Three tied for the lead after first round of Dixie Women's Amateur

December 12, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Vanessa Zepeda, Xinyi Gu, and Shauna Liu all shot rounds of even par to lead the field by one shot

Vanessa Zepeda of Boca Raton, Fla., Xinyi Gu of Spain, and Shauna Liu of Canada all shot rounds of even par to co-lead the 2024 Dixie Women's Amateur at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Fla. The trio shot even par 72 to lead the field by one shot.

Zepeda, who committed to play collegiate golf at Barry University this week, recorded four birdies and four bogeys. Gu recorded three birdies and three bogeys, including a bogey on No. 18, and Liu recorded five birdies and five bogeys, including a birdie on No. 18.

Juno Taino of Studio City, Calif., Siuue Wu of Reunion, Fla., and Alejandra Botaya of Boca Raton, Fla., are all one shot behind the leaders at 1-over.

32 golfers are within four shots of the lead after the opening 18 holes.

The Dixie Amateur, which originated in 1924, was played at the old Miami Country Club. Florida has always been a golf destination, and the tournament attracts a strong field of talented amateur players.

Early winners of the Dixie Amateur included Frank Stafaci, Earl Christianson, Frank Perpich, Al Besselink, Bill Hyndman III, and future Masters Champion Doug Ford. With the closing of the Miami Golf Club in 1953, the Dixie was discontinued until 1962.

The Dixie Amateur has been played continuously since 1962 at various courses in South Florida, including The Links at Key Biscayne and the Golf Club of Miami. During this time, the tournament really began to attract the very best players in the United States, and several players won before graduating to the PGA Tour. Champions include Andy Bean, Bruce Fleisher, Lanny Wadkins, Nolan Henke, Len Mattice, and Jesper Parnevik.

In 1990, the Dixie Amateur was moved to the Bonaventure Resort. During this time period, the tournament was moved to December and held during the Christmas break. This move allowed a greater number of collegiate golfers to participate, and the strength of our field grew substantially.

In 1997, a senior division was created for players 55 years and older. This increased exposure and attracted an even stronger field of senior golfers. Steve Earsley of Stuart, Florida, won the inaugural event and repeated as Champion in 1998.

In 2002, the women's division was added and has consistently attracted the finest female amateurs in the world. The inaugural women's champion, Meaghan Francella, narrowly defeated Paula Creamer, now an LPGA superstar. The 2007 women's champion, Lexi Thompson, became the youngest winner of an LPGA tournament in 2011 at the age of 16.

Results: Dixie Women's Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Karoline Tuttle	Lake Mary, FL	700	74-72-70-68=284
T2	Isaki Sakashita	, Japan	500	76-71-70-72=289
T2	Faith Choi	Frederick, MD	500	76-72-70-71=289
4	Ann-Sophie Bourgault	, Canada	400	76-71-73-72=292
T5	Emma McMyler	San Antonio, TX	400	74-73-73-73=293

View full results for Dixie Women's Amateur

About the Dixie Women's Amateur

Three tied for the lead after first round of Dixie Women's Amateur

72-hole stroke invitational women's stroke play championship. Field consists of former Dixie Amateur Champions, and women from around the world invited by the Tournament Committee. (You may request an invitation at www.dixieamateur.com). Tournament t...