JWGA Members Shine as North Captures the Women’s Florida Cup

LAKE WALES, Fla. (October. 26 & 27) – For just the second time in Women’s Florida Cup history, the North Team walked away victorious. North Florida hoisted the cup once again with a 15.5-12.5 win on Monday at historic Mountain Lake Country Club. The North made history in 2023 when they finally broke through with a victory after more than a decade of Southern Florida dominance.

The Women’s Florida Cup is a biennial Ryder Cup style format bringing together 28 of the state’s best women and senior women golfers and net players. The FSGA selects two fourteen player teams to represent the North and the South of Florida. Every player earns their place through stellar play over the past two seasons.

Playing pivotal roles in the North’s 14 player team victory were 6 JWGA members! These ladies played their hearts out and represented JWGA and North Florida golf well, they are: Tama Caldabaugh, Therese Quinn, Shauna Snyder, Chris Hunt, Lorie Collins and Xiaolin (Tian) Jones.

The North was led by Captains Madyson Gold and JWGA’s Therese Quinn. The event marked Therese’s sixth time competing in the Cup and her second time as captain.
Entering the second day with a commanding 10-4 lead, the North needed just four points to retain the Cup and 4.5 to win it outright. But the South Team wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

The South played hard, but momentum then swung back to the North as Christine Hunt (North) and Kathleen Bordeau (North) each secured key points. Lin Culver (North) followed by draining a clutch putt to top Suzanne Ricard (South) 1 up, giving the North the half-point cushion they needed to seal the Cup.

Please seek out these amazing competitors at a play day and congratulate them on 2 incredible days of match play golf at its toughest and finest!

(Content excerpted from the FSGA press release & website information, 2025)

Therese Quinn Wins the 62nd Annual San Jose Country Club Invitational

September 18 – Congratulations to Therese Quinn, Deerwood Country Club for winning the 62nd Annual San Jose Country Club Invitational.  Therese took the lead in round 1 with a 73 and came back for round 2 securing her victory by a 4 stroke lead over her next nearest competitor.

San Jose Country Club’s signature Donald Ross design seems to suit Therese to a “tee”. This year’s victory marks her 7th win at this prestigious event.  Her first win came in 2004, and was followed by wins in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2023.

Congratulations to many other JWGA members who were very well represented in the field and among those winning 1st place gross and net in their respective flights!

The Ladies San Jose Invitation is one of the oldest invitationals in Jacksonville featuring players from near and far each year coming back to compete on one of Northeast Florida’s finest tracks. San Jose Country Club is also honored to be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

 

Kim Bruce & Shan Giordano Win Championship Titles at First Coast Women’s Amateur

July 22, 2025 – Congratulations to Kim Bruce and Shan Giordano for garnering first place honors in their respective divisions in the 2025 First Coast Women’s Amateur held this year at Sawgrass Country Club .

Kim Bruce is the 2025 Champion in the Senior Field Division and Shan Giordano is the 2025 Champion in the Super Senior Division.

Kim Bruce took the lead on day one with a score of 76 besting her nearest competitor by 14 strokes. Kim finished strong on day 2 with an 87 and increased her lead over 2nd place to 15 strokes to secure the Championship.

Shan Giordano started the second round one stroke (87) behind competitor Lori Collins (86) . Day 2 saw Shan finishing 5 ahead of Lori with a strong second round score of 86 to Lori’s 91 to take the Championship honors.

The First Coast Women’s Amateur features Championship, Senior Championship, Senior Field Championship and Super Senior Field Championship Divisions. The tournament took place this year over three days: Sunday, July 20, Monday, July 21 and Tuesday July 22. Both the Senior Field Division and Super Senior Divisions consisted of 36 holes of stroke play on July 21 and July 22. First played in 2017, this is a stroke play championship host by the Jacksonville Golf Association.

Therese Quinn & Tama Caldabaugh Headed to the 62 US Women’s Senior Amateur in September

About Therese Quinn:

On July 30, 2024, Therese Quinn carded an impressive 77 at the Westhaven Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee (the only player to shoot in the 70s at that event) and is now on her way to the 62nd Women’s Senior Amateur.  The US Senior Amateur will be held at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Washington, September 21-26! Congratulations to Therese!

