Stewart Whitt of Athens, Alabama, and Catherine McEvoy of Greenwich, Connecticut, won their respective open divisions in the PGA National Club Championship earlier this month. The women’s competition took place Feb. 4-6 at Sea Island (Georgia) Resort, and the men’s competition was held Feb. 15-17 at Kiawah Island (South Carolina) Golf Resort.
Being contested for the third time, the PGA National Club Championship features amateur club champions from across the country who were invited by their facility’s PGA professional to compete in the event. There are three divisions for the men’s and women’s competition: open (any age), senior (50+ years old) and champion (60+ years old).
Representing Canebrake Club in Alabama, Whitt overcame a six-stroke deficit to win the men’s open division. A final-round 4-under 68 gave him a 1-over 217 total for 54 holes, pushing Whitt two strokes past John Spellerberg of Fremont, Nebraska.
After playing in the first two championships, Whitt found the third time to be the charm.
“I played a little bit more consistently today,” Whitt said. “I was able to make some birdies early today. That kept me going the rest of the round, and I was able to finish it off on 18 with a par.”
Chad Scott (Westbrook Country Club, Mansfield, Ohio) shot 4-over 220 to win the senior division, while Keith Holmes (Cuscowilla Golf Club, Eatonton, Georgia) registered 3-over 219 to capture the champion division.
In the women’s open division, McEvoy of Innis Arden Golf Club shot 3-under 69 in the last round to claim a one-stroke victory.
“I’m still in a little bit of shock,” McEvoy said. “I knew it was going to be a good challenge, and I played against some really good girls. I stuck with the basics and I hit the ball really well all three days, which is really important and put me in a good position.”
Lin Culver (Hammock Dunes Club, Palm Coast, Florida) won the women’s senior division, and Joan Gardner (Mount Vernon Country Club, Alexandria, Virginia) was the victor for the champion division.
The next PGA National Club Championship will be held in December at Troon North Golf Club and The Westin Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The top five finishers in each division from this year’s event will receive exemptions into December’s tournament.
RESULTS
Stasi, Kim-Schaad win fourth International Four-Ball
Meghan Stasi and Ina Kim-Schaad partnered to win their fourth Women’s International Four-Ball Championship on Thursday at The Wanderers Club in Wellington, Florida.
Conducted by the Florida State Golf Association, the Women’s International Four-Ball has now been contested 76 times, making it one of the most historic local women’s amateur events. This is the fourth time in five years that Stasi and Kim-Schaad have won the 36-hole four-ball event, and this time the duo made history by setting a tournament scoring record at 13-under 131. They won by three strokes over Sarah and Jessica Spicer.
Stasi, the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup captain, has now won the tournament eight times.
“We just have a lot of fun out there,” Stasi said of her partnership with Kim-Schaad. “We were able to be aggressive out there today. We had a lot of good looks at it and rolled the putts in.”
Stasi and Kim-Schaad posted a bogey-free back nine with two birdies to secure the wire-to-wire victory. The pair’s final-round 65 was the lowest final round since Lauren Greenlief and Lauren Miller’s final-round 64 in 2018.
“We’re both really consistent, and we both trust each other to have the par in the bag so we can be aggressive with our birdie putts,” Kim-Schaad said.
Sean Fairholm