Coello & Hammer Come From Behind to Win
WELLINGTON, Fla. – Gaby Coello and Alexa Hammer captured the victory at the 77th Women's International Four-Ball Championship in exciting fashion on Thursday. The duo came from three shots back, birdieing the final hole of the championship to win by one shot at 5-under 139 at The Wanderers Club.
This is the first time the duo has captured the Women’s International Four-Ball together, while Hammer picks up her second International Four-Ball victory and her first since 2011.
Coello and Hammer finished Wednesday’s first round three shots back of the leaders, finishing the day with 2-under 70. Last year’s runner-up’s, Sarah Spicer and Jessica Spicer took the first-round lead at 5-under 67.
It's was a tight race at the top of the leaderboard after the first round with six teams sitting within four shots of the lead.
The Spicer sisters got off to a slow start with bogies on two of their first three holes to fall back into a tie for first with Meghan Stasi and Ashley Zagers. Wendi Christensen and Sarah Gallagher made a run on the front nine with back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth to take the outright lead.
A bogey from Christensen and Gallagher on the ninth and four birdies on the front side for Kay Daniel and Linda Jeffery gave Daniel and Jeffery the outright lead at 5 under with six holes to play.
Sarah and Jessica Spicer took a share of the lead again with a birdie on the 12th hole. Both teams ran into some trouble in the final few holes, with both teams falling back to 4 under.
Coello and Hammer put together a strong final round with birdies on the fifth and 10th holes. The duo added birdies on the 16th and 17th to move to 4 under and sit in a tie for first. On the final hole of the championship, Coello rolled in a long putt on the final hole of the championship to capture the victory.
In the Middle division, Terrill Samuel and Lisa McGill took home a commanding win, carding a 7-under 137 for the week. Sandie St. Onge and Debbie MookSang finished runner-up in the Middle division, while Mary Gale and Christine Gagner took third.