NYSGA News

Three NYSGA competitors will have the honor to represent the state of New York in the 2009 USGA Women’s State Team Championship. The New York team includes Christy Schultz, Teresa Cleland, and Rene Sobolewski; a trio of successful players who have found success in amateur play over the past two years.

The inaugural State Team Championship occurred back in 1995 as a way to celebrate the centennial birth of the USGA. The three-day event serves as a way for each state to compete against one another through a team of non-collegiate, amateur golfers. The 2009 Championship marks the first year since its inception that the Women’s State Team and the Men’s State Team will be contested in different states and on different dates. It also represents the last year that the Women’s & Men’s State Teams will compete in the same year. Beginning in 2010, the event will alternate years amongst the two genders with the Men’s State Team playing in 2010 and the Women’s State Team competing a year later in 2011.

This year’s eighth playing of the State Team Championship will take place in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the Sycamore Hills Golf Club. The famed course, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus, opened 20 years ago in 1989. Historically, the course features land that was first deeded by Andrew Jackson in 1835. For this year’s field, the par-72 course will stretch to nearly 6,100 yards.

The New York team will send three accomplished players to seek the state’s first ever victory in the competition. Christy Schultz, of Brook-Lea Country Club, is a six-time NYSGA winner, including three Women’s Amateur titles (2004, 2007, 2008), two victories in the Junior Girls Championship (1996 & 1997), and a Mid-Amateur Championship which she added to her resume this year. Schultz, who played four years of collegiate golf at Purdue University, will be making her first appearance in the championship. She is coming off a runner-up performance at this year’s women’s state amateur following a 5-over-par 218 effort. Despite a second-place finish in the overall championship, Schultz’s score was good enough for a five stroke win in the Mid-Amateur division over fellow state teammate Teresa Cleland.

Teresa Cleland, or “T” which she goes by for short, will make her second showing at the State Team Championship next week. Recently, the 50 year-old Syracuse resident, has been playing top notch golf. In the first year she became eligible to participate, Cleland recorded a victory at the 57^th women’s state senior championship. There, she cruised to a four-shot advantage following an even-par performance in the opening round. A week prior to the state senior’s, Cleland grabbed low medalist honors at Lancaster C.C. in her first U.S. Senior Amateur qualifier with a round of 3-over-par. This year’s U.S. Senior event will be hosted by The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.

Rounding out the 2009 New York State Team is Rene Sobolewski, who plays out of Transit Valley C.C. Sobolewski, who will be entering her senior year in high school, has tallied two top ten finishes over the past two years in the state women’s amateur. Two months ago, Sobolewski fired a three-day total of 230 which was good for a sixth place finish at Drumlins G.C. The 17-year-old Williamsville resident finished runner-up to state team partner Christy Schultz in that same event in 2008; the last year the state women’s amateur featured a match play setup.

You can follow the action from Fort Wayne, Indiana, on the NYSGA homepage which will post an updated story each day along with pictures from the event.

By Kevin Solan

NYSGA Media Intern

Registration for the Senior Men’s Championship at Stafford CC has been extended 48 hours to 5:00pm, August 27th due to issues with the online registration system.  Please call with any questions.

The NYSGA eClub program reached a milestone with its 300th membership.  This initiative began in 2006 with eClub CNY and has grown to six clubs that serve nearly every area of Upstate NY. Through this service, golfers can post their scores online and obtain a licensed Handicap Index.

All six eClubs (Central New York, Rochester, Southern Tier, Western NY, Capital District, Northeast) serve as fully operating NYSGA member clubs with membership fees of $35, a $25 portion of which is put towards supporting the NYSGA Scholarship Program. These six clubs around the state are available for players who were previously unable to find a club to join. You can view the eClub map to determine which club you are eligible to join or you can search via zip code for another form of reference.

