- USGA Photo
The Woodlands, Texas (Sept 20, 2007) – All the soft-spoken Thuhashini Selvaratnam wanted to do this week was help her team win. Mission accomplished as Arizona won its first Women’s State Team Championship Thursday, leaving the rest of the contenders behind with a combined score of 5-over-par 437, eight strokes ahead of runner-up Tennessee.
Selvaratnam’s 1-under 71 and Kayla Mortellaro’s 3-over 74 proved to be too much for Tennessee, Florida (16-over 448), and Alabama and California – both tying at 19-over 451 – to overcome on the par-72, 5,918-yard Jack Nicklaus design at The Club at Carlton Woods.
“It’s awesome,” said Mortellaro, 17, of Phoenix. “That’s why you come here. To win is such an honor.”
Arizona had entered the final round with a two-stroke advantage on Alabama. By the time the team, which also included Tucson’s 57-year-old Judy Miller, made the turn Thursday it held a seven-stroke margin on California and Tennessee.
“Our goal was to make sure we didn’t fall too far behind,” said the 31-year-old Selvaratnam of Tempe. “Everything fell into place.”
If the team were a locomotive, Selvaratnam surely made it go. The 2006 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur runner-up and individual stroke-play low scorer (1-under 215) had several putts that dropped in from 20 feet or longer. She only had three birdies to her credit, but more important, she was a model of consistency. Cool under pressure, she perhaps saved the best putt at a critical juncture. After watching her ball scream into water on No. 15, absorbing a one-stroke penalty, Selvaratnam completed a miraculous par save by sinking a 25-footer well above the hole.
“After I saw that one go in,” said Selvaratnam, “I was in shock.”
“She made a million putts,” said 48-year-old Mary Jane Heistand (6-over 78) of Naples, Fla., who was in her group. “She made five or six that were 20 feet or more.”
Tennessee made a valiant effort to catch Arizona, bolstered by Shelly Anderson’s 1-over 73 and Dawn Woodard’s 2-over 74. Anderson, 34, of Clarksville watched anxiously as Franklin’s 33-year-old Woodard finished up on No. 18 with an 8-foot birdie miss.
At that point Tennessee had been hoping against hope.
“We would have liked to pick up a little ground instead of losing ground,” said Woodard. “Everybody here wants to win. … Everybody who didn’t win will think about the balls that didn’t go in.”
Florida’s third-place showing seemed to disappoint Heistand but 52-year-old teammate Diane Lang of Weston didn’t take it too hard. Lang, the two-time USGA Senior Women’s Amateur champion, chose to walk for the first time this week and carded her best round, a team-leading 2-over 74.
“Not really,” said Lang when asked if she was disappointed in her team’s showing. “I would have liked to have won, but you need two better rounds to do better.”
Just like Arizona proved.
The Women’s State Team championship is one of the national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association. In each of the three, 18-hole stroke play rounds, the two lowest scores by players from each team constitute the team score for each round. The 54-hole total is the team’s score for the championship.
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in this country and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the game’s golfers and golf courses.
Story written by Ken Klavon, Web Editor for the USGA. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.
Results
The Woodlands, Texas – Final-round results of the seventh Women's State Team Championship ® that was held on the par-72, 5,918-yard Jack Nicklaus design at The Club at Carlton Woods.
