The Delaware State University women’s golf team is hosting its first invitational tournament at Kings Creek Country Club. Practice rounds will be held Sunday, Sept. 18, with tournament play set for Sept. 19-20.
DSU head coach Rick McCall Jr. said, “This is exciting. Kings Creek has been fantastic.”
Cricket Wireless is a tournament sponsor, and accommodations are being handled by Sleep Inn on Coastal Highway.
Participating teams include several of DSU’s new partners from the Northeast Conference as well as regular conference rivals in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
In July, the Lady Hornets combined with teams from Howard University, Coppin State, University of Maryland Eastern Shore and North Carolina Central in an associate partnership between the MEAC and the NEC. The agreement creates opportunities for regular-season matches, the NEC conference championship and automatic qualifier access to the NCAA championship.
The teams coming to Kings Creek include Sacred Heart, Fairleigh Dickinson, UMES, Howard, Long Island University, Mount St. Mary’s, Lehigh, Alabama State, LaSalle, Wagner and Merrimack. With the recent expansion to a 12-player roster, McCall expects to field two DSU squads at the event.
This is McCall’s first season where he recruited everyone on the team. The incoming freshmen roster includes Claudia Hofmeister (Tampa, Fla.), Rhandy Weston (San Ramon, Calif.), Caroline Garland (Aurora, Co.), Mikaela Karanja (Bokchito, Okla.), Madison Smith (Chicago, Ill.) and Emily Murray (Dublin, Ireland). Graduate transfer Sydney Scraba (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) graduated from Arkansas-Little Rock. “They all come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Diversity on the team is valuable,” McCall said.
DSU’s golfing skills have also improved. The Hornets set a one-day, team-low scoring record of 153 in a tournament last spring. McCall expects that record to either be matched or broken this year. “We have a more well-rounded cast, especially from one to five. At least eight can break 80, and six can do it regularly,” he said. The increased roster limit means other DSU student-athletes can make the team as walk-ons, which McCall welcomes.
The DSU golfers will arrive at the Dover campus in two weeks. McCall said, “I can’t wait. I’m so excited to get into it.”
Another Cape Region college golf tournament remains on schedule. The University of Delaware’s Blue Hen Invitational at Rehoboth Beach Country Club will take place Oct. 21-23.
Rookery club champions crowned
The Rookery held its club championships Aug. 6-7. Dale Jarrell won the men’s category, with Todd French in second and Tim Gallagher in third. Dave Bergh won the senior group, followed by Tom Rudden in second and Ken Falgowski in third. Sue Bardsley won the ladies’ category, with Marianne Delorenzo in second and Carol Miller in third.
Sid Simon and Gerard Kelly tied for first in the men’s net group. Bill Tuner finished third. Peggy Sander and Vickey Sama tied for first in the ladies’ net group, with Lisa Dillon in third.
Lydic and Brockstedt miss cuts
Two Cape Region juniors missed cuts at two recent national championships.
Sawyer Brockstedt of Rehoboth Beach’s Junior PGA Championship at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club near Chicago ended Aug. 3 after two rounds.
Sarah Lydic of Ocean View completed medal play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Chambers Bay, Wash., Aug. 9, but was unable to qualify among the 64 players who advanced to match play. Lydic missed the last spot by three strokes (T-89).
Those were not the results either girl wanted, but they surely benefited from the competitive experience.
Local club competition results
The Rehoboth Beach CC Ladies 18-Hole group played a two best balls of four game Aug. 10, with Dale Lipnick, MK Wills-Smith, Bailey Scheurer and Sally Fogarty winning first gross.
Elise Coar, Marcy Saliba, Lora Drewer and Judy Shaw won first net. Pris DeSena, Carol Wetherhold, Kitty Lilly and Coar (blind draw) finished second net. Suzanne Moore, Sheila Halfpenny, Cyndy Simeone and Pauline Porter took third net.
The Kings Creek CC Ladies 9-Hole group played a low net game Aug. 9, in three flights.
Lesley Corydon won first gross in the first flight, with Janet Hartman taking first net. Judy Rayner finished second net and Hope Lavachia took third.
Beth Cohen finished first gross in the second flight, while Patricia Davis won first net. Lisa Gercenstein took second net and May Lou Kupfer finished third. Tish Brey won first gross for the third flight, with Ellan Hylton winning first net. Terry Barrera finished second net and Deb Hinderer took third.
The Kings Creek CC Ladies 18-Hole group played a Ts and Fs game Aug. 4. Erin Reid won the gross category in the first flight, with Linda Kelleher taking the second flight and Linda Eicher winning third gross.
For the first flight, Candy Robinson won first net, with Jen Flinchbaugh taking second and Jen Ernakovich finishing third.
Ana Dittel won first net for the second flight, followed by Carol Simon in second and Faye Slatcher in third. Sherry Schaffer won first net for the third flight, with Alicia Polsky in second and Gail Letts in third.
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Fritz Schranck has been writing about the Cape Region's golf community since 1999. Snippets, stories and anecdotes from his columns are included in his new book, "Hole By Hole: Golf Stories from Delaware's Cape Region and Beyond," which is available at the Cape Gazette offices, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Biblion Books in Lewes, and local golf courses. His columns and book reviews are available at HoleByHole.com.
Contact Fritz by emailing fschranck@holebyhole.com.
