Emily Bastel, 23, of Upper Sandusky, shot a 1-under-par 72 on the last of three days of competition to lead Ohio to the title at the 2003 USGA Women's State Team Championship at the par-73, 6,047-yard Wellesley Country Club in Wellesley Hills, Mass.
Ohio finished with a team total of 9-over-par 447, four strokes ahead of North Carolina, which made a late charge to finish at 451. Georgia finished five back, a 452, and Oregon tied with Maryland for fourth, at 453.
Bastel, a member of the victorious 2002 USA Curtis Cup team, birdied the first two holes, but bogeyed five of the next seven to finish with a 3-over 40 on the front nine.
"I started birdie, birdie and I thought, `here we go, this is going to be great,' " Bastel said. "Then I three-putted three of my next four holes, and I think that took the wind out of my sails a little bit. I think the wind was really blowing pretty good when I went through my stretch of bad holes, and I just got out of my comfort zone. I just didn't have confidence in what I was doing."
After the first nine holes, Ohio was tied with Oregon and Georgia. Bastel's two teammates finished their rounds first and could do nothing but wait. Heather Zielinski, 22, of Sylvania, recorded a 6-over-par 79 while Lynn Thompson, 45 of Cincinnati, shot a 7-over-par 80. In the format, where the low two scores count each day, Thompson's score did not count toward the team total.
"I was praying that (Emily) was playing well, because we hadn't had the greatest rounds," said Zielinski.
Bastel was indeed playing well, with four birdies on the back nine en route to 4-under-par 32. It was enough to lift Ohio, which had never finished higher th 18th in four previous championships, to its first-ever title.
"I made birdie on 10, and then I felt a little bit better," Bastel said. "I felt I could, something going on the back. I had played okay on the back the past couple of, days, so I thought there were some holes out there that I could do well on."
The windy conditions at Wellesley Country Club proved difficult for many. Bastel who had recently advanced through the first stage of LPGA qualifying, was the only player in the field to shoot under par on the final day, and was the lone player to shoot under par for the three days of the championship.
North Carolina's runner-up finish was its second in the championship histoy, having also finished second in 1997. Shannon Ogg, 26, and Patty Moore, 53, bo from Charlotte, both recorded 3-overpar 76s to lead the team.
