WSCGA 69th Annual Amateur Championship

Media Contact: 
Clarissa Childs
Executive Director
Phone: 843-757-4653
Email address: wscga@wscga.org
WSCGA Amateur Champion Reona Hirai
WSCGA Amateur Championship    
Thornblade Club, Greer,  SC
June 12 -14 



Reona Hirai, Summerville, SC, overcame a 4 shot deficit to edge out round two leader Anna Morgan, Spartanburg, SC, by one shot to become the 69th winner of the Amateur Championship.  Hirai carded 5 birdies for the day to be the only player to shoot under par in the final round.  This is not Hirai's first WSCGA Championship, winning the 2013 WSCGA Junior Girls State Championship shooting the same 3 day total of 218.  Her short game is very similar to the late 1980 Champion Dori Bryant, whose short game was often referred to as a thing of beauty by her fellow competitors.  Hirai credits her golf success to the constant support of her family and golf professional.

Winning the State Division in veteran fashion was Pam Prescott, Piedmont, SC.  Leading the division all three days firing 75-74-79 = 228 to win by two over Woodruff's Stephanie Van Inwagen.  Prescott was a pillar of consistence playing the par 3's even par and par 5's one under for the three-day championship.  

The Mytrice Riccoboni Net Champion was Ann Elizabeth Gore from the Country Club of Lexington.  Gore had seven natural birdies throughout the championship to add to her overall net score of 19 under.  
  
Adding to today's excitement was Jean Burns, Irmo, SC, who nearly aced the 11th hole leaving herself a tap in birdie and Susan Payne, Greer, SC, drained a 40-foot putt on 18 to be the only player to birdie the last holes on each side for final round.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2017 WSCGA Amateur Championship:


2017 WSCGA Amateur Champion  
 218 - Reona Hirai - Pine Forest Country Club



State Division Tournament Champion 
 228 - Pam Prescott - Pickens Country Club



Mytrice Riccoboni Net Champion 
 197 - Ann Elizabeth Gore - Country Club of Lexington

Championship Flight 1

219     Anna Morgan - Country Club of Spartanburg
227     Mary Chandler Bryan - Mid-Carolina Golf Club
227     Lea Venable - Holly Tree Country Club

Championship Flight 2

222    Morgan Cox -Rolling Green Golf Club
223    Phoebe Carles  - Musgrove Mill Golf Club
224    Baylee Evans - Lancaster Country Club

Championship Flight 3

234    Chloe Grace Holder - Southern Oaks Golf Club
236    Katie Whitfield - Walker Course @ Clemson University
240    Ashley Carrell - Preserve at Verdae

Championship Flight 4

234    Hannah Luckett - Cherokee National Country Club
239    Claire Page - Pickens Country Club
246    Kate Matthews - Cliffs at Glassy

State Flight 1

230    Stephanie Van Inwagen - Three Pines Country Club
237    Betty Jean Armbruster - Carolina Country Club
237    Chrissie Spidell - Boscobel Golf Club

State Flight 2

245    Stewart Charlotte - Furman University Golf Course
246    Zoe Carles - Musgrove Mill Golf Club
247   Nancy Van Meyer - Furman University Golf Course

State Flight 3

269   Leah Bohnen - Three Pines Country Club
270   Carole Stone - Columbia Country Club
273   Luke Myers - Fox Run Country Club

State Flight 4

262    Yoshiko Mizuno - Greenville Country Club
269    Christine Ring - Cherokee Valley Golf Club
272    Linda Morris - Three Pines Country Club

State Flight 5

278   Mary Jones - Fox Run Country Club
282   Cinda Althoff - Thornblade Club
287   Susan Payne - Thornblade Club

Thank you again Thornblade Club members and staff for all your help and an amazing venue to host a Championship.


About the WSCGA Junior Golf Foundation:

The Junior Golf Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission of enhancing the lives of juniors through exposure to the game of golf by fostering competition, sportsmanship and appreciation for the integrity of the game.  More information about the organization and this tournament can be found on our web site www.wscga.org .