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Women's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship

The Oak Marsh course at Amelia Island Plantation hosted the Women’s Senior Amateur Match Play, the last Women’s Championship of 2017. Diane Lang added Senior Amateur Match Play Champion to her long list of accolades after a 4 &3 victory over Marion Reid. 

Championship Division 

Monday began the stroke play seeding round where 29 of the top senior women battled the Oak Marsh course to make the round of 16 match play. The competition proved to be tough with a tight leaderboard naming Beatriz Arenas, of Wellington, the number one seed by one stroke after a round of 78. Many familiar names finished in the top 16 including two past senior players’ of the year, Gigi Higgins and Tama Caldabaugh, Hall of Fame inductee, Taffy Brower, and the current Women’s Senior Amateur Champion, Sarah Phillips-Durst, to name a few. 

After a slight fog delay on Tuesday morning, first round matches began. The number one seed, Beatriz Arenas, fought 20 holes to face Taffy Brower, of Boynton Beach, in the afternoon Quarterfinals. Gigi Higgins (4 seed) and Marion Reid (5 seed) would meet in the Quarterfinals after winning their first match. Sarah Phillips-Durst, number 15 seed of Tallahassee, prevailed after 20 holes and defeated Carolina Hart (2 seed) to go head to head with Tama Caldabaugh in the afternoon match.  

The winning streak continued for Brower (9 seed) as she earned a 1UP victory over Beatriz to move on to the Semifinals. Reid defeated Higgins, 2 & 1, to play Brower Wednesday morning. Phillips-Durst continued to advance along with Diane Lang (6 seed) and both would face each other in the Semifinals. Marion Reid started the final day of the Championship with a fire, defeating Brower 7 & 6 to play in the final match! Diane Lang would meet Reid in the Finals after a 5 & 4 victory over Phillips-Durst. 

Diane Lang entered the Final match looking to add to her list of impressive accolades, including three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Champion and three-time State Senior Amateur Champion. Marion Reid, fighting for her first FSGA Championship victory, started the match one-up after the first hole. Lang fired back winning holes four and five with pars, but Reid stayed close taking the match to all-square after nine holes. With determination, Lang birdied the tenth hole to gain a one-up lead. Another birdie on hole 12 increased Lang’s lead to two-up heading into the home stretch. A par and bogey on holes 14 and 15 sealed the victory for Lang! This marks Diane’s first Senior Amateur Match Play Championship win!

Championship First & Second 
Jodi Sullivan, of Saint Petersburg, and Janice Wilson, of Flagler Beach, advanced to the Final match in the Championship First division. Sullivan, number four seed, won 2& 1 over Alexandra Frazier (1 seed) and Wilson dominated Susan Keane (3 seed), 6 & 4, in the Semifinals. The Final match saw Janice Wilson earn the 1UP victory. In the Championship Second division, Katherine Moore-Lilly (1 seed) dominated match play with a 4 & 3 win over Jan Stottlemyer (3 seed) in the Final match. 

Middle Division
The Middle Division was seeded based on handicap index and the round of eight matches began on Monday morning in the form of net match play. Each of the four matches saw the higher seed advance to the Quarterfinals! Beatriz Niemeyer, of  Bradenton,advanced through each match as the number eight seed and would face Shari Zeimetz (6 seed), of Jacksonville, in the Semifinals. Niemeyer continued on her winning streak capturing the Middle Division with a 4 & 3 victory. 

Middle First 
The finals boiled down to Sheila Brocki, of Jacksonville, and Kimberly Byle, of Dunedin. Brocki was entering the Finals with confidence after defeating the number one seed, Marla Flinn, in the Semifinals. Byle started off match play hot with a 3 & 2 win over the second seed, Karin Hathaway. Brocki never let the win out of sight earning a 3 & 2 win over Byle in the Final match.  

Forward Division 
Round of eight matches began Monday morning with the players seeded based on handicap index. Gilda Perez, the last seed, battled through each match to reach the Finals where she would play Terry Doying-Main for the overall win. Doying-Main (2 seed), from Port Saint Lucie, won each of her matches 5 & 4 to advance to the Final match. The Final match saw Doying-Main defeat Perez 5 & 3. 

Forward First
Dolores Ainsworth (4 seed), of Port Saint Lucie, fought through 19 holes in her first match to win 4 &3 in the Semifinals against Victoria Goitz. Fort Myers resident, Lynn Robbins (3 seed), was victorious over Susan Bean, 2 & 1, and Sharon Sheline, 5 & 3, to advance to Wednesday. Lynn Robbins prevailed after a 3 & 2 win against Ainsworth. 

Consolation Brackets

• Championship - Kim Keyer-Scott (5 seed) defeated Laura Carson (7 seed) 2 & 1
• Championship First - Kathy West (2 seed) earned a 3 & 1 win over Christine Hunt (4 seed)
• Middle - Patricia Gelardi (2 seed) defeated Lori DesRuisseaux (4 seed) 5 & 3
• Middle First - Peggy Butts won by default as the number one seed  
• Forward - Monique Patenaude (1 seed) earned a 4 & 3 victory against Linda Jane Parson (3 seed)
• Forward First  - Emily Brown (2 seed) was defeated by Teresa Brandes (1 seed) 2 & 1

Full Results 

~Oak Marsh Course~

Championship Format 

• Maximum field of 64 players
• Individual match play with consolation flights for all divisions.
• Championship division will play gross match play.
• Middle and Forward divisions will play net match play.
• The Championship division will be seeded by an 18 hole stroke play seeding round.
• Middle and Forward divisions will be pre-flighted and seeded by handicap index as of the November 15, 2017 USGA GHIN Handicap revision.
• Points will be awarded in the Championship Division only for the 2018 season standings.

