Women's International Four-Ball in Florida

Kristy McLaughlin and Kelly Calkin with the towering Women's International Four-ball tournament trophy in Florida today.

TOP SEEDS McLAUGHLIN AND CALKIN LEAD ONLY ONCE IN

FINAL - BUT THEY WIN IT AT THE 20th!

Leading qualifiers Kristy McLaughlin and Kelly Calkin led only once in the final of the 62nd Women's International Four-ball tournament at Orangebrook Country Club, Hollywood in Florida.

But that's all they need to win the title - because it was at the 20th hole that they got their noses in front to end the marathon tie against US Curtis Cup team selection Meghan Bolger - beaten in an Orange Blossom Tour final for the second week in a row - and her partner, Canadian Jill Hardy.

McLaughlin, also a Canadian, and Calkin, the only Florida player of the four, played second fiddle for most of the regulation 18 holes but they never let a one-hole deficit get any bigger. They just hung on in there until the pendulum of power at last swung their way.

The match lived up to its expectations. Hardy and McLaughlin exchanged birdies on the front nine. Jill birdie the first hole to go one up and then birdie No 2 with a 25ft putt, only to be matched by Kristy with a 12-footer. They both birdied the fourth for a half.

Kristy birdied the fifth to go back to even. Then, with a Hardy eagle on the eighth, the Bolger and Hardy team were one up at the turn.

McLaughlin made a 25ft putt for a winning birdie 3 on the 11th to level matters once again.

Meghan Bolger made a birdie 3 on the par 4 13th for her team to show ahead again.

Kristy added another birdie on 15 from 18ft to bring it back to even and it remained tied till the end, thanks to a clutch 5ft par putt by Kelly Calkin on 18.

On the first extra hole Bolger and McLaughlin birdied the par-5. On the par-4 second (20th), Kristy rolled in a 20ft putt for a birdie 3. Jill and Meghan’s putts for a half slid past the cup.
Result:

Final - Kelly Calkin (Palm Coast, Florida) & Kristy McLaughlin (Wasecca Beach, Canada) bt

Meghan Bolger (Haddenfield, New Jersey) & Jill Hardy (Winnipeg, Canada) at the 20th.