Heine takes 2016 Women’s Baton
Rouge Championship
by Jack Terry
24
On a bright Sunday afternoon in the
Fall, on a fast Webb Golf Course, the 2016
Ladies Championship got off to its start after
having been moved from its August date
due to the area wide flood. Three divisions,
Senior, Mid-Am and Championship got
underway in a one-day 18 hole stroke play
event. Webb was at its best, offering the
players the opportunity to drive the ball a
little further due to the drier conditions, but
then turn treacherous as the greens reached
12 on the stimp meter; generally the speed
of greens on the Pro Tour.
In the Senior Division, players ages 60
and above, Suzanne Seefield repeated her
2015 performance and took first place. She
admitted it was one of the best rounds she
played this year, and she was followed by
April Prestenback’s round of 85, who also
echoed it as one of her best rounds. Dee
Dee Bechnel rounded out the top three with
a score of 94.
The Mid-Am Division, players ages 42 to
59, found Tracy Simoneaux trying to defend
her title in this division, only to have Ginger
Covington (who feel just short last year in a
late rally) come through with a strong round
of 81. Simoneaux finished with 84 just
beating out Celeste Harris’ 3rd place score
of 87.
Covington played steady golf throughout
the round, finding in some instances the
fast greens a bit of a challenge, “I charged
a few putts and found myself with few 4 or
5 footers coming back, I managed a few but
also missed a few. You can’t really do that on
these greens.”
Covington managed
to hold off
Simoenaux who felt her play was good
enough to win but admitted she needed a
few more putts to fall as well. Celeste Harris
stayed in the mix coming in with an 87 to
take third.
Amanda Rothrock, defending Champion
from 2015, was a late withdrawal and was
unable to defend her title. Nevertheless,
an exciting class of young players stepped
up on the stage to make the chase for the
championship an exciting one. With the
tournament open to 13 years and up,
the event got an opportunity to see some
youthful quality play.
Driving up from the New Orleans area,
Cassidy Lambert came out of the gate firing
a one over 37 on the front. Ripping drives
that carried dog legs, Lambert gave a clinic
in assorted shot making and managed the
greens with ease.
For the other contenders, the closest
anyone could come was a 41 on the front
side. Cassidy, no more than 60 yards from
the green on hole 10, found the back nine
would come with some teeth, as the Webb
Golf Course seemed to announce that
enough was enough.
Lambert would find the back nine to be
a tale of where not to place the ball if one
misses a green at Webb. She still managed to
finish with an 83, extremely commendable
for a young 13-year-old bound to be one
of the best junior girl golfers in the state.
She will be attending Sacred Heart in New
Orleans as she is still in junior high.
Lambert wasn’t the only young gun
as several other High School players also
competed: Mary Sotile and Skylar Johnson
of U-High, Caroline Covington from
Denham Springs, and Kylie O’Brien from
Zachary. Then local 20-something sisters
Rachael and Victoria Huggins, and Emily