USGA Champions Claim Inaugural LNGA Titles
ANTHEM, Ariz. (April 21) – The winners of the inaugural Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur
Championships of the Ladies National Golf Association have a combined seven USGA titles in their competitive resumes.
In windiest conditions of the event at Anthem Golf and Country Club’s Ironwood Course, Meghan Stasi, of Oakland Park, Fla., a four-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion fired an even-par 72 Wednesday for a 54-hole total of 222 to win the LNGA Mid-Amateur Championship by five strokes, and three-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Sarah Ingram, of Nashville, Tenn., shot 76 and won the LNGA Senior Amateur Championship at 226 by six strokes.
Stasi fashioned an even-par round of 72 that featured three birdies on the front nine and four total against four bogeys for the best round of the day among the Mid-Amateurs.
“This win is right up there with them all,” said Stasi, who has won numerous titles in Florida and Pennsylvania in addition to her USGA wins. “A win any time is great now. There are just so many great players now.”
The eight-time Florida Amateur Player of the Year finished five strokes ahead of eight-time South Carolina State Amateur champion Dawn Woodard, of Greer, S.C., and two-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist Amanda Jacobs, of Portland, Ore. Woodard is the other member of Stasi’s side at the 6th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championships, which will start Saturday at Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas.
“Ball-striking wise, I was a lot better today,” Stasi said. “I hit 3-wood a little more and I played well. I had four birdies, three on the front and I had a lot of chances on the back – five or six chances within 20 feet. I just wanted to make a lot of pars.”
Past U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Kelsey Chugg, of Salt Lake City, Utah was fourth at 230 and first round co-leader Gretchen Johnson of Portland, Ore., was fifth at 234. Another U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, Lauren Greenlief of Ashburn, Va., tied for sixth.
Ingram, the current USA Curtis Cup captain, showed the temperament of an experienced by shaking off a double bogey on the 12th hole. She finished her round with two birdies, three pars and a bogey.
“To me it’s a big deal,” said Ingram, who holds a place in the Tennessee Golf and Duke Athletics Halls of Fame. “It’s my first big win in my second career since I took 22 tears off and now I have been back at it for three years. To break through and win is exciting. I finally have a Trans/LNGA title, which is exciting.”
Shelly Haywood of Huntington Beach, Calif., the former Arizona women’s golf coach, finished second at 232 and was followed by Kimberly Eaton, of Mesa, Ariz., in third at 233 with Susan West, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., former U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Lara Tennant, of Portland, Ore., and 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Corey Weworski, of Carlsbad, Calif., tying for fourth at 234.
“I hit some good shots coming home that I hadn’t done most of last year,” Ingram said. “I really tried to make the mindset of the collegiate girls I have been watching. They just shake off bogeys and they are still going at it. I hit some good shots and it felt like when I was really good.”
Both championships are 54-hole, stroke-play events in their inaugural year and are conducted by the Ladies National Golf Association. The Mid-Amateur Championship is for players 25-years-old and up with an index in the World Handicap System not exceeding 10.4. The Senior Amateur Championship is for players 50-year-old and up with an index in World Handicap System not exceeding 14.4.
“It’s an honor to be part of the group,” said of being an LNGA champion. “I’ve played in the Amateur several times. We are fortunate now that there is a Mid-Am because it’s hard to compete against the young gals. It’s a great start for the inaugural.”
NOTES AND QUOTES
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- Stasi won her U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur titles in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2012 and Ingram won her championships in 1991, 1993 and 1994. Stasi was a member of the USA Curtis Cup team in 2008 and Ingram represented the USA in 1992, 1994 and 1996.
- The Wilma Cup, in honor of the departed women’s golf advocate and LNGA leader Wilma Gilliland, will be presented to the Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur champions and remain in their custody for a year. Medals will also be awarded to the runner-up and third-place finisher in each championship.
- “It’s beautiful and I’ve heard all the stories,” Stasi said of the Wilma Cup. “We’ll put in on display at the restaurant.” Stasi and her husband, Danny, own and operate Shuck N Dive, a Cajun inspired café in Fort Lauderdale.
- Ingram was touched by the Wilma Cup as well saying: “Wilma was always so kind and so cute and supportive. To win a trophy with her name on it is exciting.”
- In 2022, the championships will be held at Tubac (Ariz.) Golf Resort on April 25-28.
- The Curtis Cup Match will be played at Conwy Golf Club in North Wales, August 26-28.
- “The LNGA is a very special group,” Stasi said. “They have been around for years and are so well respected and professional. They have great volunteers and always have great golf course. Next year, there will be a good showing for mid-amateurs. We’ve said we want more tournaments, and this is a great one to play in. The Senior-Am always travel well. But this will get bigger and better for the Mid-Ams.”
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ABOUT THE LADIES NATIONAL GOLF ASSOCIATION (LNGA)
The LNGA is a national volunteer women’s amateur golf association founded in Kansas City Mo. in 1927 to promote amateur golf and good sportsmanship among women golfers and junior girls. Our events are hosted at venues across the United States. The events spotlight the nationally prominent amateur golfer that may be eligible for Curtis Cup team selection along with the skilled players from around the world. The LNGA Amateur, the Women’s Mid-Amateur and the Senior Women’s Amateur are included in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) list of golf championships.
Media contact: Pete Kowalski, pkowalski1524@gmail.com; 908-216-8435