Arizona 149-143-145--437; Thuhashini Selvaratnam, Tempe 76-68-71--215; Kayla Mortellaro, Phoenix 73-75-74--222; Judy Miller, Tucson 79-86-87--252
Tennessee 146-152-147--445; Dawn Woodard, Franklin 68-77-74--219; Shelley Anderson, Clarksville 78-76-73--227; Holly Cantwell, Morristown 80-76-76--232
Florida 147-151-150--448; Mary Jane Hiestand, Naples 70-74-78--222; Diane Lang, Weston 77-81-74--232; Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach 85-77-76--238
Alabama 149-145-157--451; Courtney Trimble, Auburn 74-73-78--225; Kathy Hartwiger, Birmingham 75-72-79--226; Martha Lang, Birmingham 82-81-85--248
California 154-144-153--451; Sharon Park, Irvine 76-70-80--226; Robyn Puckett, Irvine 78-74-75--227; Kathy Kurata, Pasadena 80-81-78--239
Louisiana 145-154-157--456; Kyndall Ardoin, Gibsland 71-74-83--228; Julie Harrison, Baton Rouge 78-80-74--232; Kay Daniel, Covington 74-84-84--242
Texas 154-152-152--458; Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas 74-77-78--229; Anna Schultz, Rockwall 80-75-78--233; Mina Hardin, Fort Worth 80-80-74--234
Mississippi 152-153-155--460; Virginia Grimes, Meridian 72-76-74--222; Ashleigh Korzack, Starkville 80-77-81--238; Cissye Gallagher, Greenwood 86-87-83--256
Minnesota 153-153-155--461; Leigh Klasse, St Anthony 76-76-77--229; Mari Miezwa, Brooklyn Park 77-77-78--232; Lynn Anderson, Hopkins 82-81-82--245
Hawaii 155-154-155--464; Hayley Young, Honolulu 78-79-75--232; Nicole Sakamoto, Honolulu 77-75-80--232; Hee Sue Condry, Honolulu 91-83-91--265
Massachusetts 149-163-153--465; Susan Choi, Natick 73-80-77--230; Tara Joy-Connelly, Duxbury 76-83-76--235; Lisa Anderson, Middleton 77-87-83--247
Missouri 153-158-154--465; Ellen Port, St Louis 77-79-74--230; Mindy Bullard, Columbia 76-79-80--235; Barbara Berkmeyer, St Louis 83-82-86--251
Ohio 153-153-160--466; Elizabeth Kirkham, Cincinnati 78-74-82--234; Suzi Spotleson, Canton 80-79-78--237; Lynn Thompson, Cincinnati 75-82-84--241
South Carolina 151-158-157--466; Lea Anne Brown, Mt Pleasant 77-78-77--232; Lea Venable, Simpsonville
74-85-80--239; Karen Ferree, Hilton Head 79-80-80--239
Maryland 153-158-156--467; Lisa Schlesinger, Laytonsville 75-78-81--234; Kaitlyn Rohrback, Crofton 78-80-77--235; Corrie Tayman, Bethesda 83-83-79--245
Oregon 157-155-156--468; Lara Tennant, Portland 81-76-77--234; Loree McKay, Portland 76-79-81--236; Charisse Spada, Portland 90-82-79--251
North Carolina 146-162-161--469; Patty Moore, Charlotte 71-80-77--228; Maggie Weder, Greenville 75-82-86--243; Angela Stewart, Greenville 79-88-84--251
Virginia 158-153-158--469; Carol Green, Tazewell 77-77-76--230; Linda Divall, Alexandria 81-76-82--239; Stephanie Hicks, Glen Allen 84-84-86--254
Illinois 159-151-159--469; Kerry Postillion, Burr Ridge 82-71-81--234; Char McLear, Mchenry 81-80-78--239; Laura Carson, Lake Bluff 78-86-86--250
Georgia 157-160-156--473; Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale 79-77-81--237; Erin Packer, Tyrone 78-88-75--241; Susan Rheney, Greensboro 80-83-83--246
Washington 166-156-155--477; Leslie Folsom, Seattle 83-76-76--235; Lisa Smego, Olympia 83-81-79--243; Ginny Burkey, Fircrest 85-80-81--246
Colorado 159-159-160--478; Lynette Duran, Lakewood 77-78-74--229; Kim Eaton, Greeley 82-81-86--249; Cindy Pallatino, Denver 92-85-91--268
Wisconsin 156-164-159--479; Rheba Mabie, Boulder Junction 74-84-77--235; Jan Krebs, Junction City 82-90-82--254; Katie Falk, Milwaukee 89-80-86--255
Montana 164-161-155--480; Jasi Acharya, Columbus 79-78-78--235; Jennifer Orcutt, Whitefish 85-83-77--245; Sue Matson, Laurel 111-95-94--300
South Dakota 165-152-166--483; Julie Jansa, Sioux Falls 82-71-82--235; Kelly Evans, Brookings 83-84-84--251; Chelsea Cadwell, Brandon 91-81-86--258
Iowa 160-161-163--484; Lisa Meshke, West Des Moines 76-81-85--242; Jenny Graeser, Cedar Falls 84-80-78--242; Julie Bush, Cedar Rapids 91-93-85--269
