – the driving range is also used as a polo field. The golf course will provide quite the test for all golfers with its immaculate fairways, numerous bunkers and undulating greens.
The field competing next week is even more interesting than the venue littered with past champions, FSGA Players of the Year, USGA champions and seasoned competitors. Below are five things to know about the championship before it kicks off on February 15.
Defending the Crown
For the third time in four years, Meghan Stasi and Ina Kim-Schaad captured the victory at the 2022 International Four-Ball title. Stasi and Kim-Schaad survived a playoff to secure the win. This is the seventh International Four-Ball victory for Hall of Famer, Meghan Stasi. Stasi has collected over twenty FSGA wins, in addition to her four USGA wins. While Ina Kim-Schaad earned her third International Four-Ball victory. Kim-Schaad also has a remarkable resume including three FSGA wins and a USGA win at the 2019 Women’s Mid-Amateur in Arizona. Stasi and Kim-Schaad are both seasoned competitors with victorious pasts, making them a hard duo to beat.
Star-Studded Field
The 2023 field consists of some of the best amateur golfers in the country. Eleven players in the field have a combined 24 USGA wins, and there are twelve FSGA champions all competing next week. Ellen Port holds the most USGA titles in the field with seven, while 2024 USA Curtis Cup Captain, Megan Stasi is not far behind with four USGA wins. In addition, there will also be the three most recent U.S. Mid-Amateur champions in the field this week: Blakesly Brock, Ina Kim-Schaad and Shannon Johnson.
The 2022 Women’s Senior Player of the Year, Gigi Higgins will be competing with partner, Jayne Pardus. Higgins has teed it up in over eight USGA championships and most recently captured the win at the 2021 Women’s Senior Amateur Match Play Championship.
Mary Jane Hiestand will compete next week with partner, Susan Temple. Hiestand is an eight-time Women’s Player and Senior Player of the Year winner and has over ten FSGA wins.
FSGA Players in the Hunt
Diane Lang is certainly a player to watch as she has captured three USGA wins and eleven FSGA victories. As a result, Lang has collected Player of the Year honors four times. This week she will team up with Angie Whitley Coleman in hopes for a chance at the win.
Lin Culver and Tama Caldabaugh will team up as an intimidating duo. Culver is a three-time FSGA champion and her most recent win came at the 2022 Women’s Senior Amateur Match Play Championship in December, where she secured the win in a playoff. Meanwhile, Caladabaugh has teed it up in over nine USGA championships. She also served as a Women’s Florida Cup Captain in 2019 and earned the Women’s Senior Player of the Year honor in 2015.
Finally, Therese Quinn is a three-time FSGA champion and will team up with Amy Kennedy next week in hopes of capturing victory number four.
Diverse Field
Fourteen states will be represented at this year’s championship, with 41 players hailing from outside the state of Florida. Other than Florida, Texas is the most represented state with 10 players, followed by Virginia and Georgia with four players.
Wanderers Club hosts 76th for Eleventh Consecutive Year
This historic event is set to be held at the esteemed Wanderers Club for the 11th straight year. The Wanderers Club is located in Wellington only a few miles from downtown Palm Beach. Wellington is known for its equestrian community, which is reflected in the design of the golf course. Architects incorporated a world-class polo field into the driving range. Golfers can watch a polo match while playing the first hole. The course displays 18 holes of beautiful Florida landscape complete with pristine fairways, undulating greens, numerous bunkers, and picturesque lakes.
It will be a great week at the Wanderers Club completed by crowning the 76th champions. Past champions include: Louise Suggs, Babe Zaharias, Peggy Kirk, Betsy Rawls, and Alice Dye.
