Griffin hoists Florida Women's Stroke Play trophy

A down-to-the-wire finish left Kendall Griffin with the hardware at the Florida Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Championship hosted by Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Fla. Griffin had to battle the course and the weather during a week of rain delays, but finally got her long overdue state amateur title.

Griffin, an LSU player who hails from Sebring (home to the annual Harder Hall Women’s Invitational), started chipping away at her eight-stroke deficit at the start of Sunday’s final round. She made birdie at Nos. 5, 6 and 9.

Second-round leader Taylor Roberts, meanwhile, struggled through the finishing holes of her outward nine, making the turn with a 42. That allowed Griffin to pull even with Roberts, then pull ahead with a birdie at No. 11. Griffin gave back her lead with a bogey at No. 16, and the two players were tied entering the final two holes.

Read more on Griffin and her Harder Hall legacy

Both Griffin and Roberts bogeyed the par-3 17th to take the championship down the final hole. Three precise shots at the par-5 closing hole gave Griffin 8 feet for birdie. After making only 10 putts on her first nine holes, Griffin confidently rolled in her birdie putt for the win.

“I honestly didn’t know I really had a shot until I made my birdie putt on 18 and the cheer was a little louder than usual,” said Griffin, who last month reached the semifinals of the Florida Women’s Amateur.

Griffin, the 2013 FSGA Girls’ Junior champion, finished the week at 1 over 217. Roberts was runner-up at even par.

Alexa Rivas carded a tournament-low final round of 66 to finish in third place at 3 over.

Information from the FSGA used in this report