Therese is no stranger to USGA competitions. She has competed in 25 USGA events over the years which include: 2 US Opens, 3 US Amateurs, 2 US Senior Opens, 1 US Four-ball, 3 US Mid Amateurs and 14 US Senior Amateur events! Her best finish to date came in 2021 at Lakewood Country Club in Alabama when she made the “Sweet 16” in the US Senior Women’s Amateur! We are wishing Therese a repeat of that and beyond this year!

Among Therese’s memorable moments in US events was playing with JoAnn Carner (Big Mama) last year at the Waverly Country Club in Portland, Oregon,noting that JoAnn “can still hit it a long way”.

Over the years we have watched and admired Therese as she competes in local and national events.  We just had to ask, what advice can you give those of us heading into a competition”? She offered this, “prepare yourself on all levels of mental and technical skills, then go out and compete without expectations.”

We have seen Therese Quinn do all of that and always with a smile and humor! Good luck Therese – we will be cheering for you!

About Tama Caldabaugh

August 15, 2024, Tama Caldabaugh was one of only two golfers on the day to card a 76 at the Bent Pine Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur this fall. This will mark Tama’s 9th trip to this prestigious event!

Tama is well known to many for her fine performance in tough competitions. She is a multiple winner of many including championship events including JWGA’s Championship. Tama has raised the trophy in 2003, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016 and most recently in 2023.

Additionally, Tama has  played in 4 USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships, 9 USGA Senior Women’s Championships (including this one) and 1 USGA Senior Women’s Open Championship.  Her best finish came in 2015 when she lost in extra holes in the semi-finals. That championship year was made even more memorable by recording a hole-in -one on the 14th hole in her round of 16 match to go dormie.

What advice does Tama give to those of us wishing to improve our chances when competing?.  “Know your carry distances and hit enough club to carry any greenside bunkers.” That sounds like good advice whenever we play!

The JWGA is wishing Therese and Tama good luck in September! We will be watching and cheering!

 

 

Tian Jones Takes 1st Place in the Senior Division of the First Coast Women’s Amateur

Ponte Vedra, Fla., July 24, 2024 – Tian Jones, member of the King & Bear at World Golf Village, took home 1st place honors in the Senior Field Division at the 2024 First Coast Women’s Amateur held this year at the Plantation at Ponte Vedra.  Tian carded scores of 78 and 86 to finish 8 shots ahead of second place competitor, Mary Gallagher.

The First Coast Women’s Amateur Championship is Northeast Florida’s premier women’s golf championship. Each year, the top female golfers compete across multiple divisions from amateur, senior and super senior to be able to claim the coveted title of Champion or 1st place winner in their division. The Championship was founded in 1990 by Mary Hafeman, former LPGA tour professional and PGA professional.  Mary has won multiple awards and accolades including being named “Teacher of the Year” in Wisconsin for multiple years.

Today, the First Coast Women’s Amateur is made possible by the hard work of it’s committee members, many long time JWGA members.  Our JWGA members are always well represented in the field each year.  Congratulations Tian!

 

 

 

 

 

Lori Collins Wins FSGA Women’s Senior Amateur Middle Division Match Play Championship

New Smyrna, Fla., June 26, 2024 – Once again, a Florida State Championship tournament saw some familiar faces from our Jacksonville Area Women’s Golf Association competing against a strong field of Florida golfers! This week, Lori Collins of Jacksonville Beach Golf Club took home the honors in a down to the wire individual match play tournament to win the FSGA Women’s Senior Amateur Middle Division Match Play Championship.

Sugar Mill Country Club was the site of three days of endurance golf. The Middle Division played matches on Monday and Tuesday. Match play elimination began after the afternoon matches on Tuesday with only a limited field left to compete for Wednesday’s Middle Division Championship.

Lori Collins and Karen Carter of the Middle Division were victorious in their matches on Tuesday and faced each other in the finals on Wednesday morning. Collins defeated Carter 3&2.

The Middle Division competed from a course length of 5,268 yards.

