Jersey Girls Finish Seventh At State Team Championship

The trio of Cindy Ha, Scotland Preston and Kuriko Tsukiyama finished seventh at the USGA’s Women’s State Team Championship played at The Landings Club in Savannah, GA earlier this month. Ha, Preston and Tsukiyama are all NJSGA champions and were selected for the team based on their performance in State competitions. Ha, 15, from Valley Brook Golf Club, is the reigning Junior Girls’ champion; Preston, 17, from Echo Lake Country Club, won the Women’s Amateur this summer; and Tsukiyama, 15, from Overpeck Golf Course, won the Women’s Amateur last year.

All three girls really valued the experience. They met lots of good golfers from other states and picked up some valuable playing experience on the national stage. Said Preston, “It was such a great experience, and playing in a USGA championship always has a special feel to it.”
The Women’s State Team Championship is a biennial event, alternating years with the Men’s State Team Championship. Each team plays three rounds of stroke play, with the two lowest scores from each round counting. The New Jersey team’s scoring was as follows: Round 1 – 77-78/155; Round 2 – 72-76/148; Round 3 – 74-84/158. The event was won by the Georgia team, defending champs from 2009.