On the first official day of the fall 2023 high school sports season, girl golfers from across the state convened in record numbers at the 22nd Ohio Girls Golf Foundation Showcase on July 31 at Avon Oaks Country Club.
“On a picture-perfect weather day, we were thrilled to host 14 high school teams and 105 players,” says OGGF Executive Director Lynne Plaisance. “In addition to an 18-hole tournament, the girls also had an opportunity to hone their game, as we assembled past LPGA Tour players, local PGA and LPGA professionals and golf industry leaders all in one location to share their expertise.”
Individuals and teams mixed things up with interactive clinics focusing on putting, chipping driving and bunker work led by local PGA and LPGA professionals, as well as an on-course clinic led by tournament headliner LPGA tour professionals Barb Mucha and Janice Moodie exploring the importance of the mental process to the game. A new clinic this year—Careers in Golf—was presented by PGA Career Consultant Garrett Korte.
At the end of the day, Siena Maschke, a rising senior at Laurel High School, earned medalist honors with a two-under score of 70. Coming in second place was Maureen O’Leary from Magnificat with a 71, and tied for third were Cammy Reed from Magnificat and Gracyn Vidovic from Aurora, with a pair of 73s.
Teams competing in the event included Aurora, Avon, Avon Lake, Boardman, Chagrin Falls, Grove City, Hudson, Lake Catholic, Laurel, Magnificat, Medina, Olmsted Falls, Shaker Heights and Southern Local. In a repeat performance from last year, Magnificat teams nabbed the number one and two positions with scores of 312 and 313 strokes, and Grove City came in third place with a 325. (See full tournament results below.)
During the event, OGGF Scholarship Committee Member Beth Casey presented 11 scholarship winners their certificates: Kathleen Rumpel Calderon from Southern Local High School, Halle Ellis from North Canton Hoover High School who is attending University of Tampa, Jillian Gambino from Mayfield High School who is attending Gannon University, Jordan Hemmelgarn from Coldwater High School who is attending Bluffton University, Karlie Kistler from Keystone High School who is attending Ohio University, Kaitlin Kormuth from Solon High School who is attending Cleveland State University, Christina Nagy from Nordonia High School who is attending Saginaw Valley State University, Lauren Olenik from Lake Catholic High School who is attending The Ohio State University, Emma Packard from Ashland High School who is attending University of Mount Union, Kamil Stephens from Danbury High School who is attending University of Mount Union and Emily Williams Marysville High School.
The featured speaker for the event was Katie McCarthy, founder of the women’s golf attire company Kilo Tango. A past player in the OGGF, Katie played for Hathaway Brown High School and played golf at Gettysburg College, where she made it to nationals each of her four years.
Applications for the 2024 scholarships, as well as applications for financial aid to attend golf tournaments will be available soon at OGGF.org.
“This is such a fun ,well-run event that I miss it when every July comes around. ”
Paighton Masterson, 2016 & 2017 Champion from Avon Lake High School
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