4th Annual Fluffo Women's Tennessee Open Championship Tee's at GreyStone on Tuesday, Wednesday...see story |
Ladies Return to GreyStone for Open By MARTY ALLISON Dicksonsports.com The 4th Annual Fluffo Women's Tennessee Open Championship is set to tee it up Wednesday and Thursday at GreyStone Golf Club in Dickson. For the fourth straight year the tournament will be held at GreyStone. Up for grabs is $2,400 for the low pro and the top title in the state should an amateur win, which has been the case in 2 of the 3 events. A new champion will be crowned this year, with none of the past winners on hand to vie for the championship. The top returner from last year's field is Veronica Karaman, a pro from Virginia, who shot a 1-over, 145 in 2001, good enough for a third place finish. "I haven't played as much as I would like," said Karaman. "But I know the course and hope to do well." According to TGA Assistant Executive Director Matt Vanderpool, the lack of past champions hasn't hurt the strength of the field. "This should be a strong field," said Vanderpool. "Not having a defending champion kind of hurt, but several of the other golfers picked things up with their play. Our pro entries are up some this year and they are coming in from as far away as Arizona. I don't know the playing level of some of the out-of-state pros, but I do know that the competition from the in-state players can be strong." Many of the amateur golfers are currently playing on the collegiate level and are accustomed to strong fields and stiff competition. Some of the players to keep an eye on from the amateur ranks include Joni Gossett, Shelley Anderson, Beth Irwin, Sarah Jacobs, Maggie Scott, and Courtney Wood. On the local scene, Karon Reed from White Bluff will tee off at 7:27 on Tuesday. Reed is the only county golfer in the field, but Audra Williams (Kingston Springs) and Melanie Hagewood (Clarksville) are in the neighborhood. Anderson is also a Clarksville product. A couple of the pro's that I've seen play at the Open in the past could be contenders late Wednesday including Cindy Vaiois (Naples, FL), Karaman (Chesapeake, VA), Tina Schneeberger (Knoxville), Jennifer Broggi (Napierville, IL), Bobbi Salmon (Mt. Dora, FL), and JoD Duncan (Maryland Heights, MO). Two years ago Broggi was the low pro, walking away with the pay day. The course record for the Women's Open was set back in 1999 when amateur Erin Kurczewski and pro Erin Carney shot 1-under, 143. According to GreyStone Director of Golf Bob Wolcott, that score may stand. "The course is going to play tough," said Wolcott. "We've had lots of rain lately and the course is really wet. You'll see very little roll off the tee and the greens are slow." One thing about the course is that all 75 golfers will face the same challenge. We'll find out on Wednesday afternoon who was able to fight off the competition and the conditions to claim the title of Tennessee State Open Champion. |
Bobbi Salmon |
Courtney Wood |
JoD Duncan |
Jennifer Broggi |
Joni Gossett |
Shelley Anderson |
Sarah Jacobs |
Veronica Karaman |
