Island Resort Championship recap

HARRIS- 144 golfers played in the Island Resort Championship this weekend in the Upper Peninsula. By time the three round, 54-hole tournament wrapped up play on Sunday, only one golfer finished play under par.

At one-under par (-1), Molly Aronsson of Shelburne, Vt., won the 2014 Island Resort Championship. She shot an even-round of par (72) to take home the title. It was the first career win on the LPGA Symetra Tour for Aronsson.

“I was nervous from the start of the first hole,” said Aronsson after her round. “I just tried to stay calm all day. I kept telling myself that everyone was nervous.”

Aronsson defeated Sadena Parks by one shot for the victory. Parks shot a final round 75 (+3). Parks took a 2-shot lead on the 15th hole by making a 10-foot putt for birdie.

Parks went on to bogey holes 17 & 18. She missed two-par putts inside of six feet on each hole. Her par putt on 18, that would have forced a playoff, lipped out at the last second. Parks finished in second place, her highest finish ever on the Symetra Tour.

“I’m proud of myself, but I know that there are more tournaments coming,” said Parks, who kept herself composed with the media after a tough finish to her final round. “This (Sweetgrass) is probably one of the tougher courses that we play on the tour. My finish in the Top 5 shows that my game has improved.”

It was a bittersweet win for Aronsson, who was teammates on the golf team at the University of Washington with Parks. Aronsson was very happy to get her first career win at Sweetgrass. Her great-great grandparents lived in Escanaba at one time.

“When I got here three-years ago, my parents called me and said ‘Do you know that our family roots are from Escanaba?’ I said ‘no way.’ I started looking into it. I met some of my relatives. My dad used to come here (to Escanaba) every summer when he was a boy. To win this tournament is extra special for me. It means a lot.”

The LPGA Symetra Tour is now off for the next three weeks. The next tournament will be the SEFCU Championship at Capital Hills in Albany, NY. on Jul. 25-27.