OCALA, Fla. – The 78th Women’s International Four-Ball Championship began with a chilly morning but quickly turned into a beautiful day in Ocala. For the first time, Club Adena served as the host venue, providing not only a challenging test of golf but also beautiful scenery unlike anywhere else in Florida.
What Happened?
The leaderboard remained tightly contested throughout the day, with teams trading birdies and bogeys in unison. In the Championship Division, Lauren Greenlief (Virginia) and Jackie Rogowicz (Pennsylvania) emerged as the first-round leaders, carding a 5-under 67. Their round featured six birdies, with their only setback coming on the second hole, where they recorded a bogey.
Close behind, the duos of Dawn Woodard (South Carolina) / Sarah Ingram (Tennessee) and Sarah Spicer (Virginia) / Jessica Spicer (North Carolina) finished just one stroke back at 4-under 68. The Spicer sisters capped off their round with a crucial birdie on the 18th hole, capturing a share of second place.
The Middle Division also saw a close battle at the top, with Susan West (Alabama) and Corey Weworski (California) narrowly leading after a first-round 3-under 69. Hot on their heels, a three-way tie for second place set the stage for an exciting final round. Jamie Hoffmann (California) / Rhonda Orr (Canada), Laura Carson (Florida) / Gigi Higgins (Florida), and Susan Temple (Florida) / Mary Jane Hiestand (Florida) all posted a 2-under 70, keeping the competition wide open heading into the final day.
What’s Next?
The final round will be a 9:00 AM shotgun start. The overall Champion will be the team from the Championship Division with the lowest 36-hole score.
Notable
- The twelfth hole played the hardest, while the fifth hole played the easiest
- Nine groups shot 70 & below, 5 groups shot 69 & under, while 15 groups 72 & under.
- Susan Temple was the only player to record an eagle
- Mara King, Corey Weworski, and Kim Keyer-Scott all had four birdies
Quotable
“I have a whole new appreciation for playing in FSGA events after running Championships. It’s so much fun knowing the amount of hard work that goes into putting on a top tier event and it definitely shows even on the players' side.” - Madyson Gold on playing in her first FSGA Championship as an employee.
“We got off to kind of a slow start, we bogeyed the second hole both from the middle of the fairway and then started to get it together and make some birdies and did a nice job around the turn at 10, 11, and 12 with three birdies in a row to kind of get out round going.” - Jackie Rogowicz on her and Lauren Greenlief’s first round.