MCGOWAN TAKES ONE STROKE LEAD INTO THE FINAL ROUND OF THE 4TH ANNUAL FLUFFO WOMEN'S TENNESSEE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Courtesy of Tennessee Golf Association (Dickson, TN) Pro Courtney McGowan (Hermitage, TN) shot an opening round 70 (-2) today in the first round of the 4th Annual Fluffo Women's Tennessee Open Championship, which is being contested at GreyStone Golf Club in Dickson, TN. McGowan will take a one-stroke lead into tomorrow's final round. Trailing McGowan by one stroke are amateurs Courtney Wood (Brentwood, TN), who is coming off a win last Sunday at the Trans-National Women's Amateur, and Katherine Mowat (Oxford, MS), who is the Assistant Women's Golf Coach at Ole Miss University. Also close behind are amateur Joni Gossett (Germantown, TN) and pro Tara Bateman (Phoenix, AZ), both shot an even-par 72 today. 2002 Women's Tennessee Amateur Champion, Sarah Jacobs (Whites Creek, TN) and amateur Beth Irwin Germantown, TN) shot one over-par today and are only three shots out of the lead. In all 75 players from all across the country are competing for the 4th Annual Fluffo Women's Tennessee Open Championship. Professionals are playing for a $10,000 purse with $2,400 going to the low professional. The Fluffo Women's Tennessee Open is one of fourteen state championships that the Tennessee Golf Association conducts annually. |
Opening Round Scores Courtney McGowan, 36-34--70 a-Courtney Wood, 35-36--71 a-Katherine Mowat, 35-36--71 a-Joni Gossett, 38-34--72 Tara Bateman, 35-37--72 a-Beth Irwin, 35-38--73 a-Sarah Jacobs, 37-36--73 Young-A Yang, 34-40--74 Tina Schneeberger, 38-36--74 Jennifer Broggi, 39-35--74 Rachel Bates, 39-35--74 Jennifer Jordan, 35-40--75 Summer Phinney, 39-36--75 Renee Slone, 36-39--75 a-Sarah Bonner, 40-35--75 Veronica Karaman, 36-40--76 Vickie Linkous, 39-37--76 a-Laura McCaslin, 36-40--76 Cheryl Stacy, 39-37--76 Cindy Vaios, 40-37--77 Katie Hierlihy, 38-39--77 Linda Hunt, 42-36--78 Sarah Neville, 37-41--78 a-Monica Hannah, 37-41--78 Bobbi Salmon, 38-40--78 a-Erin Bradford, 40-39--79 a-Melanie Hagewood, 37-42--79 Maren Scoggins, 40-39--79 Lisa Ward, 40-39--79 a-Grace Holmes, 38-41--79 a-Ryan Kirk, 39-41--80 Heidi Mitchell, 40-41--81 a-Jane Gatlin, 40-41--81 a-Shelley Anderson, 41-40--81 Dawn Law, 43-38--81 JoD Duncan, 40-41--81 Kimberly Lisi, 42-39--81 a-Jennifer DeVore, 42-39--81 Ines Harris, 39-43--82 a-Evelyn Blackmon, 42-40--82 a-Ginny Zanca, 41-41--82 Lea Alvey-Boyer, 41-41--82 a-Amy O'Daniel, 42-40--82 Carole Clark, 42-41--83 Katie Weiss, 42-41--83 Samantha Romaniw, 39-44--83 a-Robin McCarley, 42-41--83 a-Natasha Bolton, 40-43--83 Candace Merrill, 38-45--83 a-Krissy Martin, 40-43--83 a-Calle Nielson, 42-41--83 a-Kristin Lynch, 43-40--83 a-Julie Bennett, 42-41--83 Shelley McGill, 37-46--83 Allie Ramsay, 42-42--84 a-Katherine Neely, 39-45--84 a-Ashley Harris, 41-43--84 a-Lori Cate, 44-41--85 Lanny Whiteside, 42-43--85 a-Jamey Dillard, 42-43--85 a-Rachel McFarland, 44-41--85 Vicki Carpenter, 43-42--85 Helen Kurtin, 41-45--86 a-Rachel Stuart, 45-41--86 Sabrina Tate, 44-42--86 Tami Dunnigan, 43-43--86 Ingrid Stokes, 41-45--86 a-Audra Williams, 44-43--87 a-Karon Reed, 43-44--87 a-Kimberly Peirce, 43-46--89 a-Brandy Stout, 46-44--90 Jenny Wiegand, 45-45--90 a-Rhonda Nadasdi, 49-54--103 Failed to Quailfy a-Megan French, WD Katie O'Keefe, NS |
Erin Kurczewski - 1999 |
PAST CHAMPIONS |
Katie Gallina - 2000 |
Nicolle Flood - 2001 |
"I think I could've played a lot better, but I benefitted from some lucky breaks. My overall game was solid." -Courtney McGowan |
"Three birdies on the front got me off to a good start. I played a pretty consistant round and I'll just try to stick to my game tomorrow." -Courtney Wood |