In addition to receiving an official USGA/GHIN Handicap Index, eClub members receive several other benefits including: eRevision e-mails every two weeks throughout the golf season which contains an updated Handicap Index along with topical NYSGA news stories. Members also enjoy discounted entry fees to the NYSGA State Days tournaments, which are fun net events with the chance to win prizes. With your eClub membership, you become a part of the NYSGA Associate Member program which entitles you to a personalized NYSGA Bag Tag, your own copy of the USGA Rules of Golf book, and a yearly subscription to NYSGA news, the official newsletter of the NYSGA which is published bi-annually.

The NYSGA seeks to continually provide its members with the newest, most convenient golf services available.  We would like to thank all of our eClub members and look forward to many more in the future!

The pairings for Saturday’s State Days tournament at Western Turnpike GC are complete. View

Ithaca, N.Y. — An NYSGA Net Event record 88 participants took aim at Robert Trent Jones G.C. in the fifth ‘State Days’ tournament of the season on Sunday. View Pictures

Five various flights, which were based upon course handicap, experienced a well crafted course that had its share of challenges in store for Sunday’s field of competitors. Results

Once again, the final pairing would not disappoint in NYSGA Net Event play as it produced a winner in its respective flight for the second time in as many outings. Clifton Park resident Brian Davis fired a net total of 3-under-par 69 to register the top spot in the 0-9 CH flight, the lowest handicap flight in the men’s division. Players who had finished their round convened outside near the leaderboard as they waited for the final group to turn in their scorecards. The dramatic finish was aided by Davis’ 1:30 tee time, which happened to be forty minutes after the last group in the 0-9 CH flight.

Davis, whose first appearance in the State Days came at Seven Oaks C.C., began his round with a birdie on the opening 375-yard par-4. “I started out pretty strong in the beginning with a birdie on that first hole,” says Davis. He remained even through seven holes of play before he recorded his first double bogey at the par-5 eighth hole. Davis then made par at the ninth hole for a score of 2-over 38 on the front but managed to run into some trouble at the start of the back nine. “It narrowed right down on the back nine which started costing me some strokes but then I turned it around and was 1-under through the last four holes,” says Davis.

Davis, who was playing the Cornell course for the first time, made some alterations to his game plan in order to stay focused down the stretch. “The last tournament I played with you guys I didn’t finish up strong and I was upset with myself so I tried to keep my head together and not get ahead of myself and just take it one stroke at a time,” says Davis. “I really focused on slowing down the back swing and making good contact and not trying to steer it.”

In the next men’s handicap flight (CH 10-14), 25 individuals vied for the top finish in the largest division of the day. In the end, it was Kenneth Gravante, of North Syracuse, who walked away with the best net score at 6-under-par 66.

“It was my first net event,” says Gravante. “A bunch of the guys said Ken you have to play the Cornell course so I said OK and we tried it out. I never saw the course before but one of the guys did so he was our local knowledge.” Gravante’s road to success began with a front nine score of 3-over-par 39 that included four straight pars from nos. 6-9. He overcame a barrage of bogeys between nos. 14-16 but tallied a three at the par-3 17^th and notched his lone birdie of the day on the 18^th hole. “On 18, I hit my drive to about 60 feet off the front of the green so I made a birdie on that hole and then I pared 17 so that’s really what made my round with two 3’s on the last two holes,” says Gravante.

In the final men’s flight (CH 15 and over), Terry Taylor was the leader in the clubhouse for nearly two hours with an 8-under-par net total 64. Taylor, who resides in Ithaca, was the last participant named to the field of 88 as he was first an alternate on the waiting list. “I live in Ithaca and I’ve played the front nine three times but the first time I played the back was yesterday,” says Taylor. He played bogey golf on the front nine and survived a triple bogey which came at the par-5 16^th to hold, at times, a measurable lead over his flight. However, nearly two hours later, Robert Smith, of Syracuse, would put together a similar net total of 8-under-par to share the lead with Taylor. Smith eventually won the flight as the tiebreaker leaned in his favor due to playing the back nine three strokes better at 7-over-par 43.

