TOWNSEND, Massachusetts – For the second week in a row, women from across Massachusetts teamed up to continue the Women’s Tournament season. Monday’s action shifted to Northern Spy Golf Club for the Curtis Bowl Scotch, and for the second week straight week, the team of Kris Henderson (Bedrock Golf Club) and Elizabeth Derwin (Brookmeadow Country Club) found themselves hoisting the winners trophy.
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Formerly known as Townsend Ridge Country Club, Northern Spy boasts a design from Ted Manning/Mary Mills on Rye grass with tight fairways and lots of character, including unique metal sculptures decorating the course.
“We enjoy hosting large events like this at the Club,” said Joey Delorey, Head Golf Professional at Northern Spy. “We host Spring Team [Matches] as well and know how important it is to support the growth of the women’s game. A big congratulations to all the competitors today and we hope that they enjoyed the course.”
The Tournament follows the Scotch format with golfers hitting off alternate tees (player one hits drive on first hole, player two hits drive on second hole, etc.) and then play alternate shots into the hole.
One week after winning the Cris Eaton Chapman, Henderson and Derwin fired a 4-over 74 to best the closest competitors by three strokes. Playing a very difficult Scotch format, the two shared the work for the majority of the round with an impressive 14-hole stretch of pars.
“With a format like alternate shot, you know that you are going to get some bogeys,” Derwin said. “It was helpful that we built up a long stretch of pars as a buffer so that when that time came where a bogey popped up we were fortunate that our buffer was big enough to allow for that.”
Following a strong victory the week prior, the teammates of more than six years are thinking about their strategy and teamwork in a new way.
“Once we got the first bogey we got a little tense,” Henderson said. “We were talking as we were riding back to the clubhouse how helpful the lessons have been for us technically, now we just have to get a little better at the competitive part of it and put it behind us.”
Making improvements and looking forward to future events this season, the two remain grounded in their preparations and are enjoying their wins.
“My coach, Shawn Hester, has been a tremendous help for my game technically speaking, and I am so grateful for that, but one thing that is just as important is him helping me in building up my mental game more, helping me believe in myself,” Henderson said. “Beyond that, I am focused on ‘being athletic’ when I’m playing in events like this. I’m really looking forward to keeping some momentum going.”
Henderson will be playing in Mass Golf’s Mixed Four-Ball for the Stone Cup on Monday, May 17 at Twin Hills Country Club, while Derwin’s next event will the Women’s Stroke Play Championship for the Baker Trophy on June 7-8 at Ledgemont Country Club.
Not far off the lead, Betsy Masse and Teri Burtoft from Renaissance carded a 7-over 77 for a solo second-place finish highlighted by finding the cup for two birdies.
The low net honors of the day go to Lisa Heaps (Hyannisport Club) and Kathy Brown (Cape Cod National GC) who topped the board with a total net score of 1-under 69.
The two may look like they have been playing together for years, but Derwin and Henderson only met six years ago when they were paired up at a U.S. Senior Women’s Qualifier at Framingham Country Club.
“I did not know anyone within the Mass Golf, then WGAM, community,” Henderson said. “We had a really nice day playing together in that qualifier and I told Elizabeth afterwords to reach out if she ever wanted to play in a team event, and she ended up texting me in April to set something up.”
Added Derwin: “We signed up for the Curtis Bowl and ended up playing really well. For alternate shot, we played great and were tied for first but lost in a playoff. It is crazy random how it all started but it is really fun to think about.”
There are a few metal sculptures around Northern Spy that blend in with the landscape but adding a unique touch to the course.
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