Women Tour the Santa Barbara Golf Experience

Female golf enthusiasts gathered on May 30 and 31, as the Santa Barbara chapter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA) hosted the inaugural Santa Barbara Women’s Classic. The Classic serves as the first of two tournaments to showcase the golf experience around Santa Barbara, especially golf for women.

The EWGA differs from other golf associations because it gears its events toward women with busy weekdays and holds its tournaments and leagues during the weekends or evenings. The one exception to the EWGA’s creed is the second tournament they will host, the Santa Barbara Women’s Open, which takes place during the week. But the EWGA must be pardoned from breaking their own rules because they saved the Women’s Open four years ago, after another association decided to stop hosting the tournament.

The EWGA’s Women’s Classic proved as successful as the Womens’ Open. Tee-off began promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Rancho San Marcos Golf Course and concluded on Sunday at Glen Annie Golf Club. The tournament included two flights of individual-stroke play and two team, two-person best ball. (Each player plays her own ball; the lower of the two net scores on each hole determines the team’s score.)

In the championship flight, the individual low gross champion title went to former Santa Barbara resident and now USC student Victoria Alimonda (72/76-148) as Tomoko Takahashi came in first place with the top low net score (70/70-140). In the Premier flight, Donna Dishman finished first with her low gross score (94/88-182) while Gail Harling followed with a first place low net score (72/73-145).

Although the competition is open to female golfers outside of Santa Barbara, residents Wendy Laub and Jackie Misho drove home the first place low gross score in the two-person better ball flight (75/72-147). Sue Ratty-Seeman and Rena Dambly closed out the day with the first place low net score (64/60-124).

EWGA organizers say many players from the Classic are expected to return for the Women’s Open. Continuing the Santa Barbara golf experience, the Women’s Open will explore two new courses: the Santa Barbara Golf Club and the Sandpiper Golf Club. The contest will comprise individual stroke play and a scramble team option. (Teams of four compete against each other and individuals may play off a teammate’s shot.) The Women’s Open will award both individual gross and net winners. The scramble team option will award teams finishing first through third.

The Women’s Open calls upon any players with no more than a maximum index of 33 and will take place July 29 and 30. Interested participants should visit ewgasb.org and have until July 10 to register a team or as an individual.