Meanwhile, the two women’s flights were separated by course handicaps above 20 and those below that number. As for the former, Amy Monnat took her flight by storm as the only player to post a net total under par at 4-under 68. Monnat, who resides in Baldwinsville, put together consistent nine hole scores of 43 and 42, respectively. Despite a double bogey on the par-5 16^th, Monnat swapped pars and bogeys on the back nine in just a 6-over-par gross total effort.

Kristy Ann Weber was another player who found success in her flight despite playing at a later tee time. Weber, who is from Moravia, decisively anchored the 21 and over CH flight with a five stroke advantage after her net total of 6-under-par 66. With 18 groups already playing before her, Weber noticed a terrain that had underwent some expected wear and tear by the time she made her way through. “There were certainly some footmarks and bumpy spots on the green,” says Weber, in review of the course. “I thought the greens were pretty interesting. Our Head Pro told us we would enjoy the undulations at this course.” Regardless, Weber managed to handle the greens and the terrain en route to capturing first place in her respective division.

The next event in the State Days tournament series will be held at Western Turnpike GC on Saturday, August 29th.

Submitted by Kevin Solan

NYSGA Media Intern

Entries for the Senior & Super Senior Men’s Championship will close Tuesday, August 25th at 5:00pm.  No late entries will be accepted.

Thendara, N.Y. — Teresa “T” Cleland and Sandra Wood each entered the final round at Thendara G.C. with a three-stroke lead in their respective divisions. On Wednesday, Cleland and Wood used the three-stroke advantage to fend off former senior champions and capture the 57th Senior and 3rd Super Senior Championship, respectively.

Entering Wednesday’s round with a lead created an interesting dilemma in Cleland’s gameplan. “You don’t want to protect a lead because you still want to play. I never mind in tournaments when I’m a couple shots behind because I can be aggressive but I certainly liked the lead,” says Cleland.

Cleland started Wednesday’s final round off the back nine and picked up right where she left off on Tuesday in rattling off four straight pars, thereby giving her a score of even par through 22 holes of play between the two days. It wasn’t until a member of her own group made the comment, “Te, you’re a machine,” at the 13th green for Cleland to make her first bogey on the day one hole later. From there, she carded three bogeys at nos. 14, 15, and 16 but made par on 17 and 18 for a three-over-par score of 39 on the back.  “It’s a tough back side. I thought, OK, I can get by with a 39 on the back and make some more pars on the front side,” says Cleland.

Cleland, who plays out of Bellevue C.C., made the turn with a five-stroke lead over 2007 Senior Champion Jan LaVigne. Cleland would follow through on her thought process of making up ground on the front as she  tallied her lone birdie of the day at the par-5 dogleg first hole, the same place where she made eagle the day before. However, LaVigne had the same intention of kicking it up a notch on the front and fired an eagle to cut the lead down to four strokes. At the par-5 second hole, it took Cleland three strokes to reach the green before a three-putt effort for a bogey. Meanwhile, LaVigne continued with her success on Thendara’s par-5’s with an eagle for a two-stroke swing and the lead dwindled to two strokes. LaVigne was unable however to keep up the momentum and played the remaining seven holes at five-over-par, including five straight bogeys to close her round. For the second time of the day, Cleland survived a stretch a three straight bogeys which came at nos. 6-8, all of which being par-4’s.

By the time the lead group reached the 9th green, a full gallery of players created a semi-circle outside the clubhouse to watch the finale. Cleland did not disappoint the crowd as she nearly sunk a 15-foot downhill putt from the top of the hump to the back right pin location on the undulated green. She would tap in for par and tip her cap to the ovation of the crowd. Her two-day total of 152 was eventually good for a four-stroke victory.

