Oakland Park’s Stasi putts her way to title
Meghan Stasi was on the practice green at Coral Ridge Country Club Friday morning when she figured out something she’d been told a long time ago about her putting stroke.
That revelation turned out to be key, as Stasi sank five birdie putts, including a 33-footer on the final hole, to defeat Alexa Pano 5 and 4 for the Amateur division title in the 86th Ione D. Jones/Doherty Women’s Amateur Championship in Fort Lauderdale.
“Before I teed off, I had something click from about three years ago that John Skaf told me,” Stasi said. “He’s a putting genius. I wish it would’ve clicked three years ago.”
Lisa Schlesinger of Fort Myers successfully defended her Senior Championship division title, beating Terrill Samuel of Toronto 2 and 1 in a rematch of last year’s final.
“She’s just too good,” said Samuel, who won the second hole with a par to go one up, but lost the third, sixth, seventh and 10th holes to go three down. Samuel won the 12th with a par, but she and Schlesinger halved the next five holes.
In the Senior First Flight final, Tama Caldabaugh of Ponte Vedra Beach defeated Jewell Malick of Heath, Texas, 3 and 2.
For Stasi, 39, of Oakland Park, it was her second Doherty title. The four-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champ won her first Doherty in 2012.
Pano, 13, of Lake Worth, was the defending champ. Although she played well Friday, she never had a chance against the red-hot Stasi.
“She just played lights out,” Pano said. “There’s nothing you can do about that.”
After they halved the first two holes, Stasi won the par-4 third with a par after she hit out of a greenside bunker to about 15 feet and made the putt. Pano, who had been in the same bunker, missed a slightly shorter putt.
Stasi then made a 10-footer for birdie on the par-5 fourth, a five-footer on the par-3 fifth and a fourfooter on the par-5 seventh to take a 4-up lead.
Bogeys by Stasi from a greenside bunker at the ninth and after hitting trees on her drive and approach shot at the 10th allowed Pano to cut her deficit to two down. But Stasi got back on track when she pitched her third shot on the par-5 11th to six feet and made the birdie putt to go three up.
Stasi won the 12th hole to go four up when she twoputted for par from the top level of the par-3 green and Pano three-putted from the bottom of the steeply sloped green.
After both players twoputted for par on the par-5 13th, Pano was facing a must-make par putt on the 14th after hitting out of a greenside bunker, but Stasi ended the match with her long birdie putt.
Schlesinger’s victory was equally rewarding because her goal was to become the first senior to win consecutive titles since Andrea Kraus of Baltimore, who won in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
“I thought I was very, very steady. I felt very confident,” said Schlesinger, who turned 60 on Tuesday.