Ocala, Fla. – After a brief stint of Florida winter, the sun was out a large majority of the day with temperatures hovering in the 70’s. Meanwhile, the Country Club of Ocala was the perfect host for women duos to tee it up for this year’s Women’s Winter Series Four-Ball event.
In the end, it was Therese Quinn & Lin Culver (Championship Division), Ruth Averback & Patricia Hughes-Gelardi (Middle Division), and Wendy Ustach & Pamela Ann Hatfield (Forward Division who brought home the victories.
Championship Division
After the completion of Round One, it was the team of Suzanne Ricard and Carolyn Agnew who had the low round of the day across all divisions, firing a 1-under 72 and taking a three shot lead ahead of the rest of the field.
Quinn and Culver came out strong on Day Two, matching the 1-under 72 to take the lead and ultimately claim victory. Ricard and Agnew faced challenges in Round Two, slipping to third place with a score of 78. Susan Temple and Terry Delcamp finished in second, also shooting a Round Two 1-under, but their Round One score of 76 left them one stroke shy, finishing at 2-over.
Middle Division
In the Middle Division, it was the team of Ruth Averback and Patricia Hughes-Gelardi who would emerge as Round One leaders with an opening 77, with a 4-stroke advantage over the rest of the field heading into the final day. Maintaining their comfortable lead from start to finish, the duo claimed victory in a wire-to-wire win. The duo posted rounds of 77-82--159 and ended 6-strokes ahead of the field on their way to victory. Their closest competitors were the pair of Micki Cuppett & Marybeth Mason who finished with rounds of 84-81--165.
Forward Division
Jodi Kest and Teri Tonioli lead a very tight Forward Division by one shot after opening with an 83 (+10). The duo of Wendy Ustach and Pamela Ann Hatfield sat one-stroke back with a 12-over 84, while Mary Dunlavey-Hagan and Paula Boulette captured third place with an 85 on the opening day, still well within contention heading into the final day.
The two teams fought hard throughout, remaining the only ones in contention, and finished tied at 18-over, setting the stage for a playoff. In an exciting four-hole showdown, Kest and Tonioli triumphed, securing the trophy in their division.
