Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship

Haydyn Gibson, a rising junior at Tulane University, fires an impressive six-under par, 210, to claim the 24th Women's Amateur Stroke Play title by six shots.

The heavy rains have been haunting Florida all summer long and it has been no different at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando. Despite the wet playing conditions, Lauren Waidner, of Gainesville, fired a five-under 67 to take the lead after Friday's round. Waidner, a rising sophomore at the University of Florida, carded six birdies and a lone bogey to gain three strokes over Jenny Kim, Erika Smith, and Kelsey Zeng all tied for second with two-under 70.

After Saturday's second round the top of the leaderboard shifted with Tara Joy-Connelly and Lauren Clark standing tied for first at two-under par and Haydyn Gibson in solo third just one stroke back. After a difficult 78, first round leader, Waidner, stood in solo fourth. Both Joy-Connelly and Clark carded one more bogey than birdies to post a pair of 71's and find themselves in the final grouping on Sunday morning. With additional heavy rain overnight the course played significantly longer and the scores reflected that.

With sun shining all day the course was able to dry up and allow for better scores to be posted on the final round. On the front nine, Joy-Connelly had a rough startwith a triple on the second, but continued to fight back with birdies on three, four, and six to make the turn at two over and even for the day. Clark had a steady start with a bogey and two birdies to turn at one under while Gibson drained three birdie putts to turn at two under and even with Clark. 

In the end Gibson's hot putter continued with birdies on the 10th, 13th and 17th, allowing her to take a steady lead ahead of Clark after a double on the par five 14th and bogey on the par 3 17th. Finishing strong with a birdie and par on the final holes, Gibson claims the 24th Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship by six strokes with the only under par total.

This is Haydyn Gibson's first FSGA State Championship title as she enters into her junior year at Tulane University.

Click here to view full results.

Ritz-Carlton Golf Club - Orlando will host the 24th Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship, featuring some of the top women amateur golfers in Florida. This Greg Norman design course is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary that blends a variety of hazards to provide a challenging but fair test. For a look at the 2017 Championship results click here.

Championship Format

• 54 holes of individual stroke play
• The overall Champion will be the individual with the lowest 54-hole total score 

Championship Field Size

• Maximum of 90 players

Eligibility

• Female amateur golf
• Florida residency required
• A valid USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 14.4
• Entrant is not required to be a member of the FSGA

Entry Fee

$160 (for GHIN handicap members)
$170 (for non-GHIN handicap members)

Entry fee includes all competitive rounds of golf, tee gift, an awards luncheon after the final round on Sunday, and gift certificate prizes. Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field.

Schedule of Events

Friday, July 6th

• 6:30 - 9:30 AM - Player Registration

• 7:30 - 9:27 AM - Round One tee times off #1 & #10

Saturday, July 7th

• 7:30 - 9:27 AM - Round Two tee times off #1 & #10

Sunday, July 8th

• 7:30 - 9:27 AM - Final Round tee times off #1 & #10

• Awards luncheon immediately following play

Entry Priority

Entries will be accepted based upon the order of receipt. Entries received after the competitive field is full or after the close of entries, will be placed on an alternates list. Alternates will be contacted in the order of receipt of entry, if and when, a spot becomes available.

Approximate Yardage

• 5,900 - 6,100 yards (Gross Only)

Play-Off

The overall Champion will be the individual with the lowest total score. In the event of a tie for first place, there will be a hole-by-hole sudden death play-off on a hole designated by the Committee to determine the Champion.

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available one week prior to the Championship and after 12:00 PM the weekend prior on a space available basis. The price for a practice round is $35.00 + tax. Please call 407-393-4900 to arrange your practice round.  The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable.

Defending Champion

Roanne Tomlinson, of Lake Mary, earned her first FSGA Championship title using course management to tackle the notorious greens at Sara Bay Country Club. After round one, Tomlinson sat tied for fourth, three strokes behind Jamie Freedman. She remained consistent during round two, and once again posted a two-over par 74 to move herself up the leaderboard to solo second, behind Kim Benedict going into Sunday. The final round was a toss-up. Tomlinson made the turn at even par to jump one stroke behind Benedict. Down the stretch, Roanne made one bogey to card 36-37-73 for a three day total of 221 (+5). 

Tomlinson struggled to find the words to describe her first win. She stated she was happy to finally win after being so close a few times. She went on to admit the course played fairly short so the key to her win was hitting a lot of greens and avoiding the difficult ups and downs. 

Other Policies

• Spectator and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here.
• Caddies - Caddies are allowed in all FSGA Championships except Junior events. However, a player must not use a parent, step-parent or guardian as a caddie. The caddie MUST walk and the player’s clubs must remain on the golf cart.
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
• Local Rules and Conditions of Competition - Click here.
• Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
• Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this Championship.
• Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules.  The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Suggested Hotels & Accommodations

SpringHill Suites Orlando at SeaWorld
10801 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32821
407-354-1176

Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando at SeaWorld
10815 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32821
407-354-1139

Both hotels are 2.5 miles away - there are no room blocks

Payment

Ritz-Carlton Golf Club - Orlando accepts AmEx, Visa /MasterCard, and Cash.    

Directions - Ritz-Carlton Golf Club - Orlando

4048 Central Florida Parkway
Orlando, FL 32837
407-393-4900

Click here for directions