Delaware’s first statewide high school girls’ golf match series began Sept. 28 at American Classic Golf Club, with 16 players from Cape Region schools competing.

The recent nor’easter flooded Rehoboth Beach Country Club, the original host for the event. American Classic graciously offered its course as an alternative.

The First Tee of Delaware and the Delaware Women’s Golf Association are the lead sponsors for the series. Six regional matches are scheduled through Tuesday, Oct. 6, with a statewide match set for Saturday, Oct. 10, at Maple Dale Country Club in Dover.

Scott Allen, PGA, First Tee’s director of development & programs, oversaw the two-player team scramble format competition.

“We’re really excited that the first girls' high school match is taking place right now," he said. "We had to move from Rehoboth Beach Country Club with all the rain, but Austin Ebersole of American Classic was awesome in getting us here. It's been great. Some of them are seasoned competitors and played a lot of tournaments and some are not, but they're working as a team and they're having a lot of fun. I hope this is the start of something big for girls’ golf in Delaware.”

Play began at 4 p.m. with shotgun starts on the first and second holes. Several paired players were from the same school, but other pairs combined golfers from different schools. 

Flubbed shots caused by opening-hole jitters happened to several golfers. However, everyone seemed to calm down quickly after that. 

The entire round also featured repeated instances of encouragement and applause for nice shots, regardless of who made them.

"One of the better players in the state was playing with a girl who had never competed before from a different school," Allen said. "I don’t know if the latter helped her team even one shot, but the two of them were walking together laughing and smiling. This is what team golf is all about.”

DWGA volunteers Lynn Sweeney, Lisa Schofield and Ann Huffman tagged along with the groups to offer their support and guidance along with the coaches. The girls appreciated the women’s assistance. 

Darkness seemed to come quickly, forcing the event into using only the scores from holes 2 through 8 to determine who would be awarded the DWGA-supplied medals for the first three places.

The Cape Blue team of Tina Turi and Gabby Hamstead won first place. Ellie Walls of Indian River and Penny Stewart of Cape took second. The Delmarva Christian team of Avery McCoy and Eleena Brown finished third.

Corey Groll, former golf coach for Cape Henlopen’s coed team in the early 2000s, walked with Turi and Hamstead.

“This was a great opportunity for the girls to get out and play with girls of their age and different calibers, and really learn how the game works," he said. "We're hoping it springboards into something that they have an opportunity to play around the state and on multiple courses.”

I coached the Cape White team of Jordynn Chambers and Ritti Patel, who played with Sussex Academy’s Brynn Simon and Ella Sprucebank. The four girls acquitted themselves nicely, with some fine drives, good approach shots and occasionally great putting.

“We can’t believe the emails we got from parents who said this was the first time ever their girls came home from a high school golf event smiling and happy and wanting to talk about it! That is exactly why we are doing this!” said DWGA President Lesley Corydon. 

The Cape squad also includes other players with limited experience who did not play the Sept. 28 match. Several came to American Classic Sept. 29 for their first learning and practice sessions. These included Zoe Johnson, Vivian Ruggerio, Ariana Cornescu and Emery Resnick. Hamstead and DWGA volunteers Huffman and Diane Riggins came to help, beginning on the putting green and then the club’s range for basic swing fundamentals.  

The first upstate match took place Sept. 29 at Ed Oliver GC in Wilmington, with another match there set for Oct. 6. The southern regionals continued at Kings Creek CC Sept. 30 and again at Southern Delaware Golf Club Monday, Oct. 5. Some Cape players were expected to travel to Frog Hollow Oct. 1, before the finals at Maple Dale.

Local club competition results

The Mulligan’s Pointe Ladies league played its final scramble tournament of the season Sept. 29.

Marge Amodei, Peggy Claussen, Penni Hope and Wendy Michaelson won first place. Jackie Adams, Tammy Findlay and Brenda Joyce finished second.

The Kings Creek CC LGA held its net Closing Day Scramble Sept. 24, featuring players from both the 9-Hole and 18-Hole leagues.

Donna Deely, Kelly Sabol, Shelly Conaway and Jen Walker won first place, with Erin Reid, Kim Kavchok, Leslie Ledogar and Margaret Rebarchik in second. 

Jean Chlastawa, Kay Woolen, Darci Whitehead and Donna Romer finished third, with Diane Herndon, Tish Brey, Kathleen Irwin and Julie Tagen in fourth.

Sharon Denny, Jeannine Doane, Jennifer Liner and Patricia Magee took the fifth spot, with Gale DiBona, Susan Julbe, Sherry Schaffer and Nathalie McGregor in sixth place.

Judy Wetzel, Dina McCullough, Arlyce Dubbin and Sally Chamberlain finished in seventh.