University of Arizona’s Hayley Moore Leads the Field at the 46th Annual Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship
Scottsdale, Ariz. –Hayley Moore of Escondido, Calif., shot a 4-under-par 68 on Wednesday to clinch the lead at the first round of the 46th annual Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship presented by the AB Farrington Foundation at Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The tournament continues Thursday and Friday. Moore, 18, who tied for 2nd place at the 2016 NCAA Championship, felt she was both striking the ball and putting well. “I knew there were birdies out there and I knew which holes I could attack. I didn’t go for the tucked pins, just played it safe. When I was putting I played to the breaks on the green,” said Moore. Her strategy for the remainder of the tournament is to play the same way she did today by looking for birdie opportunities and when a boogey does happen she’ll remember to “just play steady”. Moore graduated from high school early to play golf at the collegiate level. This is the sixth consecutive Silver Belle Championship. Her goal is to attend qualifying school next year. “It’s on one of my lists of things I want to do!” Moore quipped. Shooting a 3-under-par 69 was Alexa Melton, 16, of Covina, Calif., with 4 birdies and an eagle on the par 5 12th hole. “I hooked my tee shot into the rough but it was not too bad of a position so I used my 5 wood and got a couple feet from the green and then I chipped in for the eagle,” Melton said. This is the first Silver Belle for the sophomore who attends South Hill High School in Covina, Calif. Tied with Melton at 3-under-par is Gabby Barker, 20, of Caldwell, Idaho. Barker attends Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. Barker was named a Big 12 Player of the Year. Her sister Tyler works at Talking Stick Golf Club so she has been able to spend some time with her sister during her stay in Scottsdale. Defending champion Kenzie Wright, 19, of McKinney, Texas shot a 2-under-par 70 with 4 birdies for her first 18 holes. “My game overall was very consistent and I didn’t try to push it too much. It was a very steady round. I was making good par putts and I chipped in at 9 so that was good,” Wright said. She plans to continue with the same strategy for the duration of the tournament and will stay in the round, not thinking past the shot or hole she is playing. Wright is very excited to be back to defend her title. “It is cool to come back and awesome to be defending this title,” stated Wright. A freshman at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, Wright competed at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, and placed in the top 5 at the University of Texas College Tournament. There are six US players who are ranked in the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings – Alyaa Abdulghany (74), Gabby Barker (69), Jennifer Kupcho (73), Haley Moore (68), Krystal Quihuis (2013 Silver Belle Champion 72), and Alana Uriell (74). 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, 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, please visit www.azsilverbelle.com