West Hartford, Connecticut (June 4, 2025) – It wasn’t always easy but at the end of the day Yvonne Cox-Holmes dug deep and held on to win the 26th Connecticut Women’s Open hosted by Hartford Golf Club.
“It’s always awesome to get a win under your belt,” Yvonne Cox-Holmes said. “I haven’t played in Connecticut in 20 years but I was telling my host family I played well in Connecticut early in my career so it feels good to get a win here.”
Cox-Holmes (Cumming, GA) fired a 6-under 65 in the first round and began the final round with a five stroke lead. The lead soon ballooned to six shots after a par on the first and bogeys by playing partners Jennifer Rosenberg (Syosset, NY) and Elizabeth Moon (Orlando, FL).
For a brief moment, it looked as if it would be a drama-free final round. That quickly proved not to be the case.
Cox-Holmes began to leak oil on the par-4 second hole. The Legends of the LPGA Tour member missed the fairway finding the left-side fairway bunker, leading to a bogey. Another bogey followed on the downhill par-3 third.
Meanwhile, Rosenberg proved to be up for a fight and thanks to a birdie on the par-4 second the two-time All-American at Tulane had trimmed the deficit to just three strokes after three holes.
However, as was the theme of the day every time Cox-Holmes slipped up and somebody made a run she had an answer to stem the tide. Cox-Holmes found her first birdie of the day on the par-5 fourth and then after a four-putt double bogey on par-3 sixth she recorded her second birdie of the round on the par-4 seventh.
When all was said and done, Cox-Holmes lost three strokes on the front nine but at 3-under for the tournament she still held a three-shot lead over Rosenberg with Maisie Filler, playing on her home course lurking at 2-over.
“Grind probably isn’t even a strong enough word for today. This was a definite challenge of mental toughness,” the 47-year-old Cox-Holmes explained. “The wind was challenging and the parts of my game that I have been working on came to a head. I was fighting the mental aspect (all day).”
The physical and mental grind continued on the back nine. Cox-Holmes, who gave up golf in 2005 for over a decade before returning to the game, started the back nine with a birdie on No. 10 only to drop shots on the 12th and 13th holes to fall back to 2-under and keep the door open for Rosenberg and Filler.
Both Rosenberg and Filler did everything they could to try and track down the 2024 South Carolina Women’s Senior Open champion but neither had enough in the tank.
Filler, the winner of the 2024 Connecticut Women’s Amateur, began her second nine with a bang, jarring birdies on Nos. 10 and 13 to reach even-par but despite some looks on the way in, Filler parred her way to the house settling for an even-par third place showing.
Rosenberg continued to battle as well. She carded birdies on Nos. 9 and 10 to reach 2-under and move within two shots of the lead only to give it back with a double-bogey on the par-3 11th and a bogey on No. 12. Despite the setback, the 25-year-old Epson Tour veteran hung tough, birdieing Nos. 16 and 18 to close in a flurry and finish alone in second place at 1-under.
As Rosenberg and Filler made their charges, Cox-Holmes held steady. Following her back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 12 and 13, Cox-Holmes found the fairway off the tee on No. 14 and then stuffed a pitching wedge from 119 yards out to five feet resulting in a birdie that moved her back to 3-under and once again three shots clear.
Cox-Holmes would give a shot back with a bogey on the par-5 16th but as she had all day long she rebounded rolling in a birdie putt from 12 feet on the par-3 penultimate hole to put the tournament away.
“Winning is the ultimate confidence builder. It is validation that you’re doing the right things,” Cox-Holmes said. “For me, it is all about sticking with the process and working hard. It validates that you’re doing the right things.”
In the Senior Division Patricia Beliard (France) cruised to the title with rounds of 73-73 to finish 4-over and well clear of Elizabeth Kelley (MCC) and 2009 champion CJ Reeves (Bedford, NY) both of whom finished 18-over in a tie for second place. Susan Bond (Vero Beach, FL) and low amateur Debbie Johnson (Blackhawk CC) shared fourth at 21-over.
The top five of the championship division was rounded out by former European Solheim Cup team member Giulia Sergas (Italy) and Moon at 2-over in a tie for fifth. Mackenzie Whitney (Westminster, MA) earned low amateur honors with a 4-over finish that saw her tie for seventh.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Women’s Open is one of 20 championships conducted by the Connecticut State Golf Association. The CSGA functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
