47th Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship to Host Top Female Amateurs in December at Talking Stick Golf ClubScottsdale, Ariz. –The 47th Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship presented by the AB Farrington Foundation is set for December 28 – 30 at Talking Stick Golf Club. The tournament features players aged 13-23 from across the United States and Canada. U.S. players will be traveling from 16 different states and as far as Florida and Hawaii to compete. More than 200 entries were received before selections were made for the final field of 96.
The 54-hole stroke play tournament will begin each morning at 9 a.m. Competitors will play the Piipaash Course (formerly South Course) which boasts a traditional layout with tree-lined fairways, water hazards and smaller, sloped greens at approximately 6250 yards. 2016 Champion Brigitte Dunne, 20, of Camarillo, Calif., returns to defend her title in her fifth year playing in the Championship. Dunne bested Haley Moore in an exciting sudden death playoff by making birdie for a final score of 210 (6 under par) for the three-day championship. Dunne attends Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She tied for third in the Women’s Southern California amateur and was the American Athletic Conference Championship runner up this past year. Returning for her seventh year to capture the Champion’s kachina, is Haley Moore, 19, of Escondido, Calif. Moore was a runner-up in last year’s championship. A junior at the University of Arizona, Moore is currently ranked 24th in the World Amateur Golf Ratings. Kenzie Wright, 20, of McKinney Texas, the 2015 Silver Belle Champion and Dunne’s SMU teammate returns for her third year. Wright, a Junior at SMU, was on the All-Conference Team for the American Athletic Conference, Golfweek Mid-Season All Conference Team and set the lowest scoring average as a Freshman at SMU. Six of last year’s top 10 finishers are returning in 2017. Aside from Dunne, and Moore, Alisaundre Morallos, 18, of Lakewood, Calif., who was 4th overall in last year’s Championship. Returning for her second year, Morallos is a Freshman at the University of Illinois. Elizabeth Wang, 17, of San Marino, Calif. will be playing in her fifth Silver Belle Championship, tying for 9th overall last year. She placed 4th in the Annika Invitational, 10th in the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and according to Junior Golf Scoreboard, is our highest ranked junior (#6 overall) competing. She was on the 3-member team representing the USA at the World Junior Girls’ Championship in 2016. Brittany Fan, 21, of Pearl City, Hawaii, who tied for 5th overall in last year’s Championship, is a Senior at University of Colorado Boulder. She was a USGA Women's Amateur Qualifier and Los Angeles Women's Open Amateur Winner. Emilee Hoffman, 20, of Folsom, Calif. is a Sophomore at the University of Texas, tied with Fan for 5th Place. Hoffman was the Sacramento City Amateur Champion and Sacramento County Amateur Champion this past year. Arizona high school golfers include Jenny Bae and Toni St. John of Hamilton High School; Emily Mahar, Breyana Mathews and Ashley Menne (2016 and 2017 JGA of AZ Player of the Year) of Xavier College Prep; Madeleine Laux of Millennium High School; Alexandra Quihuis of Salpointe Catholic High School; and Kelly Su of Chaparral High School. The youngest player in the field this year is Sophie Linder of Carthage, TN who is 13 years and 5 months. This will be her first time playing in the Silver Belle. Established in 1971 by founder Joanne Winter, the Silver Belle was created at a time when there were few opportunities for young women players to compete in tournaments. Joanne’s vision was to give girls the chance to experience the thrill and excitement of participating in a tournament. In the inaugural year, there were only 23 players. The tournament has grown from a local tournament to one of the premier internationally recognized amateur events. The results from the championship will earn the players points toward their World Amateur Golf Ranking. Many past participants and champions have continued their golf careers by playing on the LPGA or the Legends Tour. These players include: Paula Creamer, Pat Hurst, Cheyenne Woods, Cathy Gaughan Mant (1971 Champion), Mary Bea Porter-King (1973 Champion), Jenny Lidback (1981 Champion), Danielle Ammaccapane (1984 Champion), Emilee Klein (1991 champion), Yani Tseng (2005 Champion) and Angel Yin (2011 Champion). For more information and results during the tournament, visit www.azsilverbelle.com and follow instructions to our Tournament Portal. |