FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Women’s Open and Senior Open is set to take center stage at The Forest Country Club in Fort Myers. 156 amateurs and professionals will tee it up July 12 – 14. The event will ultimately be contested over 54 holes of gross individual stroke play. However, after 36 holes, the field will cut to the low 60 and ties, who will compete for the trophy on the final day.
The event, which features a $65,000 estimated total purse, will take place across two courses for the first two rounds. All players will play 18 holes at the Forest Country Club – Bear Course, as well as 18 holes at the Bobcat Course. After the field is cut following the second round, the final round will take place at the Bear Course where a champion will be crowned for both the Open Division and the Senior Division.
Once again, the field is stacked with talent. Defending champion, Jordan Fischer, is set to tee it up with hopes of upholding her title for yet another year. The LSU rising sophomore was the first amateur to win the Open Division after firing rounds of 70-67-69.
Other past champions in the field include, Sandra Changkija who captured the win in the inaugural Florida Women’s Open in 2017. She still holds the record for the lowest tournament total carding a three-day total of 199 after firing remarkable rounds of 66-65-68. Sandra Angulo Minarro, who captured the win the following year in 2018, is also in the field this year and set to tee it up at the Forest Country Club on July 12.
Additionally, there are five former champions in the senior division this year including professionals, Barb Bunkowsky, Cheryl Fox, and Jackie Gallagher-Smith. Also joining as a past champion is FSGA Hall of Fame inductee, Mary Jane Hiestand. Hiestand captured the win in 2018 posting a three-day total of 227. 2021 champion, Kim Keyer-Scott is in the field as well. Keyer-Scott earned FSGA Women’s Senior Player of the Year honors in 2023 after a successful season which included a sixth place finish at last year’s Women’s Florida Senior Open.
Other notable players include, Jacqueline Putrino and Kate Bibby. Putrino secured a third place finish last year, only two strokes behind Fischer, and Bibby advanced to the semifinals in the 95th Women’s Amateur Championship which took place in June. In the senior division, Vicki Goetz-Ackerman is an LPGA professional. However, she had a very successful amateur career capturing two U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship titles in 1989 and 1992. In addition, she was named the AJGA player of the year from 1988-1990, and was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup in 1990.
Now that we have taken a closer look into the field, let’s delve into exactly what sort of challenges the players have ahead of them when tackling the Forest Country Club. Aside from hosting over 15 FSGA events, the Bear course has also played host to over five USGA events. Widely thought to be the more challenging of the two courses, the Bear course steers away from the traditional Florida course layout mimicking more of a northern feel with narrow, tree-lined fairways. Yet, the Bobcat course presents the traditional challenges players come across in Florida. Its wide fairways and water lined holes are just a beautiful as they are challenging.
As the only women’s event that the FSGA hosts that is open to professionals, the Florida Women’s Open is always a fun three days mixed with a great challenge for all competitors. We can’t wait to see who the 2024 champion will be, as well as who takes home the big check. Don’t miss out on the action and be sure to follow along with live scoring!
