As Hannah Bagnell and Breanna Noble took their victory walk up to the podium to receive their 2023 Women’s Four-Ball Championship trophies, the remaining 188 players in the field couldn’t help but rise to their feet and incite a roaring round of applause. It was a fitting end to a historical event as Hannah and Breanna, each 14 years old, worked together to shoot seven-under over 36 holes at Desert Willow Golf Resort to become the youngest winners ever in Four-Ball Championship history.
It was evident the SCGA Junior members were firing on all cylinders from the jump, as they logged the championship’s lowest round on Monday, four-under 68, to share the clubhouse lead with AiLam Newkirk and 2022 SCGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year, Shelly Haywood.
The two teams were paired together on the final day, and the teenagers did not flinch, going shot for shot against the decorated amateurs. Bagnell/Noble broke through and established a solo lead on their third hole of the day, when Noble chipped in for eagle from the fringe of the par-5 18th hole. Newkirk/Haywood bogeyed, so the three-shot swing gave Bagnell and Noble enough cushion to hold the advantage and eventually capture the crystal.
Fighting extremely windy conditions on Desert Willow’s Firecliff course, Noble rolled in a birdie on No. 4 while Bagnell contributed another on No. 14. All said, the teenagers finished two strokes better than the rest of the field. Haywood/Newkirk finished at five-under, joined by Sarah Staggs and 2019 Senior Women’s Player of the Year, Corey Weworski, for a runner-up finish.
