SELBYVILLE -- When Katy Heskett began playing golf 2 1/2 years ago, her goal was to beat her dad.

She can do that now, and more. She's a state champion.

Heskett withstood an early charge from Andrea Daly, including a hole-in-one, and shot a final-round 75 Wednesday to win the Delaware Women's Golf Association's Amateur Championship by nine strokes at Bayside Resort Golf Club.

Daly, who just completed her junior year at St. Mark's High, began the day six strokes behind Heskett. But she made par to Heskett's bogey on the opening hole, and hit a 7-iron on the 127-yard third hole that hit just short of the cup -- and disappeared.

"Did it go in?" she asked. When told that it did, she screamed before playing partner Dottie Farmer gave her a big hug.

Heskett also witnessed the ace, then pushed her tee shot to the right. A brilliant pitch shot saved a par, but just like that, the margin was down to three.

"I was speechless," Heskett said of Daly's ace. "But I was trying to keep my composure."

She did, driving within 15 yards of the green on the par-4, 276-yard fourth hole to set up an easy par as Daly bogeyed. Heskett then rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the fifth, and Daly bogeyed after driving into a hazard. The lead was back to six.

But Heskett found a fairway bunker on the way to a bogey on the par-5 sixth, and Daly birdied to cut the deficit back to four. It stayed that way as they started the back nine, and Heskett bogeyed the 10th and 11th. But Daly couldn't take advantage, making bogey and double bogey.

Then Heskett put the hammer down. A 10-foot par putt completed a sand save and merited a mini-fist pump on the 13th. Heskett then reached the par-5 14th in two, hitting a hybrid club 180 yards across a marsh to the green to set up a two-putt birdie. Daly's second shot found the marsh, leading to a double bogey. Heskett's 15-foot birdie putt on the 15th put the icing on the cake.

Heskett, 18, a recent graduate of the Sanford School, will continue her golf career at Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., where more titles are likely. The Monarchs have won the last 10 NCAA Division III national championships.

"I'll be the last one on the putting green, the last one on the tee," Heskett said. "I'm playing against some kids who started when they were 6, so I have to catch up."

Heskett improved all three days, shooting 81-80-75--236. Daly finished second at 78--245, followed by Farmer 81--248.

"I knew I had a lot of strokes to make up, but after the hole-in-one, I was like, 'I can actually do this,' " Daly said. "But Katy is an amazing player. She didn't let up the entire day."

Farmer was happy with third, her best finish in many DWGA appearances, but could only marvel at the two teenagers.

"I just wish I could have started when I was their age," she said.

Posted: June 6, 2006

The Delaware Women’s Golf Association and the Delaware State Golf Association are proud to announce that their organizations will be entering into a partnership for the 2007 golf season.

The DSGA will assist the DWGA in the operations management under the direction of Jennifer O'Brien, the DSGA's current Administrative Assistant. Leveraging the DSGA best practices along with tournament and player management tools will enable the DWGA to enhance the tournament program for the players.

Changes to look forward to:

• Computerized tournament management system for all DWGA events including:
• Scorecards
• Scoreboards
• Pace of Play
• Scoring
• Combined Boys and Girls Junior Championship

The DWGA office will be consolidated with the DSGA office, the location is on Lancaster Pike, in the Hockessin Office Park. All correspondence can be sent to this location.

The new DWGA mailing address is:

7234 Lancaster Pike
Suite 302-B
Hockessin, DE 19707

We hope that you will enjoy the changes to come through this cooperative partnership.

Posted: June 6, 2006

Anyone interested in Women's or Junior's Amateur Championships from other states, please contact the DWGA by e-mail at dwga@dwga.org or by phone at (302) 561-4701.

We presently have applications for Oregon, California, and North Carolina. The required handicap index is 5.4 on most applications.

Posted: May 16, 2006

Members of the DWGA can now post scores online using GolfNet's Online Score Posting system. Click on the link below to access the site for easy input of your scores online. The link can also be accessed through the HANDICAPPING button in the navigation bar to the left.

Online Score Posting