UNOH Grad Devaki Ganesh Wins Tournament

Posted on Monday, July 31, 2023

Devaki Ganesh watches her tee shot during the Lima Area Women's Match Play Tournament. Photo by Richard Parrish

Written by Jim Naveau – Originally published at www.limaohio.com on July 30, 2023

The tricky and slick greens of the Shawnee Country Club have tormented many golfers the first few times they’ve putted on them.

But it wasn’t that way for Devaki Anatha Ganesh in her 5-and-4 win over Sandy Doan in the finals of the Championship Flight in the Lima Area Women’s Match Play Tournament on Sunday.

The former UNOH golfer handled Shawnee’s greens like she had been playing them her whole life, including a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 9 to give her a 2-hole lead at the turn and another sizeable birdie putt to end the match at No. 14.

“They’re very fast. They’re like glass. They’re super fast,” Ganesh said. “This is not my course, I’m not a member here. The only time I played here was two years ago in the city tournament and two days ago in the second round.”

Doan, a six-time Lima Match Play champion and a nine-time runner-up, was 1-up after the first four holes of Sunday’s match. But Ganesh won No. 5 and No. 6 with pars while Doan bogeyed No. 5 and double bogeyed No. 6.

And once Ganesh got the lead she didn’t let it get away.

Doan was happy with her early lead but knew what she was up against. “She shot 68 the first day and 70 the second day so I was happy I got as far (into Sunday’s match) as I did,” she said.

Ganesh said she felt some pressure early in the match, some of it self created because she was trying to go lower than her two below par scores in her earlier rounds.

“I was trying to play better than the other two days. That made it a little stressful,” she said. “I just had to talk to myself, like ‘I’ve got it,’ because I trust my swing. I said I should just trust it and go for it and not be scared.”

This year’s Lima Area Match Play Tournament apparently will be the final year of the tournament because of its inability to attract more than around 30 golfers per year.

Doan is one of several players who have competed in the tournament year after year for many years.

“I think it’s around 40 (years) but I wasn’t in the Championship Flight right away. I had to work my way up. The first five or six years I was in the First Flight, so it’s around 35 years of being really serious about it,” she said.

“I am going to miss it some but as I get older the stress is a little bit harder to handle. I’ve had so many friends and so much glory in this (tournament). I’ve met a lot of people. I hope I’ve encouraged people.”

Six other flight championships were decided on Sunday.

In the First Flight, Connie Shutt won 1-up over Debora Hemmert. The Second Flight winner was Tracey Beard, who defeated Brenda Parlette 5-and-4.

Connie Miller won the Third Flight 6-and-4 over Danielle Good. Brenda Kattman was a 3-and-2 winner over Kaylee Davis in the Fourth Flight.

The Fifth Flight title went to Melissa Smiley, a 2-and-1 winner over Deborah Osburn. Becky Komminsk won the Senior Flight title match 1-up over Darlene Hollar.

Category: Athletics

Keywords: Devaki Ganesh, Golf