The 20th Maryland State Women’s Open Championship was held July 29th and 30th at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. A total of 46 players competed in the competition for the championship trophy. Within that field 20 amateurs were also in competition for the coveted Campbell Cup, which was donated in 2014 to the MSGA-WD by Bob Morris from Congressional CC to honor the low amateur champion. The professional purse was $10,000, with a first-place prize of $3,000.
This year, a Senior Division was added for both the Amateurs and Professionals; however, there were only enough players in the field to form a Senior Amateur Division, with a total of seven players.
It was a beautiful but steamy day when the tournament began on Monday, with temperatures rising to the mid-90s and a real feel in the 100s. Not one to disappoint, the conditions of the course were spectacular with picturesque rolling fairways, pristine turf, and bucolic views. The only player to shoot under 70 that day was Louise Olsson (p), originally from Sweden, but currently residing in Charleston, SC, coming in with a score of 69. The competition was tight after the first day with many players shooting par or better. However, the highlight of the day was when past Women’s Open Champion Jenny Suh (p) from West Palm Beach, FL, made a hole-in-one on the very challenging hole #15, which was playing at 170 yards.
The weather on day two was equally as sweltering as the first, but that didn’t stop the players from making birdies and bringing in impressive scores – with the lowest from amateur Lisa Schlesinger, who shot a notable 66 from the senior division tees.
The Senior Amateur Division players were the first to arrive at the scoring table on day two. Lisa Schlesinger (a) from Norbeck Country Club cinched the first-place title with a very impressive two-day total of 139. Coming in second was Kimbra Benson (a) of Breton Bay Golf & Country Club with a score of 160, followed by Carol Davies-Lillie (a) from Argyle Country Club with a score of 166.
The real excitement of the day was the battle between two college amateurs (Ohio State and Towson University respectively) – Aneka Seumanutafa (a) of Clustered Spires Golf Club in Frederick, MD and Jordan Cornelius (a) of Bethesda Country Club. Aneka shot a 71/72 and Jordan a 72/71 – which gave them both a total score of 143 and forced a playoff to determine the low amateur. The sudden-death playoff was most likely the longest in Open history, with the girls going a total of 9-holes to determine a winner. Both players pared every hole until #9, when Jordan sunk a birdie putt to win the hole and the low amateur trophy. Amongst the rest of the amateur players, Jane Fitzgerald earned third place with a 146 followed by Faith Choi in fourth place with 147 and Elizabeth Coffren in fifth with 148.
For the professional field, Symetra Tour player Casey Kennedy was the first-place winner with a total two-day score of 141. Brooke Baker missed the lead by one stroke with a score of 142, followed closely by Tessa Teachman with 143. Sandra Angulo and Ashley Grier tied for fourth place with a score of 145. The leader after the first day, Louise Olsson, earned sixth place with a 146, and seventh place was shared by Camden Morrison and Megan Leineweber with a score of 147.
Casey Kennedy’s total score of 141, the lowest of the event, won her the Open Championship title. Casey was awarded the $3,000 cash prize, as well as an MSGA-WD flag signed by all of the players. Her name will also be engraved on the permanent Women’s Open trophy. This was Casey’s first Maryland State Women’s Open win.
Overall, the players truly enjoyed playing at the prestigious Caves Valley Golf Club, which has previously hosted major tournaments including the US Senior Open Championship, the US Mid-Am Championship, the Senior Player’s Championship, and the inaugural International Crown.
-Reported by Rebecca Krimski
