In one of the first tournaments for Ohio high school girl golfers since COVID-19 hit in March—players in the Ohio Girls Golf Foundation Showcase on July 27 said they felt like the event “brought things back to feeling normal again.”

“As soon as we decided not to cancel and opened registration online, our field filled quickly, and we went to a waiting list,” says OGGF Executive Director Lynne Plaisance. “We ended up with the biggest field in our 26-year history, with more than 90 players from all over the state competing. After not seeing each other this summer, many of the girls seemed thrilled to reunite on the golf course.”

Though they arrived at Avon Oaks Country Club in Avon, Ohio, ready to play—Mother Nature showed up, too, hammering the course with torrential rains and storms midway through the round, cutting play short without all the golfers finishing their holes.

“Despite all the added work it took to create a safe and socially distanced event, I’m glad we decided to go through with the Showcase,” says Tournament Chairperson Helene D’Andrea, who is also the reigning CWGA champion. “This is a wonderful cause that’s always been close to my heart.”

Teams competing in the event included Avon, Avon Lake, Chagrin Falls, Hathaway Brown, Highland, Kent Roosevelt, Lexington, Magnificat, Medina and Olmsted Falls. 

During the event, OGGF Scholarship Chairperson Dorothea Polster presented four of the eight annual winners who were in attendance: Lydia Geygan from Archbishop McNicholas High School in Cincinnati, who will attend Miami University; Amanda Holtzman from Avon High School, who will attend the University of Dayton; Jordan Pruitt from Edison High School, who will attend the University of Findlay; and Anna Watson from Ashland High School, who will attend Eastern Michigan University. Other scholarship winners this year who were not in attendance include Jacquelyn Adler from Hubbard High School who will attend Otterbein University; Haley Brenner from Theodore Roosevelt High School, who will attend John Carroll University; Emily Picicco also from Theodore Roosevelt High School, who will attend Kent State University; and Emily Schwenn from Broadview-Brecksville High School who will attend The Ohio State University.

Applications for the 2021 scholarships, as well as applications for financial aid to attend golf tournaments are available online at OGGF.org. 

Since the formation of the Ohio Girls Golf Foundation in 1994, the number of girls’ high school golf teams in the state has grown from zero to more than 200.

The Foundation’s mission is to encourage, sponsor and support the game of golf for girls by providing college scholarships, golf training programs and financial assistance.