Congratulations to Lori Collin!

(Pictured: Left Karen Carter and right, Lori Collins.)

 

 

 

Tama Caldabaugh & Kim Meyer Scott Win FSGA’s Women’s Senior Four-Ball Championship

OCALA, Fla. – The Women’s Senior Four-Ball Championship ended in style with the team of Tama Caldabaugh and Kim Keyer-Scott claiming the trophy. The duo fired 71-73-144 to capture the win by three strokes over the field. In addition, the team of Taffy Brower and Kathie Westlund grabbed the victory in the Super-Senior Division posting scores of 75-79-154 to narrowly avoid a playoff and outlast the field by only one stroke.

Senior Championship Division

It was the tale of two nines during the first round at Country Club of Ocala. The forecast looked bleak as play started in the rain, but as players made the turn to their second nine, the weather dissipated, and sun decided to shine. The wind started to gust, which led to challenging playing conditions and only one team finished under par and on top of the leaderboard heading into the final round. Tama Caldabaugh and Kim Keyer-Scott fired a one-under par, 71 to hold the lead by one stroke over Lin Culver and Therese Quinn. Caldabaugh/Keyer-Scott posted four birdies over the eighteen holes, and spent the majority of the round trading the lead with Culver/Quinn.

The final round saw much colder temperatures, but that did not stop Caldabaugh and Keyer-Scott from taking charge. The duo fired a one over par, 73 to take a three stroke lead over the field. Caldabaugh and Keyer-Scott birdied the first hole of the day followed by another birdie on the back nine. Keyer-Scott expressed after the first round that the duo needed to birdie more par-five’s to seal the win. The pair started out their first birdie on the first hole of the day, a par-five. Caldabaugh stated, “We teamed up well. In the final round, we had a shaky front nine but then we had a really good up and down on hole eleven and then birdied hole twelve and that righted the show and calmed us down.”

In addition, Culver and Quinn fired a three over par, 75 to finish in solo second place while the team of Ruiz-Munoz/Godfrey and Ricard/Agnew shared third place with a tournament total of four over par, 148.  (Content is from the FSGA official press release)

A One Of A Kind Day, Linked By Family, Forged Through Golf, Punctuated By Generosity

Fleming Island Golf Club Feb. 21 – On this morning, as JWGA members prepared for the annual President’s Cup rivalry between the Eagles and the Tigers, little did they know that today would be a day like no other in the associations 97 year history!

As players gathered to hear last minute instructions before tee time,Charles Raulerson, owner of Fleming Island Golf Club since 2013, and former PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour player addressed the group with some exciting news.

Raulerson shared that in honor of both his aunts, Shirley Shave and Betty Cook, he treated everyone to today’s round of golf. In addition to that, to further commemorate his aunts and this year’s JWGA President’s Cup, each player player received a towel.  The towel read: “In Honor of Betty Cook and Shirley Shave, “Sisters in Golf”. Shirley Shave and Betty Cook were both JWGA members, Shirley served as JWGA President from 1977-1979.

The sentiment on the towel and their incredible generosity signifies just how deeply entrenched Jacksonville Women’s Golf Association is in the state’s golf history and in the hearts of its members.

Therese Quinn Wins 2023 Shelly Madison Invitational

November 9, 2023 – Therese Quinn captured the 2023 Championship title with an impressive score of 76 at the annual Shelly/Madison Invitational held at Timuquana Country Club.

The tournament was originally called the Sarah Shelly Invitational and was later renamed to honor another outstanding golfer, Julie Madison. (This year marks the 58th Shelly Madison Invitational and the 21st Annual as the Shelly/Madison.

The tournament honors two of the champion golfers in our area. Sarah Shelly and Julie Madison. Both Shelly and Madison have distinguished themselves as great players as well as true ambassadors for golf and for women’s golf. In addition to winning many top golf awards, Both Sarah Shelly and Julie Madison were 3 time JWGA Champions and long time JWGA members.

Julie Madison was on hand Thursday at the presentation of this title to Champion Therese Quinn. The JWGA membership was well represented. Congratulations to all of our JWGA members for their fine finishes at this event.

