MIDDLETOWN, Rhode Island – As the skies cleared over the Narragansett Bay, women representing Mass Golf, Rhode Island, and Connecticut tee’d up for the 2023 Endicott Cup.
The Endicott Cup is the start of the final women’s championship for the season. The two-day, 36-hole stroke play championship will lead into the Tri-State Matches on Thursday.
After the first two days, low seven players from the Endicott Cup plus one alternate will compete in two simultaneous matches against competitors from the other two associations. One (1) point is awarded for every hole won, ½ point for every hole halved and zero (0) points for any hole lost. The remaining players compete in the Eaton Cup (Net) Tri-State Matches.
Massachusetts won both the Tri-States title and Eaton Cup last year with strong performances across the board in match-play.
Christine Gagner, co-captain for the event and 2021 Endicott Cup Champion, leads the way for Team Mass Golf coming out of Day 1. With a total of 3-birdies and a handful of pars across the board, Gagner holds a 2-stroke lead over Danielle Lee.
“My team was great. quite frankly being paired with the right people and having a really relaxing round helps. The practice round was invaluable to me. I played last Tuesday and the course was really nice. I love the greens here. Something about them that I just see things and they are nice and smooth and the ball was rolling well. I got a little sloppy on the back but I had three birdies today and that really helped” said Gagner.
Gagner attributed what her position as co-captain means to stand with friend Mary Gale and represent a wonderful team of players. “This is Mary Gale and my second-year being co-captains together. Last year we had a really great time with the team. It tends to be the same people over and over again and they are just a fantastic group of players. The only reason I agreed to be co-captain is because Mary Gale is the captain. She’s the captain of everything and she’s just great.”
After a successful first day, a majority of the Top-10 leaders are made up of members from Team Mass Golf. Players will tee off at 9:00am in a shotgun for the second day of stroke play to determine the Endicott Cup Champion.
1- Christine Gagner (MA): +5, 78
2- Danielle Lee (MA): +7, 80
3- Kym Pappathanasi (MA): +8, 81
T4- Debbie Johnson (CT): +10, 83
T4- Natalie Galligan (MA): +10, 83
T4- M J Wagner (MA): +10, 83
T4- Mary Gale (MA): +10, 83
T4- Kibbe Reilly (RI): +10, 83
T9- Wendy Marchese (MA): +11, 84
T9- Kristen Henderson (MA): +11, 84
In 1926, the first Endicott Cup tournament was held at Hartford Golf Club (CT) as a 36-hole stroke play competition between members of the Connecticut and Massachusetts Women’s Golf Associations. The Endicott Cup was presented by Priscilla Maxwell Endicott as the winner of the competition. The plan was that the first person to win the trophy three times would retire the cup.
Edith Baker won the Cup in 1926 and 1928 and requested that the trophy be perpetual, with the winner keeping it in her possession for the year. In 1929, Massachusetts (whose membership included Rhode Island) and Connecticut played the Kittredge Cup as the third day match play competition for the nine low gross players from each team. In 1930, Rhode Island joined as a third team and the Kittredge Cup was retired and replaced with the Tri-State Trophy.
Today, Endicott Cup competitors play two rounds of stroke play over the first two days. The seven low gross and seven low net players (plus an alternate from each state for the gross and net teams) compete in the Tri-State Matches (Gross) and the Eaton Cup (Net) on the third and final day.
“The Endicott Cup is truly a fun tournament which not only provides a great format for excellent golf but good competition against one another in an effort to make the match play teams as well as keen competition with the other states,” said former Massachusetts Endicott Cup captain, Marie Butera (2000). “More importantly, it provides an excellent opportunity for camaraderie and to develop friendships with golfers from Connecticut and Rhode Island.”
Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club is a classic links style course just five-miles from downtown, Newport, RI. Along the east side of Narragansett Bay, this 18-hole par-70 course is picturesque. Coming into their Centennial celebration in 2022, Wanumetonomy hired golf course architect, Tyler Ray, to begin a new plan for course restorations over the next 20 years.
