Greenwood’s Cissye Gallagher won her 12th Women’s Mississippi Golf Association Amateur Championship today with a 2 and 1 win over Emily Ross in the finals at The Oaks Golf Club in Pass Christian.
Gallagher, 48, was making her first appearance in the State Am finals since 2006 — when she claimed her 11th title.
The former LSU standout, who once had a brief stint on the LPGA Tour, held off a late charge from Ross, a Southern Mississippi. Ross defeated Gallagher’s oldest daughter and defending champion, Mary Langdon Gallagher, 3 and 2 in the semifinals of the match-play format on Wednesday afternoon.
Cissye punched her ticket to the finals with a 3 and 2 victory over Kelly McKenzie Wednesday afternoon. She closed out the match by sinking a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole.
Cissye and McKenzie were even after nine holes, but the Greenwood golfer made birdies at holes 10, 11 and 12 to take control of the match.
Earlier in the day, Cissye came out on top of an intense, emotional match against daughter Kathleen, who won the tournament in 2013. Cissye prevailed 1 up when Kathleen, who will play golf this fall at LSU, hit her tee shot out of bounds.
It was the first time the two had squared off in this tournament even though Cissye has played Mary Langdon several times in the event.
“I hate our first-ever head-to-head match had to come in the quarterfinals. It’s not as hard for me to play the girls as it is for the girls to play me,” Cissye said. “Kathleen is the most talented player in the field, but she is still recovering from a (broken hand). She just wasn’t as sharp as she normally is.”
