The week at Pelican Golf Club was a grind for Stephanie Meadow, but she was rewarded for the effort on the last day of the Pelican Women’s Championship. After a bogey-bogey start in the final grouping alongside Sei Young Kim and Ally McDonald, Meadow went on to record a final-round 69 to finish third. The result ties her career-best performance, last earned at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

“I think just a lot of hard work paying off. Obviously it's important to thank everyone that has gotten me here. It's not just me. There is a huge team behind me. My fiancé [Kyle], my coaches, Terry, Debby, my sports psych who is amazing,” said Meadow. “It has been a long journey, but a great one and you learn so much about yourself. Golf is one of those things where you always feel like you can do better, but I'm pretty satisfied where I'm at right now.”

Her score of 9-under par 271 is a 72-hole career-best and tops her previous low of 274 from the 2019 Volunteers of America Classic. Meadow, who played her way into the 2020 VOA Classic with her finish in Belleair, Fla., is excited to carry the momentum into the antepenultimate tournament of the year.

“Sometimes you get the confidence and you know you can do it, and you just have to keep the pedal to the metal basically,” Meadow said. “No letting up.”

932 BIRDIES CONTRIBUTE $46,600 TO BIRDIES FOR BABIES PROGRAM

Throughout the four rounds of the inaugural Pelican Women’s Championship presented by DEX Imaging and Konica Minolta, $50 was donated to BayCare’s Morton Plant Hospital Women’s Services for every birdie that was made as part of the tournament’s “Birdies for Babies” charitable program.

All proceeds will be used to provide car seats to families in need as well as education on how to properly install and use the car seat. According to the CDC, motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death for children in the United States, with proper car seat usage a major contributing factor.

“This is a pretty tough time in the world and to host the tournament for us, it could not have been easy. For them to donate $50 for every birdie, it shows how passionate they are and how much they want to show support,” said Lydia Ko, who finished in a tie for fourth at 8-under par overall and made 17 birdies. “It is always meaningful that we made a bit of a contribution. Maybe it is going to be a tradition going down the road for them, but I think it just shows what an amazing sponsor and how genuine they are.”

A total of 932 birdies were made at Pelican Golf Club this week for a grand total of $46,600 to BayCare, the founding partner of the Pelican Women’s Championship and the event’s official exclusive healthcare system. BayCare also supports the tournament’s volunteer program that enlists hundreds of volunteers to run the annual championship.

“I tried to make a lot of birdies today, so if I make the birdie and then that birdie helps someone, helps a charity, that is a good thing,” said tournament champion Sei Young Kim, who registered 20 birdies. “So I try to make the more birdie, but couldn’t today as much.”

CME GROUP CARES CHALLENGE—SCORE 1 FOR ST. JUDE

The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations. CME Group donated $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour in 2019, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is leading the way in how the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and life-threatening diseases.

Lexi Thompson made the 10th hole-in-one of the 2020 LPGA Tour season on Thursday, as she found the bottom of the cup on No. 3 with a 9-iron from 165 yards. Ally McDonald recorded the 11th hole-in-one of the year on Saturday with a pitching wedge from 132 yards at No. 12. The 11 aces on the 2020 season means a total of $220,000 has been donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital so far this year.

The 2019 LPGA Tour season saw 32 total aces from 31 different competitors for a total of $620,000. That more than covered the average cost of $425,000 needed to treat a pediatric cancer patient.

Stephanie Meadow Beaming with Pride After Final-Round Fight

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