Parel & Nguyen Win 2022 Women’s Four-Ball Championship

SUGAR LAND – Elise Parel from Porter and Jacqueline Nguyen from Houston went wire-to-wire to capture the 2022 Texas Women’s Four-Ball Championship on Tuesday at Riverbend Country Club.

The pair of Houston Baptist University teammates blitzed Riverbend in the Final Round with an 8-under-par 64. It’s the same stellar score they combined to shoot on Monday. They finished the 36-hole championship with a score of 16-under 128 to win by eight shots.

“Especially being teammates and old friends, it means a lot,” said Parel, who will enter her senior year this fall at HBU. “Winning this tournament means our games are on point. Going into the fall season at HBU, it’s going to give us momentum to keep doing well and keep playing for one another.”

It was a bit of role reversal for Parel and Nguyen in the final round. In Monday’s opening round, Parel routinely hit laser-like approaches, which led to a bevy of looks at birdie from 15 feet and in. They made most of them.

On Tuesday, it was Nguyen’s turn.

“Jackie was on literal fire today,” Parel said of Nguyen, who starts her sophomore campaign next month.

Thanks to Nguyen’s precise iron game – and a hot putter – the dynamic duo birdied their first four holes of the final round. They turned at 6-under for the round and cruised in from there to register a second straight bogey-free round.

“We really weren’t trying to shoot another 64,” Parel said. “We just went out there and played our games. We laughed and enjoyed ourselves. At the end of the day, it’s just golf. We’re out here as teammates and friends.”

Eryn Garza from Montgomery and Brandee Fleming from Magnolia took second place in the Championship Flight with a two-day total of 8-under 136. The two Dallas Baptist University teammates combined to fire a 6-under 66 in the final round. Rylie Cerny from Kingwood and Jessica Aguirre from Colleyville finished in third place at 7-under 137.

Sidney Stramel from Allen and Simone Campise from Lewisville were the fourth-place finishers at 6-under 138. Rounding out the Top 5 were Madison Le from Arlington and Abigail Hirtzel from Waxahachie. They finished the tournament with a score of 4-under 140.

In the First Flight, Meghan Moake from Houston and Caitlyn Stanley from Katy took the title with a 36-hole score of 6-under 138 to win by three shots. Moake and Stanley combined to shoot a 5-under 67 in the final round.

Olivia Campbell from Franklin and Cherri Rapp from Austin took home the first-place hardware in the Second Flight. They finished at 15-over 159 to win by six shots.

The most tightly contested battle came in the Third Flight, where Erica McAlister from Keller and Linda Edwards from Southlake scored a one-shot victory over the Corpus Christi duo of Cathy Gibson and Alisa Kennedy. McAlister and Edwards won with a two-day total of 20-over 164.

A true shot-maker’s course, Riverbend was designed in 1956 by J. Press Maxwell, son of the legendary golf course architect Perry Maxwell. After his father passed away in 1952, J. Press began to emerge as one of America’s most-promising designers.

His work at Riverbend validates those opinions. With tight, hardwood-lined fairways, creatively positioned bodies of water, and thought-provoking green complexes, Riverbend forces players to continually think their way around the scenic course. Tricky doglegs with a few imposing trees located in directly in some fairways keep even the most seasoned players on their toes.

Several players in the field at the 2022 Texas Women’s Four-Ball remarked on how fun and challenging the Riverbend course played during the championship.

The TGA extends its warmest gratitude to Riverbend Country Club, including the members and staff. Everyone at the club went out of their way to make the players, TGA staff, and our volunteers feel welcome and appreciated. It’s this kind of buy-in from prestigious TGA Member Clubs that help us conduct world-class amateur championships.

Extra special thanks go out Director of Golf Ryan Brandt, Golf Course Superintendent George Cincotta, and Catering Director Haille Schindler for their exceptional hospitality and assistance in creating a memorable championship week.

For more information on the 2022 Women’s Four-Ball, click here.

Parel & Nguyen Sizzle with a 64 to Lead Women’s Four-Ball Championship

SUGAR LAND – Elise Parel from Porter and Jacqueline Nguyen from Houston combined for eight birdies and a bogey-free 8-under-par 64 on Monday to grab the lead after one round of the 2022 Texas Women’s Four-Ball Championship.

The two Houston Baptist University teammates were understandably all smiles when they finished their opening round at scenic Riverbend Country Club, a delightful yet challenging 1956 J. Press Maxwell design.

“We started off really good with two birdies in our first three holes,” said Nguyen, a sophomore at HBU. “Then Elise caught fire. She literally started sticking them within 5 or 6 feet.”

