74th Women's International Four-Ball

Herman & Maertz Raise Trophy at Intl. Four-Ball

TAMPA, Fla. – Noelle Maertz and Sherry Herman raised the first trophy of the 2021 championship season at the Women’s International Four-Ball Championship. Maertz and Herman survived a playoff to capture the victory on Thursday at The Wanderers Club.
This is the first FSGA victory for Maertz and the second for Herman, who won the Women’s Senior Amateur Match Play in December.

Maertz and Herman finished Wednesday’s first round near the top of the leaderboard, finishing the day with a 3-under 69. Maertz got the team off to a hot start in the first round, carding three birdies on the front side, while Herman added a birdie for the team on the back nine.

Heading into the final round, the duo sat one shot back of Sophie Simon and Bailey Davis, who posted a first-round 68.

Maertz and Herman got off to a hot start in the final round with four birdies on the front nine, including back-to-back birdies from Maertz to close out the front side. Their only hiccup of the day came with a bogey on the 11th, but they quickly rebounded with a birdie on the next hole.

They fired a 5-under 67 on Thursday, the low round of the championship, and finished the round in a tie for first place with Simon and Davis at 8-under 136.

The four players headed to the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th, where all four finished with a par. On the second playoff hole (10th), Herman and Maertz both missed the green, while Davis hit her second shot to 10 feet.

Herman stepped up to her third shot and chipped it in for birdie from 30 yards, leaving Davis with a must-make putt for birdie. Davis missed the 10-foot birdie putt, securing the victory for Maertz and Herman.

In the Middle Division, Kristen Henderson and Jenny Ceppi took home first place, carding a 3-over 147 for the week. Kimberly Byle and Christine Martin captured the Middle First victory with a 8-over 152.

Ginny Orthwein and Allison Engelsmann used a 7-under 137 to take home the net win in the Middle Division, while Sharon Hoffman and Karon Cohen earned the net win in the Middle First Division at even-par 144.

Please join us for the 74th Women's International Four-Ball to be conducted at one of the finest clubs in Palm Beach County and the last stop on the Orange Blossom Tour.

Format

• 36 holes of four-ball stroke play, (commonly known as a two-person, best-ball)
• Maximum Field Size - 48 teams (96 players)
• Two divisions - Championship and Middle
• The overall Champion will be the team from the Championship Division with the lowest 36-hole total score

Eligibility

• Female amateur golfers
• Both entrants must be at least 18 years of age as of the first day of the Championship
• A valid USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 18.0 at time of entry
• All teams must have a combined team handicap of 14.0 or less at time of entry in order to gain entrance into the field in the Championship Division
• Entrants are not required to be a member of the FSGA

Entry Fee

• $480 (per team)

Entry fee includes all competitive rounds of golf, tee gift, breakfast before and lunch after both Wednesday and Thursday's rounds, and gift certificate prizes. Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late fee should the team gain acceptance into the field.

Schedule of Events

Tuesday, February 9th

• 1:00 PM - Shotgun practice round

Wednesday, February 10th

• 6:30 AM - 9:00 AM – Breakfast at the club - included with entry fee (upstairs - main ballroom)
• 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM – Player registration (outside golf shop)
• 8:00 AM - 9:50 AM – Round one tee times off of #1 and #10 tees
• 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM (approx.) – First round luncheon - included with entry fee (upstairs - main ballroom)

Thursday, February 11th

• 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM – Breakfast at the club - included with entry fee (upstairs - main ballroom)
• 9:00 AM – Final round shotgun
• 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (approx.) – Final round luncheon and awards presentation - included with entry fee (upstairs - main ballroom)

How to Enter 

To enter, both you and your partner will need to have created a free, online account at this website. Once both of you have accounts, you will be able to select your partner and submit an entry. If you and your partner already have an account, you will not need to create another account. One entry per team.

