Smith wins 62nd Women’s Forever 39 Match Play Championship
Flight winners (from left): Leanne Smith (Championship) Lynn Mawe (First Flight), Darci Duey (Second Flight), and Kelly Grimes (Third Flight).
From 90 degree heat to pouring rain, players experienced a wide range of conditions throughout their four nine hole rounds at the 62nd Women’s Forever 39 Match Play Championship contested at Grinnell College Golf Course in Grinnell.
The two day championship was kicked off with the nine hole stroke play qualifier on Monday. Fiona Watson of Des Moines shot 33 (-2) to earn the top seed in the championship flight.
Due to impending weather conditions, round one and semi final matches were contested on Monday. In the championship flight, Leanne Smith of Indianola glided to the finals by winning both of her Monday matches 4 & 3. Julie Buerman also made her way to the finals, but not without a challenge from number one seed, Fiona Watson. Buerman and Watson battled into two extra holes in the semi final match before Buerman advanced. Smith’s Monday dominance continued into the final match Tuesday where she earned a 5 & 4 victory over Buerman. With the win, Smith successfully defended her title and tallied her third win in the event’s history.
In the first flight, Lynn Mawe of Grinnell took advantage of playing on her home turf. Mawe won her Monday matches 2 & 1 and 3 & 2 before winning the flight in a 3 & 2 final over Jennifer Corkrean of Ankeny.
The second flight title was claimed by Darci Duey of Johnston. Duey made it through her first match with ease claiming a 5 & 4 victory. However, the semi final match required an extra hole before Duey advanced to the finals where she won 2 & 1 over Kelly Nelson of Waterloo.
Although it wasn’t in the championship flight, Kelly Grimes of Mitchelville claimed victory once again in Grinnell by winning the third flight. Grimes, who won the Forever 39 in 2019 contested at Grinnell College Golf Course, won 2 & 1 against Carroll Dethrow of Nevada.
Thank you to Shane Hart and the Grinnell College Golf Course staff for their flexibility and assistance throughout the championship. It is always a pleasure to get to host a championship at a nine hole facility and Grinnell College Golf Course was a great challenge for the players.
Full results: https://www.golfgenius.com/
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