Ritchie and Martin Win 2023 Women’s Four Ball Championship

Ritchie and Martin Win 2023 Women’s Four Ball Championship

BOERNE – Entering Tuesday’s final round of the 2023 Women’s Four Ball Championship two shots behind the leaders, Emily Ritchie from Fair Oaks Ranch and Delaney Martin from Boerne came back to win the Championship after a 3-hole playoff against the formidable team of Brandee Fleming from Montgomery and Eryn Garza from Magnolia.

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Leaders: 

Delaney Martin will begin her senior year at Abilene Christian University and Emily Ritchie is a senior at Lee University. The hometown pair have been playing golf together for eleven years, their positive energy and local knowledge helped them capture the 2023 Women’s Four Ball Championship victory.

“It was great watching Delaney make 5 birdies, but I was itching to make a birdie,” said Emily Ritchie, “but my birdie on hole #18 to win was a good one,” she said with a laugh. Delaney said, “that putt was my favorite memory of the tournament.”

After 3 playoff holes, Martin and Ritchie came out victorious by making birdie on the 3^rd hole, #18, when Ritchie sunk the putt for the win.

In Contention: In the Championship Flight, Brandee Fleming from Montogomery and Eryn Garza from Magnolia fought hard, shooting an impressive two-day total of 137, 7-under par, earned them a spot in a playoff for the Championship. Fleming and Garza placed second after a three-hole playoff was won by Martin and Ritchie. Sidney Robertson from Tyler and Olivia Mitchell from Plano placed third after consistent play throughout the tournament and a two-day total of 139.

Flight Winners:

First Flight – Camm Dougherty from Corpus Christi and Meghan Moake from Houston won the First Flight by one-shot with a two-day total of 142 after they added a 1-under 71 on Tuesday. Meghan made two natural birdies.

Second Flight – Fair Oaks Ranch’s Vanessa Hersh and Andrea Davidson won the Second Flight by two shots with a two-day total of 169.

Third Flight – Katherine Biggs from Houston and Lorraine Werner from the Woodlands held on to their three-shot lead to claim the Third flight victory with a two-day total of 178.

Course: Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club is hosting the Women’s Four-Ball Championship for the first time. The last women’s event hosted at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club was the 2018 Women’s Partnership. Designed by golf legend, Gary Player, the Blackjack course at Fair Oaks is an 18-hole championship golf course. The link-style golf course and the wind on the middle stretch of holes can provide a challenge for golfers of all skill levels.

Tournament History: The Women’s Four-Ball Championship is in its 16^th year on the schedule and is the fifth women’s statewide championship in 2023. The tournament is a 36-hole four-ball stroke play event with teams competing in two separate divisions, the Championship Division and the Flights Division. The ten teams with the lowest combined handicap indexes will be required to play from the championship tees. Those who do not wish to play in the championship division will be placed in the flights division and pre-flighted based on their combined handicap indexes.

POY Points Race: POY Points Race:  By winning, Emily Ritchie & Delaney Martin were awarded 450 points towards Statewide Player of the Year standings.

What’s Next: The TGA heads out to San Angelo for the Women’s Senior Stroke Play at Bentwood Country Club on September 18-20, 2023.

About the TGA: The Texas Golf Association was established in 1906 with a mission to promote the playing and advancement of the royal and ancient game of golf in Texas. The association is one of the most respected in the country with an ongoing commitment to its members, contestants, volunteers and all who strive to preserve the great traditions of the game.

For more information about the Women’s Four-Ball Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club, click here.

Fleming & Garza Lead After Round 1 of the 2023 Women’s Four-Ball Championship

Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club —Eryn Garza from Magnolia and Brandee Fleming from Montgomery lead the Championship Division of the Women’s Four Ball after firing a 6-under 66 amidst the hot conditions on Monday.

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Leaders: Garza and Fleming made eight birdies pushing them two strokes ahead after the first round. Eryn and Brandee started off consistently, making 4 birdies in their first seven holes. They continued their streak to finish 3-under in the last four holes. In the First Flight, the teams of Jennifer Hoyt from Horseshoe Bay and Marian Barker from Lubbock and Camm Dougherty from Corpus Christi and Meghan Moake from Houston are tied for first place. Alisa Kennedy and Cathy Gibson from Corpus Christi are leading the Second Flight. The Third Flight is lead by the teams of Robin Bobbitt and Lyn Jones from Houston and Lorraine Werner from The Woodland and Katherine Biggs from Houston.

In Contention: In the Championship Flight, Boerne’s, Delaney Martin and Fair Oaks Ranch’s own, Emily Ritchie shot a 4-under, 68. Rounding out the top three, Ryann Honea from Austin and Kate Pickrell from San Angelo’s fired a 3-under 69.

Course: Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club is hosting the Women’s Four-Ball Championship for the first time. The last women’s event hosted at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club was the 2018 Women’s Partnership. Designed by golf legend, Gary Player, the Blackjack course at Fair Oaks is an 18-hole championship golf course. The link-style golf course and the wind on the middle stretch of holes can provide a challenge for golfers of all skill levels.

