BRUNSWICK – Erin Holmes won the 2023 Maine Women’s Amateur Championship by five strokes on Wednesday at Brunswick Golf Club, claiming her first ever win in Maine’s premier women’s golf tournament. After an opening round of 71 that included a record eight birdies, Holmes had the lead from the get-go and held on the rest of the way, winning the MWA in wire-to-wire fashion. With rounds of 71-73-77—221 (-1), she outlasted Brunswick’s own Shivani Schmulen to win the event by five strokes.
During the trophy presentation at the end of the tournament, Holmes admitted this was the one tournament she’d always dreamed of winning. A former Maine Junior champion from Cumberland, Holmes now lives in South Portland but still plays golf at Val Halla GC where she grew up playing. The 24-year old entered the final round with a staggering eight stroke lead on the field, and held on down the stretch in the final round to earn the title, closing the day with six straight pars to close out a strong tournament where she finished as the only player under par.
Playing alongside Holmes in the final group were Schmulen and Jade Haylock, who made Holmes earn the win down the stretch, both making late birdies in their rounds to keep the pressure on. Schmulen plays out of the host club Brunswick and is a student at Bowdoin College in town, where she plays on the college’s golf team. She posted rounds of 74-78-74—226 (+4) over three days for a solo second finish.
Finishing in third place was the other player in the final pairing, Jade Haylock of Turner Highlands. She shot rounds of 74-78-76—228 (+6), beating out her sister and defending champion Ruby Haylock (+7) by one stroke. Kristin Kannegieser (+15) of Portland CC rounded out the top five in the field of 95 players.
In addition to the overall championship, prizes were also awarded in various flights to competitors in this championship. Click on the scoring link below to view all of the winners from this exciting event.
Maine Golf would like to thank Brunswick GC for hosting this year’s Maine Women’s Amateur Championship. One of the five founding member clubs of the Maine State Golf Association, Brunswick has long supported championship golf and served as great hosts yet again for this event.
ONLINE: Scoring