Competitors in a 3-way tie for the46th Annual Joanne Winter Silver Belle Championship
Scottsdale, Ariz. –Yesterday’s leader Haley Moore of Escondido, Calif., Bridgette Dunne, of Camarillo, Calif., and Gabby Barker, of Caldwell, Idaho are in a 3-way tie after shooting 2-day totals of 140 (4-under-par) at the 46th Annual Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle presented by the AB Farrington Foundation at Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. A champion will be named and receive the coveted Kachina trophy after Friday’s final round.Moore, 18, who came in third at last year’s Silver Bell and plays for the University of Arizona, was pleased to be able to retain her lead today and credits her putting for her success.
“I’ve been able to read the speed of the putts well and some of the greens have been a little tricky,” said Moore.
She added that the cross winds on the back nine made the day more challenging because it was more difficult to judge the movement of the ball and which club to use. All in all she was very satisfied with her round.
Fellow Californian Bridgette Dunne, 19, had 2 birdies during the second round and no bogeys.
“I was very consistent today hitting into the fairway and onto the green. I knew if I could stay consistent throughout the match I would play well,” commented Dunne
The Southern Methodist Sophomore, playing in her 4th Silver Belle Championship, enjoys this tournament because it is during the off season when there are not a lot of tournaments and the competition is always very good.
“There are always good players at this event and the scores have to be low. It makes it a cool event to play,” she said.
Rounding out the top three is Gabby Barker, 17, who attends Texas Tech in Dallas, Texas and is playing in her 2nd Silver Belle.
“I played a solid round today overall, my putting was very good,” stated Barker.
In the final round, Barker plans to continue to stay on the fairways and shoot for the middle of the greens, a strategy that has played out well for her so far.
She too enjoys the Silver Belle because of the high level of competition and because of the way the tournament is conducted.
Brittany Fan, 20, of Pearl City Hawaii, is fourth with a score of 142 leaving her 2- under-par for the two days of competition. Fan is a junior at Colorado University in Boulder, Colo.
2013 Champion Krystal Quihuis, 20, and Ashley Menne, 14, are close behind the leaders with a total of 143 and 1-under par. Quihuis is a junior at the University of Arizona and Menne is a freshman at Xavier Prep in Phoenix.
Last year’s champion Kenzie Wright was upbeat about tomorrow stating that with one more day of competition there is always room for improvement and last year she came from 5 shots behind the leader to win.
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
