TAMPA, Fla. – Alexa Pano and Lisa Schlesinger were named the 2019 Florida State Golf Association’s Women’s Players of the Year. Pano was awarded Amateur Player of the Year honors, while Schlesinger was named the Senior Player of the Year.
Alexa Pano received the honor after a standout 2019 season that saw her continue her great amateur success with four wins, four USGA Championship appearances and 10 top-10 finishes.
“The FSGA is one of the best golf organizations in the world, there are many great players here. To win this award is a huge honor,” Pano said.
She had a strong start to the season, winning the Ione Jones/Doherty Championship in January, while also earning a runner-up finish at the Women's South Atlantic Amateur Golf Championship the same month.
The Lake Worth native added three more wins this season, capturing the win at the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship and Scott Robertson Memorial, as well as winning the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, one of the prominent invitationals on the American Junior Golf Association schedule.
Pano made a splash in USGA Championships this season, advancing to match play in three championships. She shared medalist honors with Jiarui Jin at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, while advancing to the Round of 16 at Old Waverly Golf Club.
The 14-year-old advanced through a playoff to qualify for her first U.S. Women’s Open Championship. She was the youngest competitor in the 156-player field at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina.
She and her partner, Amari Avery, were semifinalists at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in April, falling to the eventual champions, Meghan Furtney and Erica Shepard, 4 and 3.
Pano, who is ranked 44th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, was a part of history in April, when she competed in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship in Augusta, Ga.
“I had a good year with several wins and top finishes, but by far the highlight of my year was playing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, a very historic moment in women’s golf,” Pano said.
Along with her success on the amateur circuit, Pano also teed it up in six professional events this season. She finished eighth in the Symetra Tour’s SKYiGOLF Championship in March, after holding a share of the lead heading into the final round.
This is the second Player of the Year for Pano, after she was named the Girls’ Junior Player of the Year in 2016. She is the youngest player to be named the Women’s Amateur Player of the Year in FSGA history.
Like Pano, Schlesinger began her year with a win at Jones/Doherty Championship, winning the Senior Division, defeating Terrill Samuel, 5 and 3.
The Fort Myers native captured the Florida Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in April. She carded a 5-over 147 for the championship to win with a 6-shot lead over the rest of the field. The victory marked Schlesinger’s second Senior Amateur win, after she won the championship in 2015 at Vero Beach Country Club.
“This is a special honor. There are so many talented and accomplished seniors in Florida, so it's very rewarding to be recognized alongside those players. It's nice to have my skills validated by this prestigious award,” Schlesinger said.
Schlesinger competed in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, while also earning five other top-15 finishes this season. She will represent South Florida later this month at the Women’s Florida Cup at Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club.
This is the first Player of the Year honor for Schlesinger.
Both players will be honored at the FSGA’s Annual Meeting and Dinner in Jacksonville at Timuquana Country Club, on November 22, 2019. The Annual Dinner celebrates the best players in the state, tournament volunteers, board members and many other important individuals involved in the game of golf in Florida.