As we approach the last few days of August, Cleland continues to gear up for more events; three of which being on the national platform. A week prior to the state senior’s, Cleland was the low medalist at Lancaster C.C. with a three-over-par performance in the U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier. Similar to the state senior’s, Cleland will be making her first appearance in the USGA event which will be hosted by The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. Two days from now, Cleland will participate in a U.S. Mid-Am qualifier as she vies for her 3rd appearance in this event. “I love competing on the national level,” says Cleland. Last year, Cleland lost to the eventual Mid-Amateur champion Joan Higgins on the 17th hole. This year’s state senior champ was named to the State Team along with three-time Women’s Amateur champion Christy Schultz and Rene Sobolewski. The appearance will be Cleland’s second as she represented the state of New York two years ago in the biennial event.

Meanwhile, a three-stroke lead was also good enough for Sandra Wood to capture the title in the super senior field. “I’m very proud and I’m really surprised,” says Wood on winning the super senior crown. “I had no idea when I came here that I would even have a chance to win.” The Ithaca resident gave herself a chance to win from the opening day with a 5-over-par 78, making her the only super-senior to break 80 that day.

Wood, who plays out of Robert Trent Jones G.C., posted an 86 on Wednesday for a two-day total of 164. She closed the day with six straight bogeys but avoided registering a big number with just one double bogey on her first hole of the day. Wood used a birdie on the par-4 17th to separate herself from the field which included two-time defending champion Gail Brophy and former senior champion Sue Sims. At the 17th, Wood hit a perfect drive down the middle and knocked a 9-iron to within a foot from the cup for a tap-in birdie putt.

Starting off the back nine, Wood entered the day with a wave of different emotions. “I was very nervous and very tentative,” says Wood.  She had the intentions of posting a similar round to the day before where committed few mistakes and was pleased with her short-game play. However, she experienced a much different round from Tuesday’s round as she struggled with her putting but had a stronger day off the tee with driving the ball. “My driving and my shots to the green were a little better, but I put myself in bad locations. Yesterday I was always on the good side of the hole, putting up the hill but today I was on the bad side of the hole, having to putt down the hill,” says Wood.

The tables will turn for this year’s super senior champ in a few weeks. Wood, who was appreciative of husband and PGA professional Dan Wood’s help in caddying all week, will be the one assisting her husband in the inaugural season of the Ithaca College women’s golf team. Wood will be the volunteer assistant at Ithaca in the launch of the school’s new athletic program. “If we can just get the whole team to break 100 and shoot in the 85-100 range, that would be the main goal,” says Wood.

Submitted by Kevin Solan
NYSGA Media Intern

Thendara, N.Y. – Intermittent showers welcomed players to the first round of the 57^th Senior Women’s Championship and third Super-Senior Championship on Tuesday from Thendara G.C. Teresa Cleland, of Bellevue C.C., paced the field of 120 competitors with a round of even-par 73 to give her a three-shot lead heading into Wednesday’s final round.

Cleland, who is playing in her first state senior event, posted an eagle and a birdie to begin her day at 3-under-par through just two holes of play. She pulled a driver into the left rough and then hit a four-wood to reach the dogleg left opening par-5 in two strokes before she tapped in for eagle. “I actually thought the ball that was eight inches away was Maggie’s [Maggie Kril] because I caught the left rough and I had about 210 yards. I just hit a low draw that happened to sit near the pin,” says Cleland.

Cleland tallied five more pars and swapped a birdie and a bogey on the par-4’s at six and eight, respectively, to make the turn at 3-under-par on the front nine. She then began the back nine with a double bogey on the par-5 10^th and a bogey on the next hole to return to even for the day. “You don’t want your driver to get uncooperative on that back side,” says Cleland. “My driving wasn’t bad but I had been driving it so well before today it just felt a little off.” However, she remained consistent on the last four holes with consecutive pars on nos. 15-18 to finish at even par.

Throughout the day, Cleland was able to stay focused on her own game plan which she constructed from Monday’s practice round. “I just stuck with my game plan. The way I look at it, I’m playing Thendara and I want to score the best I can out here and I can’t really worry about what other people do or what club they choose to hit. The opponent to me is really Thendara.”

