Women's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship

Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills hosted the final Women’s Championship of 2018, the Senior Amateur Match Play. The El Campeon course was a great test for the top senior women competitors but Lin Culver prevailed winning her first Senior Match Play Championship! 

Championship Division 

Monday morning began the 18 hole stroke play seeding round with Kathy Glennon, of Naples, earning medalist honors after posting a 79. Two strokes behind finished Lisa Schlesinger, of Fort Myers, who would enter match play as the second seed after winning the Championship in 2015. Kathy continued her strong play as the number one seed on Tuesday morning for the first round of matches. Defeating number 16 seed, Susan Keane, Kathy advanced to quarterfinals where she would face Senior Women’s Player of the Year and two-time past Champion, Mary Jane Hiestand. Defending Champion, Diane Lang, advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Kathy West 2&1 in her first match. Diane would meet Taffy Brower, who earned a 1UP win against Janice Wilson in the Round of 16, in Tuesday’s afternoon match. Lin Culver defeated number 10 seed Meg Giusti to play Schlesinger in the quarterfinal match. Tama Caldabaugh won 4&3 against Jodi Sullivan to go head to head against Laura Carson in the quarterfinals. 

Tuesday afternoon the competitors teed it up for the quarterfinal matches. Caldabaugh, of Ponte Vedra Beach, played strong defeating Laura Carson 4&3 while Lin Culver advanced with a 1UP win against Schlesinger. Culver and Caldabaugh would compete one-on-one to advance to the finals on Wednesday morning. Diane Lang and Kathy Glennon continued on their winning streak to face each other in the semifinals. Lin Culver, of Palm Coast, defeated Caldabaugh 3&1 to advance to the finals where she would play against number one seed Kathy Glennon who beat Lang 1Up to reach the afternoon match. 

Kathy took the early lead in the final match, winning four of the first five holes. Culver fought back at the close of the first nine, decreasing Kathy’s lead to three up at the turn. Holding strong to her lead, Kathy continued to tie Lin remaining at 3UP before a par win on her 14th hole bumped her lead to 4UP. A fire was lit in Lin on the finishing holes as she won the last four holes to take the match to extra holes! The two tied the first play-off hole. Lin continued on her hot streak and secured a win on the second play-off hole! Lin Culver captured her first FSGA Championship victory at the Women’s Senior Match Play.  

Middle Division 

The Middle Division saw Kerry Timm and Lori DesRuisseaux advance to the final match. Timm defeated Beth Sholar and Beatriz Niemeyer while DesRuisseaux earned wins against Kathy Copelin and Connie Rummel. Lori DesRuisseaux played tough for 19 holes to secure her victory against Kerry Timm. 

Forward Division

Marla Flinn earned strong defeats of 6&4 against Amie Mitchell and 3&2 against Lory Cassens to advance to the final match. Monique Patenaude would play Flinn in the finals after competing 19 holes to defeat Karen Ammerman in the semi-finals. Another 19 hole victory was won by Marla Flinn as she defeated Monique Patenaude in the finals.    

Match Play Brackets

~El Campeon Course~

Championship Format

• Individual match play with consolation flights for all divisions
• Championship division will play gross match play
• Middle and Forward divisions will play net match play
• The Championship Division will be seeded by an 18 hole stroke play seeding round
• In the Championship Division only, for purposes of determining places in the draw, ties in qualifying rounds will be decided by a blind draw.
• Middle and Forward Divisions will be pre-flighted and seeded by Handicap Index as of the November 15, 2018 revision
• In the event of a tied match, the stipulated round is deemed to extend to as many holes as are required for a match to be won.

