New Hampshire wins Tri-State Trophy

Bragging rights belong to New Hampshire. A team of 30 female Granite State golfers successfully ended a two-year drought to take top honors in the in the 51st annual Tri State Tournament with Maine and Vermont at the North Conway Country Club in North Conway.New Hampshire took a 10 and a half point lead after the first day of play Wednesday and ran away with things Thursday, scoring 176 points to top Vermont, 143, and Maine, 86.Representing the Granite State were Barbara Bechard, Louise Billy, Joanne Botos, Anne Bryan, Nancy Byers, Nancy Calder, Deb Crowley, Peg Crowley, Pat Cutler, Barbara Dion, Kathy Doane, Sandra Estlund, Pat Flynn, Deborah Kay, Marilyn Kelley, Nancy Lamb, Andrea Morrell, Kathy Slattery, North Conway Country Club's own Nancy Stewart, Connie Stone, Joy Thomas, Nicole Tombs, Pat Upham, Kathy Veracco, Betsy Webster, Torrie Whitcher, Patti Wildman, Rowena Wilks, Deb Zimmerman and Cynthia Ross, tri-state chairman for New Hampshire.Played in a Ryder Cup-style, teams were set up in three divisions with eight players in Division I, 14 in Division II, and eight in Division III. Wednesday's competition was match play, alternate shots with the low handicap person and high handicap person playing together in each division as partners. Thursday's format was individual match play. Each threesome was a three-way match against the other two states.New Hampshire started five rookies in Wednesday's play and they were right at home on the links at N.C.C.C. The team of Estlund and Botos took all six points in their match. Thursday's highlights included a fine six-point effort by Calder, who wasn't alone in racking up the points as teammates Billy, Morrell, Whitcher, Kay and Cutler also struck for six points each. The shot of the day belonged to Upham, who fired her first career hole-in-one, finding the bottom of the cup on the Par 3, 159-yard seventh hole.Ross was delighted with her team's success and thrilled with two days of great weather and play at N.C.C.C. "The North Conway Country Club was their usual epitome of efficiency and graciousness in hosting the event," she said. "Larry and Kathy Gallagher and their staff did a superb job of running the tournament and I think the rangers passing out ice cold towels may have saved many lives."