Barbara Harrison, who remains three strokes behind the leader, experienced a much different round that Cleland, despite trailing by only a few shots. Harrison found success on Thendara’s par-3 ‘s instead of the par-5’s which is where Cleland scored well.

Harrison, who plays out of Oswego C.C., credits the practice round on Monday to helping her get off to a solid start in the first round. “I didn’t get in trouble,” says Harrison in review of her round. “I felt very steady with some good swings out there.” She hit a 7-iron on the par-3 fifth hole to within four feet for her first birdie on the day. Her next birdie would come on the par-3 16^th where she landed a 7-iron only a few feet shy of the cup. She followed the birdie on no. 16 with another birdie following a driver/9-iron combination to reach the green in two strokes and post birdie en route to finishing the last three holes at 2-under-par.

Four other players broke into the 70’s on Tuesday, including 2007 Senior Amateur champion Jan LaVigne with a 4-over-par 77. Sandra Wood, of Robert Trent Jones G.C., is among those who broke into the 70’s as she holds a three-stroke lead in the Super Senior division and remains just five strokes back of the lead in the overall championship.

Wood opened her round with a birdie on the par-5 first hole. She used a driver and then a 5-wood to lay-up just short of the green. Next, she carefully landed her sand wedge approach five feet away from the pin and sunk the birdie putt. At the par-3 fifth, Wood fired a 5-hybrid into the wind and landed her tee shot only four feet from the pin for a birdie. Wood depended on keeping her shots straight and away from trouble as she isn’t necessarily a longer player of the tee. “There’s not too many par-4’s I can hit to in regulation,” says Wood. “I’m usually hitting a 9-wood/5-wood to the green.”

Wood was grateful for her husband Dan’s help in caddying for her today and advising her on where to land her approach shots to set up makeable putts. “The nice thing that Dan does for me is he keeps me on the correct side of the hole with my approach shots when I am hitting from the fairway,” says Wood. “My chipping and putting were pretty solid and if I missed a green it wasn’t a horrible chip.”

Three former NYSGA champions remain within firing distance for tomorrow’s final round. The defending senior champion, Kim Kaul, who played with Teresa Cleland today, carded a 7-over-par score of 80. The repeat super senior champion Gail Brophy registered an 81 as did former senior champion Sue Sims. Brophy opened her round with a birdie on the dogleg par-5 and tamed the intimidating green on no. 9 which boasts strong undulations. “I’m probably the only person with a two on that hole,” says Brophy. She used a 7-wood to reach the green on top of the hill and off to the right side and sunk her 20 foot putt for the highlight of her day.

Pairing information for the final round can be found on the NYSGA homepage. The final round will begin at 8 a.m. and the leaders will start off the back nine at 10:20am to set the stage for spectators at the tricky ninth green.

Submitted by Kevin Solan

NYSGA Media Intern

The pairings have been completed for the State Days Tournament at Robert Trent Jones Golf Course on Sunday, August 23rd. View

The NYSGA experienced a record-breaking turnout for its fifth net event of the season. The original field of 72 competitors had to be extended to 88 due to the high demand by individuals who wished to play at the popular Robert Trent Jones G.C. in Ithaca. The Cornell course has hosted the NYS high-school championships over the past few years.

The event will take place on Sunday, August 23^rd beginning at 10 a.m. The field reached its maximum capacity on Thursday but a wait list is being formulated for people who still wish to play. Please call the NYSGA office at (315) 471-6979 to put your name on the wait list and you will be notified if and when a withdrawal occurs.

Missed the deadline for the Robert Trent Jones State Days? You can still sign up to participate at Western Turnpike G.C. later that same week on Saturday, August 29^th. The deadline for entries is Monday, August 24^th so apply now to assure your spot in the field as only one net event of the season is left on the calendar in September. Remember, NYSGA e-club members receive a $5 discount off each entry fee so head to the NYSGA homepage to join an e-club today!