Dree Fausnaugh Captures New England Women's Amateur Title

By Dalton Balthaser, RIGA
RUMFORD, R.I. – When Dree Fausnaugh made the turn in the final round she sat three shots behind Day Two leader Mia Grzywinski.
Instead of thinking she had to press and try to make birdies, she stuck to her game plan.
“I went into today knowing that Mia is a great player that doesn’t make any mistakes,” said Fausnaugh, 24, of Portsmouth, N.H. “She hits the ball really straight and doesn’t miss any putts. I knew she would be tough to catch.”
Fausnaugh’s bogey-free final round of 68 was good enough for a one-shot victory in the New England Women’s Amateur Wednesday at Agawam Hunt (par 71, 5,781 yards) in Rhode Island.
Fausnaugh finished with a three-day total of 3 under.
Grzywinski bogeyed three of her final four holes to finish at 2 under for the tournament. One shot out of getting into a playoff after her final round of 71.
“When I made my way back across the street to No. 15 (par 4, 365 yards) that’s when I felt things change,” said Grzywinski, 20, of Farmington, Conn. “At Agawam Hunt, coming across the street signifies getting to the end of the round. I was tired and I just trying to hang on. Maybe that wasn’t the best attitude to have.”
Grzywinski had a two-shot lead when she reached the tee on No. 15. But then she bogeyed the next three holes to fall one shot behind. She had a 25-footer at the last (par 4, 401 yards) to get into a playoff, but it came up just short.
“The goal should always be to hit the best shot that I can at each time,” said Grzywinski, a rising junior at Quinnipiac University. “That’s the biggest thing I learned.”
Fausnaugh had work of her own to do. She found herself in the greenside rough for her third. It was a fairly simple chip but the pressure made it much more difficult.
“I hit a ton of those chips before,” said Fausnaugh. “I knew it was close, but I didn’t know exactly where I stood, and I think that helped me ease any pressure I would have felt. I am happy I didn’t know where I stood. I felt the pressure over that putt, but I didn’t miss a 3-footer all round and I wasn’t going to miss it on the last.”
She didn’t.
“I was just trying to play my own game,” said Fausnaugh. “I wasn’t sure where I was on the leaderboard. I knew that I was within a few shots but didn’t know for sure. I tried to pace myself throughout the round. I wanted to stay at 3 under and I was focused on that.”
Throughout the round, Fausnaugh stayed in her own element. She stayed mentally focused on what she needed to do on each given shot. She never got too high or too low. She stayed calm under pressure, and it paid off in the end.
She’s the first golfer from New Hampshire to claim the New England Women’s Amateur since Dana Harrity who won the event at Keene Country Club in 2014 in her home state.
“Winning this event gives me a huge confidence boost,” said Fausnaugh. “This is the biggest win of my career. Being able to come out here and beat the best female golfers in New England is awesome.”
Tournament Division
Kibbe Reilly of Wannamoisett Country Club in Rhode Island claimed the Tournament Division with a three-day total of 248. She won by three shots over Kim Pappathanasi of Renaissance (Mass.)
She carded a final round of 77 (par 71, 5,508 yards).
“When you get all six New England states together it is a huge deal,” said Reilly, 65, of Providence, R.I. “To be able win a division of the New England Women’s Amateur means a lot.”