Sweet rebound

Keith Chartrand
Correspondent

STEPHEN E. LASKO/For the Chronicle

Barbara Breesman tees off at the 18th hole at 7 Rivers Golf & Country Club on Wednesday afternoon on her way to winning the Lollypop Women’s Invitational golf tournament.

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CRYSTAL RIVER — After Barbara Breesman’s incredible performance at the 44th annual Lollypop Golf Tournament, organizers might want to consider naming the tournament trophy the Barbara Breesman Trophy. 

Thursday at Seven Rivers Golf and Country Club, Breesman won the Lollypop by a whopping 10 strokes. The long hitter who plays out of The Dunes followed her opening round 80 with a 79 on Thursday; the only sub-80 round of the tournament. Incredibly it is Breesman’s seventh Lollypop win. 

“Winning never gets old,” said Breesman, who finished second in 2012 after falling in a playoff. “I’ll never get tired of it especially when it is the Lollypop.”

7 Rivers’ own B.J. McKee finished second, posting rounds of 86 and 83. Norah Hastings, who was tied with Breesman after the first round, followed her opening-round 80 with a disappointing 90.

The tournament’s low-gross winner was Karen Stacy, who also plays out of The Dunes. 

Stacy’s two-day gross score was 136 (69-67) after shooting rounds of 88 and 86.

“My flop shot was working really well,” said Stacy, who ironically is playing in the same foursome as Breesman today at The Dunes club championship. 

In the first flight, Linda Travis of Seven Rivers followed her opening-round 82 with an 86 for a two-day total of 168 to win the flight. Stacy was second with rounds of 88 and 86 for a 174 total. A two day total of 177 (86-91) put Jorie Bertine of 7 Rivers in third place. The low gross for the flight was Stacy’s. Bertine, Terri Baun and Kathy Butler finished second, third and fourth. 

Flight two was won by Pat Whipple of Inverness who followed up her 92 with an even 100 on Wednesday. That was two strokes better than Seven Rivers Marion Kinder’s 194 (98-96). Carol Biedscheid of 7 Rivers was third with a 198 (95-103). Kinder was the low gross winner in the flight followed by Biedscheid, Karen Demicoli and Phyllis Pike.

Shirley Young of Twisted Oaks and Caren Kozlowsky of East Ridge both came in with a two-day total of 205 to lead the third flight. In the match of cards Young won. Judy McMechan was third, two strokes behind with a 207. McMechan took the flight’s low gross title. She was followed by Kozlowsky, Lois Bump and Barbara Hart.

Back-to-back rounds of 104 gave Beverly Strong a three-stroke win in the fourth flight. Kay Beaufait was second with a total score of 211, followed by Judy Sospenzi in third with a 213. The low gross was awarded to Mimmi Allen. Sospenzi was second low gross followed by Lucia Sinkowski and Nancy Haydon.

It was Lorraine Adams winning the fifth flight by a 12-stroke margin with a score of 206. Shelia McLaughlin was second with a 218 while Tere Wood was third with a 220. McLaughlin walked away with low gross for the flight while Wood needed match of cards to take second over Pepita Park. Lee Simon was fourth.