Eligibility

Schedule of Events

Monday, December 4th

• 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM - Tournament Registration (located near pro shop)
• 8:00 AM - 8:49 AM - Middle and Forward Divisions first round matches off  #1 and #10 tees
• 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM - Championship Division stroke play seeding round off #1 and #10 tees
  
• 11:30 PM - 1:00 PM (approx.) – Player's Luncheon - Included with entry fee

Tuesday, December 5th

• 8:00 AM - 8:49 AM - Championship Divisions first round matches off #1 and #10 tees
• 8:56 AM - 9:45 AM - Middle and Forward Divisions second round and consolation matches off #1 and #10 tees
• 12:15 PM (approx.) - Championship Divisions second round and consolation matches off  #1 and #10 tees
  Note: Not all players will advance to the final day

Wednesday, December 6th

• 8:00 AM - 8:49 AM - Championship Divisions semifinal and consolation matches off #1 tee
• 8:56 AM - 9:45 AM - Middle and Forward Divisions championship round and consolation matches off #1 tee
• 12:15 PM (approx.) - Championship Divisions championship round and consolation matches off  #1 tee
  

Host Hotel & Accommodations 

The Omni-Amelia Island Plantation Resort will be the host hotel for this Championship. 
Please book by November 4th

Click here to view special rate!

Entry Fee

$190 - Entry fee includes all competitive rounds of golf, lunch after the first round of matches on Monday, December 4th, and gift certificate prizes for top places.

Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field.

Entry Priority

All entries are accepted into each division on a first come first served basis. The field may reach maximum capacity prior to the entry deadline. Once a division is full, players may enter and will be placed on an "Alternate List" without being charged an entry fee.

Divisions, Approximate Yardages and Flights

Championship Division (Gross only) - 5,600-5,800 yards approx.

• One flight of sixteen (16) players
• Two flights of eight (8) players each

Middle Division (Net only) - 5,200-5,400 yards approx.

• Two flights of eight (8) players each

Forward Division (Net only) - 4,700-4,900 yards approx.

• Two flights of eight (8) players each

In order to eliminate byes and accommodate match play brackets, the Committee reserves the right to adjust the number and size of flights in each division based on groups of eight (8) entries.

Suggested Entry Guidelines

The following should be considered when selecting divisions.

• Championship Division - 10.0 and Under
• Middle Division - 7.0 -14.0
• Forward Division - 15.0 and Over

Committee Discretion: The Championship Committee reserves the right to move any player out of the Forward Division if their handicap is significantly lower than the majority of the competitors in that division, and their scoring history does not reflect the need to play from the Forward Division yardage.

Alternate Lists

• Once a division has reached maximum capacity, subsequent entries for that division will be placed on a list of alternates for that division based upon order of receipt. 
• There will be a list of alternates for each division.
• Alternates are then used to replace any players who withdraw from that division prior to the competition. 

Seeding and Flighting

Players will be flighted and seeded based on the following criteria:

Championship Division

• The Championship Division will be seeded based on their round one stroke play seeding round score.
• There will be a hole-by-hole play-off to determine the 16th seed in the Championship flight.
• All other seeding ties will be broken by a USGA score card match.

Middle and Forward Divisions

• Middle and Forward Divisions will be flighted and seeded by their respective handicap index (11/15/17). In the case of a handicap tie, the Committee will decide by lot.
• For example, a player in the Middle First Flight has the lowest handicap of her flight of eight. She will earn the number one (1) seed for the Championship.  In the case of a handicap tie, the Committee will decide by lot.

The Championship Committee reserves the right to move any player out of the Forward Division if her handicap is significantly lower than the majority of the competitors in the division, and her scoring history does not reflect the need to play from the Forward Division yardage. Player(s) will then be placed into the Middle Division.

Handicaps

• All valid Florida USGA Handicap Indexes used will be from the November 15, 2017 revision. 
• Each player must have a valid Florida GHIN Handicap Index no higher than 34.0. 
• Players in the Middle and Forward Divisions will play to 100% of their course handicap.

It is the responsibility of any player that maintains a Handicap Index lower than her current Florida GHIN Handicap Index to inform the FSGA for resolution. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available on a space available basis one week prior to the Championship and after 12:00 PM on the weekend prior the Championship. Includes cart and range balls prior to the round. The price for a practice round is $30.00 + tax. Please call (904) 277-5907 to arrange your practice round. The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable.

Defending Champions

The Forest Country Club in Fort Myers hosted the Women's Senior Match Play Championship, the final Championship of theyear! The course tested the competitors and it was Mary Jane Hiestand of Naples who hoisted the Women's Senior Match Play trophy on Wednesday December 7th.

Other Policies

• Spectator and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here.
• Caddies - Caddies are allowed in all FSGA Championships except Junior events. However, a player must not use a parent, step-parent or guardian as a caddie. The caddie MUST walk and the player’s clubs must remain on the golf cart.
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
• Local Rules and Conditions of Competition - Click here.
• Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
• Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this Championship.
• Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules.  The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Payment

Amelia Island Plantation accepts AmEx, Visa or Mastercard for method of payment.

Directions - Amelia Island Plantation

Omni Amelia Island Plantation
39 Beach Lagoon Road
Amelia Island, FL  32034
(904) 277-5907

Click here for directions.