"The course is in really good shape. I'm happy to be back and on vacation." -Allie Ramsey |
"The course played a little long today because of the recent rains." -Audra Williams |
"The course is playing tough, but it's in great shape. My putting was my strong point today." -Karon Reed |
"The course was awesome today. I just held it together today, and I putted well. The greens were in excellent condition." -Melanie Hagewood |
"I really started putting well and hitting my irons well around the turn. There is a premium on hitting the fairways and greens here." -Joni Gossett |
"Three birdies on the front helped my round. I hit my 4-iron into each of those holes and sank the putt. I guess my 4-iron was my best friend today." -Katherine Mowat |
"I played real consistant on the front and my putting was really good today. I just need to play my own game and stay confident." -Beth Irwin |
"I'm still running on the steam from winning the Amateur a couple of weeks ago, but I've practiced really hard for this tournament. Except for a couple of holes I thought I played well today." -Sarah Jacobs |
Beth Irwin |
Courtney Wood 2002 Fluffo Women's Tennessee Open Champion |
In all 75 players from all over the country vied for the coveted Women's Tennessee Open title. The championship will once again return to the Mark McCumber designed GreyStone Golf Club for a fifth consecutive year. The Fluffo Women's Tennessee Open Championship is one of fourteen state championships that the Tennessee Golf Association conducts annually. Final Results Rank Name Rd 1 Rd 2 Total +/- 1 a-Courtney Wood, Brentwood, TN 71 71 142 -2 2 a-Sarah Jacobs, Whites Creek, TN 73 72 145 +1 2 Tara Bateman, Phoenix, AZ 72 73 145 +1 2 a-Katherine Mowat, Oxford, MS 71 74 145 +1 5 Katie Hierlihy, Daniels, WV 77 70 147 +3 5 Jennifer Broggi, Napierville, IL 74 73 147 +3 5 Tina Schneeberger, Knoxville, TN 74 73 147 +3 5 a-Joni Gossett, Germantown, TN 72 75 147 +3 9 Young-A Yang, Knoxville, TN 74 74 148 +4 10 Bobbi Salmon, Mt. Dora, FL 78 71 149 +5 10 a-Laura McCaslin, Cookeville, TN 76 73 149 +5 10 a-Beth Irwin, Germantown, TN 73 76 149 +5 13 a-Melanie Hagewood, Clarksville, TN 79 71 150 +6 13 Renee Slone, Brevard, NC 75 75 150 +6 13 Rachel Bates, Columbia, SC 74 76 150 +6 13 Courtney McGowan, Hermitage, TN 70 80 150 +6 17 Jennifer Jordan, Memphis, TN 75 76 151 +7 18 Linda Hunt, Newnan, GA 78 74 152 +8 18 Cindy Vaios, Naples, FL 77 75 152 +8 18 Veronica Karaman, Chesapeake, VA 76 76 152 +8 21 a-Sarah Bonner, Kingsport, TN 75 78 153 +9 22 Summer Phinney, Raleigh, NC 75 79 154 +10 23 Kimberly Lisi, Valdosta, GA 81 74 155 +11 24 Maren Scoggins, Nashville, TN 79 78 157 +13 24 Sarah Neville, San Antonio, TX 78 79 157 +13 24 Cheryl Stacy, Maumee, OH 76 81 157 +13 27 a-Ginny Zanca, Memphis, TN 82 77 159 +15 27 JoD Duncan, Maryland Heights, MO 81 78 159 +15 27 a-Ryan Kirk, Hixson, TN 80 79 159 +15 30 a-Jamey Dillard, Madison, TN 85 75 160 +16 30 a-Kristin Lynch, Tullahoma, TN 83 77 160 +16 30 a-Jennifer DeVore, Knoxville, TN 81 79 160 +16 30 Dawn Law, Powhatan, VA 81 79 160 +16 30 a-Shelley Anderson, Clarksville, TN 81 79 160 +16 30 Heidi Mitchell, Stone Mtn, GA 81 79 160 +16 30 Lisa Ward, Maryville, TN 79 81 160 +16 30 a-Monica Hannah, Franklin, TN 78 82 160 +16 30 Vickie Linkous, Newport News, VA 76 84 160 +16 39 Lanny Whiteside, Woodland Park, CO 85 76 161 +17 40 Candace Merrill, Galveston, TX 83 79 162 +18 40 Samantha Romaniw, Manassas, VA 83 79 162 +18 40 a-Evelyn