Team USA wins Women’s PGA Cup at Sunriver Meadows golf course
Published 8:10 am Sunday, October 6, 2024
- From left, Ashley Grier, Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth, Sandra Changkija, PGA of America President and Team USA Captain John Lindert, Joanna Coe, and Allie Knight pose with the PGA Cup trophy after winning the Women's PGA Cup at Sunriver Resort on Saturday.
PGA of America president and United States team captain John Lindert had been praising the depth of the U.S. team all week at the 2024 Women’s PGA Cup at Sunriver Resort.
The five PGA of America club professionals from across the country backed up their captain’s claims, winning the third consecutive Women’s PGA Cup for the U.S. on Saturday with a team total of 14-under 625.
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Canada (637) finished runner-up, Australia (653) third, Great Britain & Ireland (665) fourth, Sweden (693) fifth and South Africa (701) sixth at the Sunriver Meadows course.
This marked the third playing of the Women’s PGA Cup, a biennial international team competition featuring PGA club professionals. The three-day, 54-hole stroke play tournament was staged Thursday through Saturday.
“As a team today, with all five players, we were 8-under, which is really incredible,” said Lindert, PGA Director of Golf at the Country Club of Lansing (Mich.) “Once again the team performed from top to bottom. I just kept telling the girls to keep playing their game and they did a fabulous job.”
Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth, PGA teaching professional at San Jose Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla., took command of the lead for the U.S. Team, and the field, with a final round 5-under 66, leading to medalist honors and a 6-under 207 for the week.
Connelly Eiswerth recorded five birdies on Saturday, including on the first two holes of her round, with no bogeys. She closed out the front nine with a 20-foot birdie on the par-four 9th, followed by birdies on holes 13 and 17 to cement her place atop the individual leaderboard.
“I knew if I had a good day, the team could have a good day,” Connelly Eiswerth said.
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Allie Knight, a Tennessee PGA section member, finished runner-up at 3-under 210 for the week.
“I was nervous, but I played great today,” Knight said. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done; what an honor to represent the USA and to win.”
Rounding out the U.S. Team in the final round was Ashley Grier, who carded a 1-under 70 competing in her third Women’s PGA Cup; Sandra Changkija, also recording a 1-under 70; and Joanna Coe with a 3-over 74, finishing in fourth overall at even par.
Team Canada, finishing 2-under par as a team for the week, was once again led by Christine Wong, the PGA teaching professional at University Golf Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. She finished in third place individually, 3-under for the tournament.
The 2024 Women’s PGA Cup was the last of three PGA of America championships contested at Sunriver Resort in September and October, following the Men’s PGA Cup and the Senior PGA Professional Championship.
“It was an incredibly exciting 45 days to have the PGA of America here at Sunriver Resort,” said Sunriver Resort vice president of operations Josh Willis. “To have the PGA Cup and then the seniors, and now five other countries represented this week with the women, it was a great way to continue our championship history with the PGA of America. It was an honor for myself, a PGA Member, and our almost 20 PGA professionals on staff, to expose this beautiful place that we call home.”