How Entries are Classified

• Championship Division Exempt
• Championship Division Non-Exempt
• Middle Division

How Entries are Processed

• (36 teams) of the entire field will be held for the Championship Division
• (12 teams) of the entire field will be held for the Middle Division
• Middle Division teams will be processed on a first come first served basis upon entries opening
• After any Division reaches maximum capacity, entries will be placed on an alternates list for that Division on a first come first served basis
• Any withdrawals from either Division will be filled by an alternate from that Division's alternates list on a first come first served basis
• When a Division's alternates list is exhausted, an alternate from the other Division will be used to fill an open spot
• A team cannot switch Divisions after the close of entries
• If a team changes Divisions after submitting an entry, and that Division is full, that team will be placed on the bottom of that Division's alternates list

• Through Wednesday, November 25th (one week after entries open)
  • Championship Division Exempt entries will be processed on a first come first served basis up until the Championship Division reaches capacity

• After Wednesday, November 25th
  
  • Championship Division Non-Exempt entries will be processed on a first come first served basis up until the Championship Division reaches capacity

• After Wednesday, December 2nd (two weeks after entries open)
  • Remaining spots from either the Championship or Middle Division will be released and any remaining alternates will fill the open spots on a first come first served basis until the field reaches its maximum capacity of 48 teams

Partner Changes

Partner changes will be accommodated following these guidelines:

• One player on the original entry must remain on the side.
• Partner changes will NOT be permitted after divisions and flights have been posted if the new player would move the side to another flight or division.
  (Example - First Flight handicap range 10-15, the new partner must have a handicap within the 10-15 handicap range). 

Course Set-up

Teams must select their division at the time of entry:

• Championship Division - 6,000 yards (Gross Only)
• Middle Division - 5,300 yards (Gross & Net)

Handicap Requirements

• All valid USGA Handicap Indexes used will be 7 days prior to the Championship start date
• Each player must have a valid USGA Handicap Index no higher than 18.0 at time of entry
• All teams must have a combined team handicap of 14.0 or less at time of entry in order to gain entrance into the field in the Championship Division

Flighting

The Championship Division is gross only and will not be flighted.   

The Middle Division will be pre-flighted based on combined team handicaps.

Generally, divisions of more than 12 teams will be pre-flighted. Flights will be based on the number of teams and the range of combined team handicaps.

Breaking Ties

Championship Division – The overall Champion will be the team with the lowest total score.  In the event of a tie for first place, there will be a hole-by-hole sudden death playoff on a hole designated by the Committee to determine the Champions.

Middle Division – Ties for first place gross and first place net in each flight of the Middle Division will be broken by a modified FSGA tie break method.  The final day 18 hole respective score, whether gross or net, will be used to determine the first place gross or net team.  (If there is still a tie, the final 9 holes of the last day (holes #10-18) will be used to determine the winner.  If there is still a tie, the final 6 holes are used (holes #13-18); then if needed the final 3 holes (holes #16-18); then the final hole (hole #18); then by coin flip).

Middle Division will pay gross first, then net.

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available on the Tuesday prior to the Championship (1:00 PM shotgun). Additional practice rounds may be available during the week prior to the Championship on a case-by-case basis, but there is no guarantee. The price for a practice round is $35.00 + tax. Even though the practice round is a shotgun, all players must call 561-795-3510 to register and reserve a spot. The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable.

Defending Champions

For the second-straight year, Ina Kim-Schaad and Meghan Stasi raised the trophy at the Women’s International Four-Ball Championship. Kim-Schaad and Stasi survived a playoff to capture the win on Thursday at The Wanderers Club. This is Stasi’s sixth International Four-Ball victory and Kim’s second.

Two teams were tied at the top of the leaderboard following the first round on Wednesday. Kim-Schaad and Stasi and the team of Tara Joy-Connelly and Dawn Woodard posted a 4-under 68 in the first round. Thirteen players sat within five shots of the lead heading into Thursday's final round. Stasi started the day with a birdie on the first hole. The duo posted an even-par on the front nine, carding their only bogey of the tournament on the third hole. Both Kim-Schaad and Stasi added a birdie on the back nine to finish the final round with a 2-under 70. Click here for previous year's results.

History

As the fourth championship in the Orange Blossom Tour that includes the Harder Hall Women's Invitational, the South Atlantic Amateur (SALLY), and the Ione D. Jones/Doherty Championship, the Women’s International Four-Ball carries a tremendous amount of history and prestige. First conducted in 1945 by the Jaycees of Hollywood, Florida, the early championships included the names of Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs, Peggy Kirk-Bell, and other notables.

Other Policies

• COVID POLICIES SUPERSEDE ALL POLICIES LISTED BELOW - Click here
• Spectator and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here.
• Caddies - Caddies are prohibited through May 1, 2021
• 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

Click here for host hotel information.

Directions

The Wanderers Club
1900 Aero Club Drive
Wellington, FL 33414
561-795-3510

Click here for directions.