Relocated due to Hurricane Irma, the 3rd Women's Florida Cup was hosted by the exceptional Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club in Tampa. Host to numerous other events, Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club requires quality golf shots from even the most experienced of golfers, but allows risk-takers to be rewarded if the shot is executed well. In all, 32 women, 16 from the North and 16 from the South, were invited to participate in this year's event due to their fine play since the last Women's Florida Cup in 2015. Playing in a three-round cup format, players were teamed up in four-ball and foursome matches Monday before heading out to the course alone for singles matches Tuesday morning. With the North Team's theme of the "underdog" and the South Team's "Pink Panther" theme, the team's were set and ready to battle it out on the golf course.
Monday Morning - Four-Ball Matches
The defending South Team held off the North Team barely in the morning Four-Ball matches Monday. Leading off the South Team was the duo of Marie Arnoux and captain Meghan Stasi. Taking a commanding lead from the beginning, Arnoux and Stasi defeated the North Team's Chrissie Capps & Corrie Myers, 7 & 5. Following their example, South Team's Mary Jane Hiestand & Diane Lang defeated North Team's Susie Fonde & Christine Martin 6 & 5. Winning 5 & 4 were the South Teams of Kim Keyer-Scott & Lisa Schlesinger and Taffy Brower & Carolina Hart. The North Team managed to get three points on the board Monday morning. The duo of Tama Caldabaugh & Lin Culver won 5 & 4 while Shelia Brocki & Kimberly Byle finished their match on the 15th hole winning 4 & 3. The only other point coming to the North Team was by Mindy Smith & Therese Quinn who defeated Laura Carson & Natalie McNicholas, 2 & 1.
Monday Afternoon - Foursome Matches
Once again, the South Team edged the North Team in the afternoon foursome matches. With scattered rain in the area, one team made a charge and never let up. Meghan Stasi & Lisa Schlesinger teamed up and defeated Lin Culver & Corrie Myers on the 10th hole winning 9 & 8. The second quickest match of the afternoon came from South Team's Gigi Higgins & Kim Keyer-Scott who defeated Chrissie Capps & Sarah Phillips-Durst, 5 & 4. The North Team earned three points in the afternoon session as Tama Caldabaugh & Sarah Matin won 2 & 1.
Tuesday Morning - Singles
The South Team dominated the singles play as they won 14 out of the 16 matches Tuesday morning. Leading off the team was Marie Arnoux who played North Team's Corrie Myers. Arnoux defeated Myers 5 & 3. The most anticipated match of the day was between North Team's Sarah Matin & South Team's Meghan Stasi. After getting to 1 UP after the fifth hole, Matin would never get to more than that nor could Stasi. After tying the match up after a par on the 16th hole, Stasi would force Matin to make a birdie on the 17th to refrain from going 1 down with one hole to play. However, with two birdies, Matin and Stasi entered the final hole all square. With a birdie at the last, Matin claimed the 1 UP victory over Stasi. The quickest match of the day came from the North Team's Kimberly Byle who defeated South Team's Peggy Butts 8 & 7. Matin & Byle were the only two North Team members able to clinch points Tuesday morning as the South Team came out of the gate stronger than ever.
After a dominating performance, the South Team held on to their perfect record as they won the 3rd Women's Florida Cup, 24 - 8. The Women's Florida Cup is a biennial event and will take place in the Fall of 2019.
morning's Four-Ball matches 6-2, winning five matches and halving two. In the Afternoon Foursome matches, which saw nothing but constant rain, they continued their streak, winning five matches and halving one.Tuesday morning made way for the singles matches, where the South again brought their top game, capturing 11 points to North's 5. 
