Women's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship

Sherry Herman

SARASOTA, Fla. – It was Sherry Herman who raised the trophy at the final FSGA women’s championship. Herman took home the win on Wednesday at the Women's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship at Laurel Oak Country Club.

The championship began on Monday morning with an 18-hole stroke-play seeding round. Carolina Hart, the 2019 runner-up, earned medalist honors with a 1-over 73. 

The match play portion of the championship began on Tuesday morning with the Round of 16. Hart picked up the biggest win of the morning, defeating Lynn Scully, 9 and 8. Herman, the No. 3 seed, also picked up a dominating victory over Karin-Joyce Tjon, 7 and 6. Kathy Glennon defeated Susan Cohn, the 2020 Women’s Senior Amateur champion, 1 up, to advance to the quarter finals.

On Tuesday afternoon, competitors teed it up for the quarterfinal matches. Mary Jane Hiestand, the seven-time FSGA Senior Player of the Year, picked up a 5-and-4 win against Kim Keyer-Scott. Herman earned another big win to advance, defeating Sarah Phillips-Durst, 7 and 6. Hart took the 1-up win against Culver to move on to the semifinals, while Glennon won 2-and-1 against Gigi Higgins.

Herman and Glennon faced off in the championship match on Wednesday afternoon. Glennon took the first lead of the day on the seventh hole, before extend her lead to 2 up on the ninth. Herman won back-to-back holes on the 14th and 15th to tie the match back up.

Herman drained a 30-foot birdie putt to go 1 up on the 17th with one hole left to play. The Palm Beach Gardens resident bogeyed the final hole to secure the 2-up victory, her first FSGA championship win.

Therese Quinn was victorious in the Championship First bracket, defeating Tama Caldabaugh, 4 and 3. In the Championship Second Bracket, Kim Childress defeated Christine Hunt, 4 and 3.

The Middle Division saw Mary Ann Modrak and Patricia Hughes-Gelardi advance to the final match, where Modrak earned the victory, 7 and 5. Ruth Averback and Kathy Fleser faced off in the final match of the Forward Division. Averback took home the win with a 5-and-3 victory against Fleser. In the Middle First Flight, Dorothy Johnson defeated Connie Rummel 1 up while Victoria Goitz defeated Marcy Reman 4 & 2 to secure the Forward First Flight. 

Results

Format

• Individual match play with consolation flights for all divisions
• Maximum Field Size - 64 players
• 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
• Defending Champion receives the #1 seed if electing to play in the same division
• 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
• In the event of a tied match, the stipulated round extends to as many holes as are required for a match to be won

• Female amateur golfer
• *NEW* Florida residency required
• At least 50 years of age as of the first day of the Championship
• A valid Florida GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 34.0
• Entrant is required to be a member of the FSGA

• $190

Entry fee includes all competitive rounds of golf, tee gift, and gift certificate prizes. Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field.

Fine for Withdrawing

Due to the nature of this match play event, and to ensure that all players have a match to compete in, a player who withdraws during the competition (including the stroke play seeding round) will be assessed a $100 fine. It is unfair to your fellow players who spend their own time and money to travel to the Championship, and are subsequently left to sit in their hotel room because another player has chosen to withdraw out of frustration or an undesired seeding position or first round loss. When entering the Championship, please take this into consideration. If you believe you cannot fulfill the tournament schedule, please leave the spot open for another player.

Schedule of Events

Monday, December 7th

• 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

Tuesday, December 8th

• 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 9th

• 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 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 order of receipt of entry, if and when, a spot becomes available.

Divisions & Course Set-Up

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 Handicap 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.
  • Defending Champion receives the #1 seed if electing to play in the same division
• 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.
• 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 seed of the withdrawn player.

Handicap Requirements

• All valid Florida GHIN Handicap Indexes used will be from 7 days prior to the championship start date.
• 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 95% 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 wait to book your practice round until one week prior to the day you wish to play. Please call 941-378-3608 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 

Liliana Ruiz-Munoz punched her ticket to the championship match with a 6&5 win against Carolyn Creekmore in the semifinals. In the final match against Carolina Hart, Ruiz Munoz took an early lead, winning two of the first three holes. Hart fought back to bring the match back to tied on the eight hole. To take back the lead, Ruiz-Munoz won the 10th and 11th holes to go 2 up, Hart answered by winning he 13th hole, but Liliana held onto the lead and secured the win 1 up. Ruiz-Munoz was playing in honor of her friend Kim who is battling cancer. Click here to view the previous year's results.

Other Policies

• COVID Procedures supersede all policies listed below - Click here 
• 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 Terms 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 booking information

Payment

Laurel Oak Country Club accepts all major credit cards as methods of payment.

Directions

Laurel Oak Country Club
2700 Gary Player Blvd
Sarasota, FL 34240
941-378-3608

Click here for directions.