Wet start but sunny finish for Hornet Classic

Rainy conditions the night before and in the early stages of the first round challenged more than 70 collegiate women golfers at this year’s Hornet Classic at The Creek tournament, but improving weather made for sunny and beautiful finishing conditions for the final round Sept. 19.

Delaware State University played host to 13 other college teams at Kings Creek Country Club for the 54-hole event, dampened by a steady rain as the first round started Sept. 18. The rain moved out of the area after most golfers played their first six holes, but nonetheless forced the use of preferred lies for all three rounds. 

Sacred Heart University’s Margot Rouquette won the individual title with a fine even-par performance (72-70-71). Her teammate Chantal El Chaib took second place only two strokes back.

However, Howard University’s Emily Mayne (+5), Kendall Jackson (+6) and Morgan Horrell (+7) took the next three spots, helping the Bison win the team title over Sacred Heart by 13 strokes. Howard also set a team-record low score in the second round Monday afternoon.

Lehigh University took third place, with Bucknell University and Long Island University tied for fourth.

DSU’s Hornets missed the fourth-place tie by only two strokes, finishing sixth. Head coach Rick McCall Jr. said, “My team played great.”

Senior Estelle Verney led the Hornets squad with her 13th-place finish. Sophomore Claudia Hofmeister was second for DSU with a T19, followed by fellow sophomore Emily Murray at T26.

Freshman Chloe Malgas-Kelpin finished T31, two places ahead of senior Julie Gauvin. First-year Hornets player Taylor Harvey tied for 49th.

The order of finish for the remaining teams was as follows: Alabama State University (7), Monmouth University (8), Merrimack College (9), Hofstra University (10), Mount St. Mary’s University (11), Wagner College (12), LaSalle University (13) and LeMoyne College (14).

The Hornets’ remaining fall schedule includes a trip south Oct. 14-16, for the HBCU Invitational in Cary, N.C., followed by a return to the Cape Region for the Lady Blue Hen Invitational Oct. 21-22, at Rehoboth Beach Country Club.

Oakley and Krueger qualify

Two golfers with Cape Region ties will be heading to Frisco, Texas, next April for the 2024 PGA Professional Championship, based on their fine performances at the recent Philadelphia Section Championship Sept. 11-12. 

Zac Oakley, a former Cape Region resident and currently an assistant pro at Bidermann Golf Club in Wilmington, won the rain-shortened event with a 67-67, 10-under par performance in northeast Pennsylvania, at the Country Club of Scranton and nearby Elmhurst CC. 

Chris Krueger, the director of instruction at Kings Creek CC, tied for 10th with his two-under par total.

Both golfers previously won the Delaware Open, and qualified and played in past PGA Professional Championships.

“I’m very proud and excited to win this championship,” Oakley said. “It’s our most important event of the year. It’s our major. To win Philadelphia Assistants Championship [in July] and Philadelphia Section Championship in the same year validates the work I put in this summer.”

For Krueger, this was his first try at competition in several months. Work and family responsibilities put his travelling for tournament play on a bit of a back burner. “I’m really pumped about it,” Krueger said. “This is the goal of every PGA professional.”

The national championship will be held April 28-May 1 at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco. The top 20 finishers qualify for the PGA Championship, the second men’s major for 2024, held May 13-19 at Valhalla GC in Louisville, Ky.

Local club competition results

The Mulligan’s Pointe Ladies 18-Hole group played a Low Gross/Low Net game Sept. 19.

In the low gross competition, Maxine Ansbach won the first division, with Brenda Lewis in second and Karen Feuchtenberger in third. Jackie Chanutta won first gross in the second division, followed by Deb Malenski in second and Pam Picholo in third. 

Peg Claussen won low net in the first division, with Chris Allison in second and Carmela Boyle in third. Donna Dolce won low net for the second division, followed by Jackie Adams in second and Kathy Marks in third.

The Kings Creek CC Ladies 9-Hole group played a Low Putts game Sept. 12.

Darci Whitehead won the first flight, followed by Chris Emery in second and Deb Chase in third.

Lisa Gercenstein won the second flight, with Pam Cranston taking second and Prabha Karapurkar finishing third. 

Deb Hinderer won the third flight, followed by Donna Romer in second and Brenda Schilli in third. 

The Kings Creek CC Ladies 18-Hole group played a Baker’s Dozen game Sept. 14.

Wendy Bunce won first gross in the first flight, with Diane Knizer taking first gross in the second flight and Lisa Smith in first gross for the third flight.

Jean Chlastawa won first net in the first flight, followed by Judy Wetzel in second and Gale DiBona in third.

Kay Woollen won first net in the second flight, with Sharon Denny in second and Anna Dittel in third.

Leslie Ledogar won first net in the third flight, followed by Margie Moore in second and Alicia Polsky in third.