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History

The USGA Women's State Team Championship, in 1995, like the men's version, grew out of the celebration of the Association's Centennial and was fashioned after the biennial World Amateur Team Championship.

Each state was invited to send its three best players, and 43 states sent women's teams to compete for the new title at the Lake Buena Vista (Fla.) Club. State associations were given the option to choose their teams by any method, with one restriction: college players were ineligible because of NCAA bylaws. The NCAA rule states that a player may only play in an international team match when that team is sponsored by the national governing body, such as the Curtis Cup, or the Women's World Amateur Team Championship. Any infraction of that rule means the college player is faced with being declared ineligible for the remainder of the season and the following season.

As a result, the field for the Women's State Team Tournament was made up almost entirely of mid-amateur and senior players. Some states used a point system to select the three-woman team. Others used the top finishers in their state championships or conducted qualifying tournaments. A few states employed a selection committee to determine team members.

Just as in the Women's World Amateur Team Championship, the Women's State Team Tournament format meant that only the best two scores of each state's three players were counted in each of three days.

The winning team in the inaugural tournament was from Pennsylvania and was made up of Liz Haines of Gladwyne, Judy Oliver of Sewickley, and Carol Semple Thompson, also of Sewickley. Oliver and Thompson have both played for the United States in the Curtis Cup Match.

The competition was close, as Pennsylvania's score of 442 edged the Texas team by only one stroke.

While no individual prizes were awarded, Toni Wiesner of Fort Worth, Texas, and Lancy Smith of Snyder, N.Y., recorded the lowest individual scores. Each scored 219 for 54 holes, three over par.

The first Women's State Team Tournament proved to be such a popular competition that the decision was made to conduct the tournament every two years.

 
Championship Facts
PAR AND YARDAGE – Sycamore Hills Golf Club will be set up at 6,095 yards and will play to a par of 36-36—72.

SYCAMORE HILLS GOLF CLUB – Jack Nicklaus designed the golf course, which opened in 1989. The course meanders through property first deeded by Andrew Jackson in 1835 and features mature trees, gentle hills and the Aboite River.

HOLE BY HOLE – 6,095 yards, par 36-36—72;

COURSE AND SLOPE RATING – Sycamore Hills will have a USGA Course Rating® of 76.9 and a USGA Slope Rating® of 140.

COURSE CHARACTERISTICS – Green speeds for the USGA Women’s State Team Championship will be maintained at 10˝ to 11 feet on the USGA Stimpmeter.

There will be three cuts of rough, starting at 1 inch around the teeing grounds and fairways. The intermediate will be cut to 2˝ inches, with the primary rough being cut to 3 inches.

Fairways will be cut between .325 of an inch and .400 of an inch, with teeing grounds cut to .25 inches. Collars around the green will feature a 30-inch width and will be cut to .325 inches.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY – The field will play 18 holes on each of three stroke-play rounds Sept. 1-3 (Tuesday-Thursday). The two lowest scores from each three-person team constitute the team score for each round. The three-day total is the team’s score for the championship. Any first-place ties are broken by the final-round score from the team’s non-scoring player. If the teams are still tied, the tiebreaker will be the second-round score from the team’s non-scoring player.

ADMISSION IS FREE – The general public is invited to attend the championship. Admission and parking are free of charge.

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