Here’s something to celebrate!
Peggy Ference, an amateur golfer from New Jersey has been picked to be the first woman to compete in Golf Digest’s U.S. Open Challenge at Pebble Beach.
Picked over 5 other male competitors in the final round of the voting, Peggy captured over 37% of the 65,000 total votes cast by readers over the past two months. She will join Wayne Gretzky, NFL quarterback Drew Brees and actor Mark Wahlberg at Pebble Beach. (Click here to learn more about the celebrities who will be playing.) Playing from the same back tees as the guys, she will attempt to break 100. A Telecast of the Celebrity Round will be aired on NBC – Sunday, June 20, just before the U.S. Open’s final round is broadcast.
Golf Digest’s Bob Carney, offers his analysis:
For Ference to prevail against Pebble Beach, she’ll have to be both straight and long off the tee, two things she’s worked hard on since being chosen one of five finalists last month. So there’s no confusion: There will be no “forward” or “women’s” tees used. All of the amateurs will play from the same back tees the Open contestants use — the way backs that will stretch the course to 7,040 yards. “It’s gonna be really hard, ” acknowledges Ference. “But my advantage is I hit the ball straight. It’s not going to be in somebody’s back yard or in the ocean. And 40 percent of the score comes from the short game. From 100 yards and in, whether you’re a man or a woman doesn’t matter.” Read more from the Golf Digest website.
With a handicap of 4.6, Peggy Ference has a chance to make history. For the past two years while she was temporarily unemployed, Peggy took full advantage of her free time to fine tune her golf game. With the discipline of daily practice every morning and winning four club championships in recent months, Peggy is feeling upbeat. “There’s no ‘lose’ in this. I want to make sure I have fun, that I take in Pebble Beach, really enjoy it. Game on!”
All the best, Peggy. We wish you every success!
For more information about Peggy check out Berkley Golf Consulting.