Idaho 161-165-160--486; Kareen Markle, Meridian 77-86-80--243; Karen Darrington, Boise 85-80-80--245; Jean Smith, Eagle 84-85-81--250
Pennsylvania 161-166-159--486; Lisa McGill, Philadelphia 79-81-83--243; Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley
82-85-81--248; Elizabeth Haines, Gladwyne 88-86-78--252
Utah 167-169-150--486; Sue Nyhus, Orem 80-85-74--239; Lachell Poffenberger, Salt Lake City 87-84-76--247;
Brooke Stewart, Salt Lake City 93-93-87--273
Kentucky 166-157-165--488; Morgan Cross, Elizabethtown 83-77-84--244; Jessica Grace, Henderson 83-80-81--244; Megan Moir, Louisville 92-81-86--259
Indiana 163-166-159--488; Nina Whalen, Indianapolis 82-77-81--240; Frances Walker, North Vernon 81-93-78--252; Jackie Hauck, Fort Wayne 93-89-91--273
New York 167-159-163--489; Barbara Israel, New York 85-78-81--244; Cheryl Brayman, East Hills 82-81-82--245; Teresa Cleland, Syracuse 94-83-86--263
Connecticut 164-167-159--490; Daria Cummings, Monroe 78-83-77--238; Debbie Jamgochian, Greenwich
86-84-82--252; Lisa Fern-Boros, Shelton 89-90-87--266
Arkansas 159-163-168--490; Julie Oxendine, Russellville 79-80-85--244; Pam Spikes, Little Rock 86-83-83--252; Tanna Lee Richard, Ft Smith 80-85-89--254
Kansas 163-166-162--491; Gail Burden, Winfield 77-85-84--246; Alex Beury, Benton 88-81-78--247; Barbara Taber, Wichita 86-95-87--268
New Mexico 165-163-164--492; Kelli Dalpes, Las Cruces 84-80-83--247; Katharine Dorris, Glenwood 81-86-81--248; Tessa Rae Jimenez, Grants 86-83-84--253
Michigan 165-171-157--493; Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, Haslett 80-88-77--245; Joan Garety, Ada 85-84-80--249; Theresa Delcamp, Grand Blanc 85-87-84--256
Oklahoma 166-160-170--496; Natalie McNicholas, Tulsa 83-80-83--246; Lee Ann Fairlie, Oklahoma City
83-80-87--250; Ann Cowan, Elk City 92-102-88--282
Nevada 165-172-164--501; Elizabeth Carroll, Las Vegas 83-84-81--248; Lisa Stanley, Reno 82-88-90--260; Christy Atencio, Reno 90-89-83--262
New Jersey 173-163-166--502; Donna Young, Ewing 86-83-80--249; Alicia Kapheim, Pennington 87-80-89--256; Frances Gacos, Flemington 88-84-86--258
Maine 173-170-170--513; Leslie Guenther, Hebron 83-83-89--255; Kristin Kannegieser, Minot 92-87-84--263; Laurie Hyndman, Cumberland Foreside 90-92-86--268
Wyoming 174-180-163--517; Sarah Bowman, Parkman 83-87-81--251; Mary Smith, Sheridan 91-93-82--266; Falinda Hall, Cody 99-102-92--293
District of Columbia 172-174-171--517; Maggie Brady, Washington 89-87-84--260; Janice Calomiris, Washington 84-93-87--264; Deborah Klein, Washington 88-87-92--267
Alaska 175-177-166--518; Margaux Sheehan, Anchorage 87-79-77--243; Jamie Berge, Anchorage 88-98-89--275; Cecilia Hopper, Anchorage 117-105-108--330
West Virginia 171-181-172--524; Sue Goldcamp, Parkersburg 86-86-93--265; Karen Kinnett, Shepherdstown
85-96-84--265; Patricia Maroney, Glen Dale 94-95-88--277
New Hampshire 173-176-176--525; Andrea Morrell, Manchester 87-90-86--263; Paula Ainsworth, Franconia
87-86-91--264; Louise Billy, Manchester 86-91-90--267
Nebraska 177-177-174--528; Susan Marchese, Omaha 89-90-80--259; Julie Hall, Norfolk 92-89-94--275; Jane
Pohlman, Omaha 88-88-NC--NC
Rhode Island 177-177-175--529; Kibbe Reilly, Providence 87-85-86--258; Katherine Bullock, Warren 90-92-90--272; Donna Warner, Portsmouth 91-98-89--278
Delaware 183-180-171--534; Andrea Daly, New Castle 91-95-82--268; Sandy Scitti, Selbyville 93-87-89--269; Dottie Farmer, Middletown 92-93-93--278
Vermont 185-193-175--553; Nancy Gorham-La Sante, East Burke 93-95-89--277; Deirdre Morris, Brandon
97-102-86--285; Elizabeth Walker, Marlboro 92-98-105--295
North Dakota 192-189-195--576; Mary Lobin, Fargo 94-94-93--281; Gwen Nestaval, Grand Forks 98-95-102--295; Mary Adams, Grand Forks 102-100-103--305