Championship Field Size

• Maximum of 64 players

Eligibility

Schedule of Events

Monday, December 3rd

• 7:00 - 9:00 AM - Tournament Registration 
• 8:00 - 8:49 AM - Middle and Forward Divisions first round matches off #1 and #10 tees
• 9:00 - 9:45 AM - Championship Division stroke play seeding round off #1 and #10 tees
• 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (approx.) - Player's Luncheon - Included with entry fee

Tuesday, December 4th

• 8:00 - 8:49 AM - Championship Division first round matches off #1 and #10 tees
• 8:56 - 9:45 AM - Middle and Forward Divisions second round and consolation matches off #1 and #10 tees
• 12:15 PM (approx.) - Championship Division second round and consolation matches off #1 and #10 tees
  Note: Not all players will advance to the final day

Wednesday, December 5th

• 8:00 - 8:49 AM - Championship Division semifinal and consolation matches off #1 tee
• 8:56 - 9:45 AM - Middle and Forward Division championship round and consolation matches off #1 tee
• 12:00 PM (approx.) - Championship Division championship round and consolation matches off #1 tee

Entry Fee

$190 - Entry fee includes all competitive rounds of golf, lunch after the first round of matches on Monday, December 3rd, and gift certificate prizes for top places.

Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field.

Entry Priority

All entries are accepted into each division on a first come first served basis. The field may reach maximum capacity prior to the entry deadline. Once a division is full, players may enter and will be placed on an "Alternate List" without being charged an entry fee.

Divisions, Approximate Yardages and Flights

Championship Division (Gross Only) - 5,600-5,800 yards approx.

• One flight of sixteen (16) players
• Two flights of eight (8) players each

Middle Division (Net Only) - 5,200-5,400 yards approx.

• Two flights of eight (8) players each

Forward Division (Net Only) - 4,700-4,900 yards approx.

• Two flights of eight (8) players each

In order to eliminate byes and accommodate match play brackets, the Committee reserves the right to adjust the number and size of flights in each division based on groups of eight (8) entries.

Suggested Entry Guidelines

The following should be considered when selecting divisions:

• Championship Division - 10.0 and Under
• Middle Division - 7.0 -14.0
• Forward Division - 15.0 and Over

Committee Discretion: The Championship Committee reserves the right to move any player out of the Forward Division if their handicap is significantly lower than the majority of the competitors in that division, and their scoring history does not reflect the need to play from the Forward Division yardage.

Alternate Lists

• Once a division has reached maximum capacity, subsequent entries for that division will be placed on a list of alternates for that division based upon order of receipt. 
• There will be a list of alternates for each division.
• Alternates are then used to replace any players who withdraw from that division prior to the competition. 

Seeding and Flighting

Players will be flighted and seeded based on the following criteria:

Championship Division

• The Championship Division will be seeded based on their round one stroke play seeding round score.
• There will be a hole-by-hole play-off to determine the 16th seed in the Championship flight.
• All other seeding ties will be broken by lot.

Middle and Forward Divisions

• Middle and Forward Divisions will be flighted and seeded by their respective handicap index (11/15/18). 
• In the case of a handicap tie, the Committee will decide by lot.
• For example, a player in the Middle First Flight has the lowest handicap of her flight of eight. She will earn the number one (1) seed for the Championship.
• Once pairings are posted, if there is a withdrawal, flights will NOT be reseeded. Rather, the alternate will assume the position and see of the withdrawn player.

Handicaps

• All valid Florida GHIN Handicap Indexes used will be from the November 15, 2018 revision. 
• Each player must have a valid Florida GHIN Handicap Index no higher than 34.0. 
• Players in the Middle and Forward Divisions will play to 100% of their course handicap.

It is the responsibility of any player that maintains a Handicap Index lower than her current Florida GHIN Handicap Index to inform the FSGA for resolution. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available on a space available basis one week prior to the Championship and after 12:00 PM on the weekend prior the Championship. Includes cart and range balls prior to the round. The price for a practice round is $40.00 + tax. Please call 352-324-3885 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.

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..

Host Hotel and Accommodations 

Mission Inn Resort & Club
10400 FL-48
Howey-In-The-Hills, FL 34737
352-324-3101

Please book by November 16th

Click here for booking information

Payment

Mission Inn Resort accepts AmEx, Visa or Mastercard, and cash as methods of payment.

Directions - Mission Inn Resort

10400 County Rd 48
Howey-In-The-Hills, FL 34737
352-324-3885

Click here for directions.