MARBLEHEAD — Kym Pappathanasi continued her dominant reign at the Women’s Club Championship at Tedesco Country Club Friday morning as she won her fourth straight and 11th overall championship.
This year’s tournament was held in stroke-play format, contrary to last year’s match-play style, consisting of three 18-hole rounds totaling 54 holes. Pappathanasi posted 249 to best Amy Krypel and Joanne Steadman, who both tied for second place, by 14 strokes, with Krypel winning the Senior Women’s title.
“This year I’ve just been playing really well,” said Pappathanasi. “I feel that I have brought my game to a new level.”
In a statement posted on the club’s website, the club commented on the determination of Pappathanasi. “Throughout the tournament, Kym showed tremendous mental toughness. Getting off to a slow start in round one, she was able to persevere through a six-over start to hold the overnight lead by one stroke over Joanne Steadman.”
Even with the rough start, no one was going to catch Pappathanasi as she improved her 18 hole score each day of the tournament. She began the tournament by shooting an 85 on Wednesday, taking a one-shot lead over Steadman. Pappathanasi followed that with a Thursday second-round score of 83, including a 40 on the back nine, to stretch the lead to six over Steadman, who shot 88. Pappathanasi saved her best for last with an 81 on Friday. She started the final round red hot, shooting a three-over 39 on the front and followed that up with a 42 on the back to close out the tournament.
Pappathanasi was not the only one who was able to improve her scoring each day, as Krypel shot a 93 on Wednesday, followed by two back-to-back 85s on Thursday and Friday. Krypel’s tournament was highlighted by an eagle 2 on the par 415th during the second round in which she holed out from 120 yards. Steadman rounded out the top three finishers with scores of 86, 88, and 89.
Steadman, who has won seven titles, played Pappathanasi in last year’s match-play finals, with Pappathanasi ultimately besting her by a score of 6 and 4. The two have dominated the Women’s Club Championship as the last 18 champions have either been Pappathanasi or Steadman.
While Pappathanasi won by a wide margin, she said it wasn’t easy keeping Steadman and Krypel at bay.
“It’s always fun to play with Joanne, but Amy really came in and I had to step up my game because she is playing really good golf right now,” Pappathanasi said.
Some of Pappathanasi’s passion for golf came from her cousin, Pam Scangas, who also won a number of club championships at Tedesco. Pappathanasi attributes a lot of her success and motivation to Scangas.
“I’ve had a lot of people to look up to, like my cousin, and I’ve just always wanted to follow in their footsteps,” she said.
With this year’s win, Pappathanasi will look to continue her dominant performance next year at Tedesco, where she will go for her fifth consecutive Club Championship.
Ryan Vermette can be reached at [email protected].