Blackmon, Nashville, TN 82 80 162 +18 40 a-Grace Holmes, Lexington, TN 79 83 162 +18 40 a-Erin Bradford, Lexington, KY 79 83 162 +18 45 Tami Dunnigan, Franklin, TN 86 77 163 +19 45 a-Katherine Neely, Nashville, TN 84 79 163 +19 45 Allie Ramsay, Lafayette, LA 84 79 163 +19 45 a-Robin McCarley, Johnson City, TN 83 80 163 +19 49 a-Ashley Harris, Soddy Daisy, TN 84 80 164 +20 49 Katie Weiss, Johnson City, TN 83 81 164 +20 49 a-Amy O'Daniel, Louisville, KY 82 82 164 +20 52 a-Krissy Martin, Louisville, KY 83 82 165 +21 53 a-Lori Cate, Maryville, TN 85 81 166 +22 53 Ines Harris, Manassas, VA 82 84 166 +22 53 a-Jane Gatlin, Lakeland, TN 81 85 166 +22 56 Vicki Carpenter, Huntsville, AL 85 82 167 +23 56 Shelley McGill, Hot Springs Vill, AR 83 84 167 +23 56 a-Calle Nielson, Nashville, TN 83 84 167 +23 56 a-Natasha Bolton, Morristown, TN 83 84 167 +23 60 Lea Alvey-Boyer, Oolteway, TN 82 86 168 +24 61 Helen Kurtin, Ballwin, MO 86 84 170 +26 62 a-Julie Bennett, Paris, TN 83 88 171 +27 63 a-Rachel McFarland, Jonesborough, TN 85 88 173 +29 64 a-Rachel Stuart, Signal Mtn, TN 86 88 174 +30 65 Jenny Wiegand, Kirkland, IL 90 86 176 +32 66 a-Kimberly Peirce, Bartlett, TN 89 90 179 +35 67 Ingrid Stokes, Wilmington, DE 86 95 181 +37 68 a-Audra Williams, Kingston Springs, TN 87 95 182 +38 68 Sabrina Tate, Cape Girardeau, MO 86 96 182 +38 70 a-Brandy Stout, Lenoir, TN 90 94 184 +40 71 a-Rhonda Nadasdi, Nashville, TN 103 90 193 +49 a-Megan French, Murfreesboro, TN WD WD WD a-Karon Reed, White Bluff, TN 87 WD WD Carole Clark, Asheville, NC 83 DQ DQ Katie O'Keefe, Palm Coast, FL NS NS NS |
Wood Fires Tourney Record to Claim 4th Annual Fluffo Open Title By MARTY ALLISON Dicksonsports.com Vanderbilt junior-to-be and Brentwood native Courtney Wood fired rounds of 71-71--142 to set a State Open record of 2-under at GreyStone Golf Club in Dickson on her way to claiming the Open title by 3 strokes. Wood is the third amateur to claim the Open title in it's short four year history. "I hit the ball really well today," said Wood. "I missed a lot of birdie putts but I felt like I was on my game. I was in the zone." Phoenix, Arizona pro Tara Bateman shot a 1-over, 145, and walked away with $2,400 as the low pro. Wood, who trailed Courtney McGowan by one stroke after the first round, didn't get hot until late on the front nine on day two. Then she battled Sarah Jacobs, Tara Bateman, Katherine Mowat, and Joni Gossett down the stretch. "I made a real good putt on eight for birdie," added Wood. "I was 1-over up to that point but I was playing well. I missed short birdie putts on five and six and I bogeyed seven, so the birdie on eight was probably the turning point for me. Katherine (Mowat) bogeyed that hole so that ended up being a two-shot swing and put us both even for the tournament." The birdie on eight was just what Wood needed to kick her game into over-drive. Over the next few holes she got her score as low as 3-under. Another big swing came on the par-3 eleventh. Wood was able to par the hole, but playing partner and co-leader Katherine Mowat double bogeyed the hole. It was all but over from that point as Wood went on to birdie thirteen and fourteen. Wood, who also captured the Trans-National Women's Amateur Championship in Nebraska this past weekend, is now off to Atlanta attempting to qualify for the U.S. Women's Amateur tournament on Monday. |
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