For the first time, the Florida State Golf Association will head to Reunion Resort in Central Florida to conduct the Florida Women's Open & Senior Open. This inaugural event features both amateurs and professionals from around the state as they compete to hoist the beautiful Duncan McClennan trophy Sunday afternoon.
Beginning tomorrow morning, 121 professionals and amateurs will tee it up for the first round. The 121 player field has been divided between the Palmer and Watson Courses at Reunion Resort with players playing 18 holes on each course before the 36-hole cut Saturday afternoon. Each division, the Open and Senior division, will have a separate cut line. The number of players making the cut in each division will be dependent on the ratio of Open players to Senior Open players at the start of the first round. Those surviving the 36-hole cut will play their final round on Sunday on the Watson Course. The Florida Women's Open & Senior Open is a 54-hole, individual stroke play event, featuring a cut to the low 60 players and ties after the opening 36 holes.
Those professionals that compete on Sunday will be taking home part of the event's $50,000 purse. The purse will be split among the two divisions with the champion's payout dependent on how many professionals make the cut. This year, there are 46 professionals competing in the Florida Women's Open & Senior Open, some of which are LPGA Teaching Professionals. Of the 121 participants, 75 are amateur golfers ranging from juniors and college players to mid-amateurs and senior amateurs. There are 33 junior golfers competing that are 18 years old and younger. 
The average age of participants is just over 29 years old while Taffy Bower is the most experienced player in the field. The youngest competitor is Elle Nachmann who just celebrated her 14th birthday in mid-June. Multiple players, both professional and amateur, have had successful careers thus far. Having success on the Florida Junior Tour a few years ago, Samantha Wagner is competing this week as a professional. Wagner left the University of Florida to turn professional at the beginning of the summer after earning medalist honors at her U.S. Women's Open Sectional qualifier. The recent professional spent part of her junior career at Florida Junior Tour events where she won multiple events. Another professional competing this week that spent most of her junior career with the FSGA is Madison Opfer. After graduating from Tulane University, Opfer made the transition into professional golf where she has had success. Opfer won numerous Florida Junior Tour events including the Girls' Junior Amateur in 2011, and she competed on the victorious North Team at the Junior Florida Cup multiple times.
This week, multiple LPGA Teaching Professionals will be competing, including nationally-recognized coach, Cheryl Anderson. Anderson, from Heathrow, spends her time as the Director of Instruction at the Mike Bender Golf Academy in Lake Mary. She begins her Florida Women's Open quest on the tenth tee of the Palmer Course at 7:50 A.M.
Numerous collegiate golfers are ending their summer at the Florida Women's Open & Senior Open. Vanderbilt University will be represented well as three of the seven players will be competing this week. Sophomore Abbey Carlson tees off at 8:00 A.M. on the Watson Course whereas her teammates, freshman Morgan Baxendale and junior Courtney Zeng play the Palmer Course. Also competing is UNC Chapel Hill player, Mariana Ocano, who tees it up at 8:50 A.M. on the Watson Course. Other college players competing this week are Mercer University junior, Terese Romeo, Stetson University sophomore, Erikah Neger, and UCF junior Nicolette Donovan and senior Kaeli Jones.
In order to compete in the inaugural Florida Women's Open & Senior Open, one must have met the eligibility requirements. Both professional and amateur golfers were invited to sign-up for the event, but Florida residency was required. To participate in the Senior Division, the woman must be at least 50 years old as of the first day of the Championship. Lastly, a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 5.4 for the Open Division or 9.4 for the Senior Open Division was required. 
After the conclusion of play on Sunday, two individuals will have the opportunity to take home original piece of art by local artist, Duncan McClellan. Created using the blown-glass method, McClennan's original work's will be awarded to the champions that feature some of Florida's beautiful traits. The trophies for the Florida Women's Open mimic McClellan's unique stylistic features. Keeping congruent with the Florida atmosphere, McClellan sculpted these trophies using light colors, the sunny yellow and sky blue as well as the sunset palette of purple, blue, and light orange. The top of the trophies showcase the typical Florida palm tree leaves with multiple birds flying linearly underneath. The lower third of the trophies are filled with exquisitely detailed shrubs that provide balance to the art.
Live Scoring will be available for this event and spectators as well as media are encouraged to attend.
Round 1 Tee Times | Duncan McClennan Story | Tournament Homepage
