The father-daughter team of Jacqueline and Terry Bendrick of Mercer Island, Wash. won a four-hole playoff with Todd and Ethan Morris of Renton, Wash. to win the 7th Washington State Parent-Child Championship. The championship was held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. and was conducted by the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA).
The two teams traded pars on the first three playoff holes before Jacqueline sank a 6-foot birdie putt on the fourth extra hole for the win.
The Bendricks had set the pace early in the 18-hole championship, making the turn at 4-under par and playing even on their second nine and posting a clubhouse lead of 4-under par 68. The Morris', playing in a later grouping, birdied holes 15 and 16 to finish at 4-under to tie the Bendricks.
"It was fantastic to play with my daughter," Terry said. "Having watched her play golf the past few years, and having her exceed my own skills, made today really rewarding. She did most of the carrying (of the team) today."
Jacqueline will be a sophomore at Furman University in South Carolina. She attended Mercer Island High School before transferring to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. to pursue her goal of becoming a Division I college golfer. Earlier this summer she had competed in the WSGA's Washington State Women's Amateur, finishing 11th.
"Because I go to school in South Carolina, I haven't been home for a while, so it was great to play with my dad," she said. "To be able to play as a team is a great experience, and I treasure it more now that I'm back for the summer."
The Bendricks were looking forward to the playoff. "We had finished early," Terry said, "so we were wanting to play some more. We were excited. And nervous."
Jacqueline and Ethan work together at a nearby golf course. "It was fun playing with them in the playoff, with someone that I already knew," she said.
The championship was played in a Chapman Stroke Play format, with two players playing as partners, each playing from the teeing ground and each player playing his/her partner's ball for the second shot. After the second shot, including par-3 holes, partners selected the ball with which they wished to score and then played that ball alternately to complete the hole.
The parent's relationship with the child must be natural, adopted or stepchild. Partners could have more than one generation between them (i.e. grandfather-granddaughter).
The Home Course, which opened in 2007, is owned and operated by the Washington State Golf Association and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association. It was the companion course to Chambers Bay for the 2010 U.S. Amateur, and was the site of the 2014 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.
