Huntsville Golf Club successfully defended the AGA/GAP Women’s Coal Scuttle Championship title at their home club (par 72, 5,141 yards) Tuesday. This time, however, it was under a new playing format.
For the third consecutive year, Huntsville took the Women’s Coal Scuttle, placing three golfers in the top-five overall. In a best three-of-four Stableford points format, Danielle Dalessandro (29 Stableford points), Kathy Goeringer (23), Mary Beth Guyette (14, did not count toward total) and Bernadette McHugh (21) combined to take the hardware.
Glen Oak Country Club finished in the runner-up position with 58 points, while Philadelphia Country Club placed third with 57.
A change in format this year – from stroke-play overall in years past to the new Team Stableford – didn’t phase the champions. Instead, it fueled them.
The low individual honor went to Dalessandro, who helped propel Huntsville to the top.
“The new format definitely helped because you can collect points. It was really fun to play,” said Dalessandro, 23, of Moosic, Pa. “Everyone didn’t have to worry about making big numbers because you could pick up after double bogey, so we went out and played our best. We were missing our true No. 1 player (Barbara Pagana), but we told each other just to go low out there. We all played our A-games.”
Despite a 35-minute rain delay near the completion of play, Dalessandro, who fired a 7-over 79 en route to 29 Stableford points, earned the individual low honor. She also helped propel her team to the winner’s circle.
“A win is always good feeling,” said Dalessandro. “It’s been a long time since I’ve won anything, so it’s special for me. Especially with the out of town teams that came up from Philadelphia, and the best players coming out here, it was great to put together a solid round on my home course.”
A day prior, Dalessandro took home the Northeastern Pennsylvania Women’s Golf Association Championship at Elkview Country Club. The recent success has been a long time coming for the four-year Fairfield University player.
“It’s nice to get some wins. Back-to-back wins are even better,” she said.
The Anthracite Golf Association merged with the Golf Association of Philadelphia in 2018. Anthracite, an organization founded in 1951, promotes golf in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region. At the height of its growth, Anthracite included 46 Member Clubs in 18 counties.
Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The Association’s 260 Full Member Clubs and 75,000 individual members are spread across Eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
