Christmas 24—In only its third year, Sea Island’s Women’s Amateur golf tournament has grown at a strong rate that has allowed the opportunity for more and more of the best women’s amateur golfers to showcase their skills on Tom Fazio’s Seaside Course.
During the inaugural year, Mississippi State’s Hannah Levi ran away from the field to become the first champion of the event. Last year, Tennessee’s Kayla Holden held off College of Charleston’s Emma Schimpf and Levi to become the second champion.
“It’s great to have Kayla back,” said Sea Island Co-Head Professional Johann Emanuel. “Hannah turned pro this year, so we are going to miss her this year. She was a great champion our first year and we are happy to have Kayla back this year. We wish her all the best as she defends her title.”
Now, Holden returns with the hope of defending her title as she rounds out her final summer of amateur golf.
“I’m going to go into it the same way I would any other tournament and the same I did last year which is being patient and taking it one shot at a time,” Holden said. “This course is a place where you have to be patient, you can’t force much anyway. My game plan doesn’t change but obviously, I have it in the back of my mind. Once I go to bed tonight I’m going to put that away and just go into tournament mode.”
Focused and ready to deliver, Holden had her practice round and couldn’t help but remember the 18th hole on Seaside that helped her clinch the title.
In a three-way tie entering the final hole and a group behind Levi and Schimpf, Holden watched from the fairway as both ladies missed chances that could have separated them from the tie. Sticking to her routine, Holden sent her 165-yard 6-iron shot to 6 feet away from the hole.
“I obviously remember everything about that shot for sure and just going through my process and everything,” Holden said. “Executing it and going through my routine like I always do. I just got done with my practice round so it was fun being on 18 again and just being able to relive that moment again.”
Sinking the 6-foot putt to win the title and celebrating with a hug from her dad — who carried her bag — Holden is looking forward to spending time with her dad as her senior season begins in a few weeks.
“It’s really exciting knowing that this is my last summer of amateur golf and being able to have him with me is special,” Holden said. “We have had a busy summer so I haven’t been able to spend a ton of time at home, it’s nice to be able to be with my family and wrap up the summer.”
Remembering the special moment from a year ago as she walked around the 18th green during her practice round, Holden made note of the accomplishment but has her full focus ahead on the tournament.
“I didn’t try and hit that shot again, but it was definitely fun just being on that green again,” Holden said. “Just remembering the special moments, but also remembering that it is still just another round of golf and another tournament.”
Coming back to Seaside, Holden didn’t notice much of a difference in terms of the way the course would play out. As for Emanuel, he pointed out the reason for leaving the course similar to how it played in previous years.
“The setup is pretty much the same,” Emanuel said. “We may move a tee box up or back depending on the wind but they would do that with any other championships. You have to let the weather dictate how you set up the golf course. As a par 70, we only have two par 5s so hopefully the girls can take advantage of those.”
Having the self-belief and mindset coming into the tournament and the way she attacks the course, Holden very well could find herself in a position to hoist the Sea Island Women’s Amateur trophy once more.