The inaugural Florida Women's & Senior Open began this morning at 7:30 A.M. at Reunion Resort in Orlando. With the field split between Reunion Resort's signature courses, the Palmer and Watson Course, it was going to be a test of not only mental game but playing ability as well. The temperatures were high as Florida's top professional and amateur golfers teed off and made history as the inaugural Florida Women's & Senior Women's Open field.
After the opening round, it was Sandra Changkija who is the overnight leader heading into the second round. Coming out of the gate hotter than the summer temperatures, Changkija shot a six-under par, 66, to lead the field by three shots. Changkija is a LPGA professional who made it through LPGA Qualifying School on her first attempt. A graduate of Nova Southeastern University, Sandra enjoyed a very successful career on their women's golf team with 16 collegiate wins. She was a four-time NGCAA Division II Player of the Year and a four-time Division II All-American First-Team selection. She played in the U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont as an amateur before turning professional in 2011.
Beginning her round on the first tee of the Watson Course, Sandra started off strong with a par at the first hole. She did not wait long before carding her first birdie of the day on the second hole. With three consecutive pars, Changkija would card her second birdie of the day on the 330-yard, sixth hole. Sandra would make the turn at three-under par after a birdie on the lengthiest par five on the course, hole eight. With carding her fourth birdie of the day on the tenth hole, Changkija would take the lead in the prestigious field. After carding three more consecutive pars from the eleventh to the thirteenth holes, Changkija would add yet another birdie on the par-five 14th hole. With two pars on the 15th and 16th, Changkija headed into her final two holes at five-under par. With her putter hot, however, Sandra would make her sixth birdie of the day on the 17th hole. With a par on the last, Sandra Changkija would card six birdies, twelve pars, and no bogeys to shoot a six-under par, 66, and take a commanding three-shot lead in the Open division. Changkija tees off tomorrow morning at 8:20 A.M. off of the tenth tee on the Palmer Course.
Leading the amateur field in the Open Division is Morgan Baxendale, of WIndermere and Amanda Doherty, of Tallahassee. A member of the women's golf team at Vanderbilt University, Morgan shot three-under par to move into a tie for second after the first round. With shooting an even-par, 36 on the front nine of the Palmer Course, Baxendale carded three consecutive birdies on the back nine to shoot 69. Mirroring Baxendale was Florida State sophomre Amanda Doherty. Doherty carded two bogeys and two birdies on her back nine on the Palmer Course after making three excellent birdies on the front nine. Both Baxendale and Doherty tee off on the Watson Course tomorrow with Morgan scheduled to begin play at 8:50 A.M. off of the first tee and Amanda at 7:50 A.M. off of the tenth tee.
Leading the Senior Women's Division is Barb Bunkowsky of Wellington. Bunkowsky is a Canadian professional golfer who spent some of her career on the LPGA Tour. A graduate of Florida State University, Bunkowsky was inducted into their 1994 Hall of Fame Class for his exquisite career. Throughout her career on the LPGA Tour, she won one event in 1984 at the Chrysler-Plymouth Charity Classic. Beginning her inaugural Florida Senior Women's Open on the back nine of the Palmer Course, Barb started out consistent with nine consecutive pars. Making the turn at even-par, Barb was right in the mix to finish near the top of the leaderboard. After a par on the first hole, Barb's consistent round ended. After birdieing the second hole, her 11th hole, Barb hit the gas and never looked back. With birdies on both of the front nine's par threes, Barb would add two more birdies on the seventh and eighth holes. Her only blemish of the day came on the par-four, 351 yard, sixth hole when she made an uncharacteristic bogey. With a par on her finishing hole, Bunkowsky would sign her card for a three-under par, 69 and become the one to beat. Bunkowsky tees off tomorrow at 7:50 A.M. off of the first tee on the Watson Course.
The amateur leader in the Women's Senior Open division is Tama Caldabaugh, of Ponte Vedra Beach. The 2015 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship semi-finalist shot a three-over par, 75 for her first round of the inaugural Florida Senior Women's Open. Caldabaugh began her day similarly to Bunkowsky on the tenth hole on the Palmer Course. Mimicking Bunkowsky's scorecard, Caldabaugh made nine straight pars to make the turn at an even-par, 36. With an uncharacteristic yet costly double bogey on the first, Tama would drop to two-over par for the day. Tama would bounce back with a birdie on the second, but bogeys on the third hole and final hole would drop Tama to three-over par and in a tie for second with professional Penny Dell. Caldabaugh tees off tomorrow morning at 8:40 A.M. off the first tee on the Watson Course.
After the second round, the field will be cut to the low 48 & ties in the Open division and the low 12 & ties in the Senior Open division. After the first round, 55 players in the Open Division shot four-over par or better while in the Senior Open division, fifteen ladies finished five-over par or better.
For the second round, those ladies who played the Watson Course for the first round will play the Palmer Course for the second round while those playing the Palmer Course for round one will move to the Watson Course for round two. Tee times will begin at 7:30 A.M. off both the first and tenth tees of both courses. Spectators and media are welcome to attend and watch majority of the state's most accomplished golfers compete for the Florida Women's & Senior Open title.
Similar to the first round, Live Scoring will be available after players complete each nine holes.