CALDABAUGH, QUINN, BREZA & HUNT HELP THE NORTH TO THEIR FIRST EVER VICTORY OF THE WOMEN’S FLORIDA CUP

LAKE WALES, Fla. – For the first time in Women’s Florida Cup history, the North walks away victorious. North Florida raised the cup with a 20-12 victory on Tuesday at Mountain Lake.

It was the North’s first Women’s Florida Cup victory in the championship’s 12-year history.

Four-Ball Matches

The championship began on Monday morning with eight four-ball matches. The North team came out strong earning 5.5 points, while the South picked up 2.5 points.

Ashley Zagers and Lanlan Sun got the first point of the day for the North team with a 3-and-2 victory. Susie Keane and Carolyn Creekmore took their match to the 18th hole, with Keane rolling in a birdie putt to secure the 1-up win for the North. Therese Quinn and Liliana Ruiz-Munoz also added another point for the North, winning 1 up.

Brooke Raney and Meadow Southworth got the only win for the South in the morning, with a 3-and-1 win. The South’s Meghan Stasi/Amy Kennedy and the North’s Tama Caldabaugh/Lin Culver both won the 18th hole to tie their matches and win a point for their respective teams.

Foursomes Matches

Monday afternoon’s foursome matches saw a close session, with both teams coming away with four points. Zagers and Sun won their second match of the day, 4 and 3, and putting the North on the board first in the afternoon. Lauren Heinlein and Kelli Pry captured a commanding 7-and-6 win for the North

Meghan Stasi and Amy Kennedy won two of their last three holes to come back and earn 0.5 point for the South. Kim Keyer-Scott and Kathy Glennon added a point for the South with a big 7-and-6 victory, winning six-straight holes.

Cheryl Sadlon and Heidi Phillips took the last match of the day to the 18th hole, winning 1 up and adding a final point for the South. North headed into Tuesday’s final round with a 9.5-6.5 lead over the South, needing seven points to win their first Women’s Florida Cup.

Singles Matches

The North team came out strong in Tuesday’s Singles matches, with Christine Hunt, Liz Breza and Linda Chen all taking the first three matches all before the 17th hole. Keyer-Scott and Cheryl Sandlon earned two points for South, both winning 3-and-2, while Zagers continued her strong play with a 5-and-4 victory.

It was Tama Caldabaugh who clinched the victory for the North, birdieing the 18th to win 1 up. The North team picked up 10.5 points in the singles to take home the victory, while the North ended with 5.5.

Zagers and Breza were the only two players to capture three wins at Mountain Lake.

CONGRATULATIONS to SHAUNA SNYDER

Member Shauna Snyder traveled to Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England and Competed in the 11th annual Simpson Cup, a match-play event that pits 13 injured servicemen and women from the UK and the United States against each other in a Ryder Cup-style competition.

Shauna Snyder is one of only two women who qualified to play, and two years ago, she became the first woman ever to compete for Team USA when the 2021 Simpson Cup was played at The Creek Club in Long Island, N.Y. This year she was interviewed on Golf Central – see the link below to view the interview.

2022 Story from the Golf Channel – Read the full story, “How this woman’s work is changing lives, one injured veteran at a time”, Article.

2023 Interview on Golf Central – Here is a downloadable link to Shauna’s appearance on Golf Central: Interview

CONGRATULATIONS to THERESE QUINN

Member Therese Quinn Traveled to Waverly Country Club in Portland, Oregon and Competed in the USGA Senior Women’s Open.

Therese Quinn traveled to Portland, Oregon to compete in the USGA Senior Women’s Open. This major Women’s golf event is comprised of Senior Women Golfers from age 50 and up. Usually the field is 80% made up of former Professionals or retired professionals. Only around 20% of the field is made up of pure amateurs.

It is amazing and a great source of pride that our JWGA has a member, who qualified for this prestigious event and played with some of the most talented and historic women golfers in America like Joanne Carner, Annika Sorenstam, Julie Inkster and other greats.

CONGRATULATIONS to KIM BRUCE

Winner of the Senior Field Division of the First Coast Women’s Amateur Tournament.