Tournament History: The Women’s Four-Ball Championship is in its 16^th year on the schedule and is the fifth women’s statewide championship in 2023. The tournament is a 36-hole four-ball stroke play event with teams competing in two separate divisions, the Championship Division and the Flights Division. The ten teams with the lowest combined handicap indexes will be required to play from the championship tees. Those who do not wish to play in the championship division will be placed in the flights division and pre-flighted based on their combined handicap indexes.

POY Points Race: Player of the Year points will be awarded to the top five teams for the Women’s Player of the Year and Women’s Senior Player of the Year. The champions will each get 450 points towards the statewide honor followed by 300 for runner-up, 250 for third, 200 for fourth and 150 for fifth.

What’s Next: The Final Round of the Women’s Four-Ball Championship will commence tomorrow with a 9:00am shotgun start.

About the TGA: The Texas Golf Association was established in 1906 with a mission to promote the playing and advancement of the royal and ancient game of golf in Texas. The association is one of the most respected in the country with an ongoing commitment to its members, contestants, volunteers and all who strive to preserve the great traditions of the game.

For More information about the Women’s Four-Ball Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club, click here.

Women’s Four-Ball Set for July 31 – Aug. 1 

FAIR OAKS RANCH – The 2023 Women’s Four-Ball will be played July 31 – Aug. 1 at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club’s Blackjack Course just outside of Boerne.  

“The TGA is very excited to go to Fair Oaks Ranch,” 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. It’s always fun to watch the comradery between the partners at this event.” 

The rolling terrain, oak trees, wildlife and wildflowers of Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club exemplify nature’s best work, enhanced by the truly exquisite golf environment at our Club. The Club opened its doors in 1978, using the original 14,000-square-foot ranch home of Ralph E. Fair Sr., an internationally known oilman and rancher, as the center of the Club. The club, built in the 1930s, is constructed with native Texas Hill Country river rock. Fair Oaks features town 18-hole championship style golf courses in Live Oak and Blackjack. For this championship, the field will be playing the Blackjack course. 

 Designed by golf legend Gary Player, the Blackjack Course at Fair Oaks is an 18-hole championship golf course. It starts within the community before opening up to a 9-hole stretch through the former hay field of the ranch. Holes 6 through 14 provide players a quiet reprieve from the noise of the surrounding area. The wind on this stretch of holes can provide a stiff challenge for golfers of all skill levels. 

Scheduled for 36 holes of four-ball stroke play, the Women’s Four-Ball will feature two sets of tees for the fifth 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 17th playing, the Women’s Four-Ball continues to attract some of the state’s most elite female amateur golfers. 

Last year, Jacqueline Nguyen and Elise Parel won at Riverbend Country Club at 16-under 128 total. They beat the field by an impressive eight strokes.  

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

Grace Jin and Sarah Farmer Win 15th Women’s Eclectic

CORINTH – Grace Jin of Huntsville captured the 2023 Women’s Eclectic at Oakmont Country Club in Corinth, Texas besting Chandler Browning of Prosper and Mallorie Luitwieler of Katy by five strokes. Jin ended the tournament with a gross total of 11-under 66 which included 14 birdies, 17 pars, and only 5 bogeys.

Sarah Farmer of Arlington claimed the Overall Net Championship with a combined net score of 10-under 62 which included 4 net birdies and 18 net pars, improving a total of 8 strokes between rounds. Only 2 strokes behind Farmer were Angie Lindloff of Katy who pulled off an 8-under 64 net total at this year’s Women’s Eclectic.

Over two days of tournament play at Oakmont Country Club, a total of 2 eagles were carded, both by Dallas’ Isabel Crow.

Overall Gross Eclectic Leaderboard
1. Grace Jin, Huntsville -11
T2. Chandler Browning Prosper -6
T2. Mallorie Luitwieler Katy -6
4. Marian Barker Lubbock -4
T5. Mason Lewis Granbury -3
T5. Isabel Crow Dallas -3

Overall Net Eclectic Leaderboard
1. Sarah Farmer Arlington -10
2. Angie Lindloff Katy -8
T3. Lorraine Werner The Woodlands -7
T3. Sherri Elliott Corinth -7
T5. Lyn Jones Houston -6
T5. Paula Bradley Corinth -6

Full Results

Golf Course: Named “The Best of the Private Clubs” list for 2013 by Avid Golfer magazine and located on 170 acres of beautiful rolling terrain, Oakmont Country Club is just minutes north of Lake Lewisville in Corinth, Texas. Renowned PGA Seniors Champion Don January served as golf course design consultant to Roger Packard, the course architect, in designing a course considered the best combination of natural beauty and challenging play in the area.

Weather: Monday’s first round forecasted a low risk of precipitation with cooler-than-normal temperatures from 62 to 72 degrees. Tuesday’s final round anticipated a higher chance of showers, although the sky remained mostly clear with a high near 57.

What’s Next: The 2023 Women’s Partnership Match Play heads to The Hideout Golf Club & Resort in Brownwood, Texas.

More Information: For complete coverage of the 2023 Women’s Eclectic, click here.

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.