Outside a 25-footer on the par-4 16th, Parel said all their birdies were within 15 feet.

“If any hiccups happened on a shot, we knew we could rely on each other to stick it close or at least make par,” Parel said. “It was just really good teamwork.”

Three shots back in second place are Rylie Cerny from Kingwood and Jessica Aguirre from Colleyville. They’ll be teammates in the fall at Stephen F. Austin, but Monday at Riverbend was the first time they’ve every teamed up. After a 5-under 67, it’s safe to say they have some chemistry together.

“I think the key for us was we were really having fun and joking around out there,” Aguirre said. “We made sure we knew it was OK if we hit a bad shot; we tried not to get too emotional out there. It was a really good day out there for us.”

Abigail Hirtzel from Waxahachie and Madison Le from Arlington are in third place with a 3-under 69. Erin Garza from Montgomery and Brandee Fleming from Magnolia share fourth place at 2-under 70 with Simone Campise from Lewisville and Sidney Stramel from Allen.

Scheduled for 36 holes of four-ball stroke play, the Women’s Four-Ball feature two sets of tees for the fourth consecutive year. The TGA encourages participation from competitive golfers of all skill levels, from juniors and collegiate players to senior amateurs of all skill levels. In addition to the Championship Flight, competitors were placed into three other flights based on each team’s combined World Handicap System index.

In the First Flight, Meghan Moake from Houston and Caitlyn Stanley from Katy combined to shoot a 1-under 71 to take the lead. Cherri Rapp from Austin and Olivia Campbell from Franklin hold the Second Flight lead after their 6-over 78. Erica McAlister from Keller and Linda Edwards from Southlake will sleep on the Third Flight lead after they teamed up for a 9-over 81.

One of the crown jewels of the Sugar Land area, the tree-lined Riverbend course sports narrow fairways, perfectly conditioned greens, and surprising elevation changes. In 2010, Texas architect Jeff Blume led a $1.4 million renovation project that added more topography in the fairways, as well as additional bunkers. The par-72 layout the course tips out at a little less than 7,000 yards, but the Championship Division of the 2022 Women’s Four-Ball Championship played it from 6,005 yards.

The inaugural Women’s Four-Ball was held in 2007 at the Golf Club of Houston, which recently hosted the 101st Women’s Texas Amateur. Now in its 16th edition, the Women’s Four-Ball continues to attract some of the state’s most elite female amateur golfers.

For more information on the 2022 Women’s Four-Ball, click here.

Women’s Four-Ball Set for Aug. 8-9

SUGAR LAND – The 2022 Women’s Four-Ball will be played Aug. 8-9 at Riverbend Country Club in Sugar Land.

“The TGA is very excited to go to Riverbend Country Club,” TGA Director of Women’s Operations Amy Worthington said. “Since the event first started in 2007, the field has continued to get stronger and stronger and showcase some of the most talented players in the state.”

Established in 1957, Riverbend Country Club has been a golf staple in the Houston area for many years. The Press Maxwell Jr. designed course is beautiful and offers a challenge to all who play. In 2010, golf course architect Jeff Blume helped in a $1.4 million renovation including additional bunkers and rolling fairways. Blume returned in 2019 to add a flare with “Billy’s Bunkers” that offer maximum playability and enhanced aesthetics for the course. As a par-72 layout the course tips out at a little under 7,000 yards from the back tees. With no two holes alike, every player will enjoy a unique experience when winding through the Bermuda grass course.

Most recently, the club was set to host the TGA’s 2020 Super Senior Amateur Championship, but it was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19. We are excited to be able to bring the best women in the state to this spectacular club this year.

Scheduled for 36 holes of four-ball stroke play, the Women’s Four-Ball will feature two sets of tees for the fourth consecutive year. The TGA wants to encourage women’s participation at every stage, from juniors to collegiate players to senior amateurs of all skill levels. The 10 teams with the lowest combined WHS handicap indexes will be required to play in the Championship Flight. All other teams have the choice to select which flight they would prefer to compete in.

“The separate tees allow for a better playing experience for all of our players and makes this championship even more competitive,” Worthington said.

The first Women’s Four-Ball was held in 2007 at Redstone Golf Club. Now in its 16th playing, the Women’s Four-Ball continues to attract some of the state’s most elite female amateur golfers.

Last year, Faith Delagarza of Midland and Amari Smith of McKinney fired a closing 7-under-par 65 at Royal Oaks Country Club to win the title for the third year in a row. Delagarza is back in the field with a new partner, Hanna Harrison of Plano, looking to defend her title once again.

For more information about the Women’s Four-Ball, click here.