BACKGROUND OF GCWGA EVENTS AND TROPHIES

Women’s Metropolitan Championship (WMet), formerly WMAC and GCWAI. There are several named trophies and flights awarded during the WMet:

The Brophy Trophy – This trophy represents a tournament within a tournament. Since 1956, any member club having four members entered in the WMAC is eligible to compete for the Kate Brophy Cup. Mrs. Ed Brophy was a golfing legend winning 4 national tournaments in 1926 and winning the City crown 1927-29. She later became one of the first women professionals. The winner of the Trophy is determined from the gross scores during the qualifying round of the WMAC. Clubs who wish to compete must sign up their four players prior to teeing off.

Coffee Urn Trophy – Ceremonial trophy loaned to the Overall winner of the Championship flight of the WMAC for pictures.  The urn has no more room for winner’s names to be engraved.  Winners are also given a glass trophy to keep.

The Louise Kepley Tray – This tray accompanies the original coffee urn, and the most recent winners names are engraved on it.  Louise Kepley donated the tray.  She has an outstanding record in local golf, winning several WMAC championships, the city Senior championship, the Ohio state championship, and the Ohio Seniors championship, as well as excelling in many national amateur events. In 1997 she was recognized as one of Cincinnati’s Legends of Golf.

Jane DeGroff Trophy – Ceremonial trophy loaned to the Overall winner of the Senior flight.  Jane DeGroff won the WMET twice and was on the GCWGA Board for many years.  She is also a Cincinnati Legend of Golf.

Judy Diem Hayes Flight – One of the senior WMET flights, named in honor of Judy Diem Hayes, who won the WMET five times.  She is also a Cincinnati Legend of Golf.

Joan Comisar Flight – One of the senior WMET flights, named in honor of Joan Comisar, who won the WMET four times.  She is also a Cincinnati Legend of Golf.

Other Tournaments:

SHE Tournament Cup – The SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) Cup is the traveling trophy won by the member club in the annual SHE Tournament. The SHE tournament began in 2008 as a way to help promote and fund the GCWGA Scholarship Foundation. Each member club has a Foundation Day Net tournament anytime throughout the season to determine the 4 players to represent their club in the SHE Cup tournament. Then at the end of the season, the member clubs come together and compete for the SHE Cup.

The Kent Memorial – Mrs. Sidney (Lenore) B. Kent was a long time member of Cincinnati Country Club where she made it her mission to teach the ethics, courtesies and rules of the game to upcoming junior golfers. She served for many years on the Board of the Women’s Western Golf Association. The Kent Memorial tournament was created after her death in 1954 and was originally a best ball net foursome event. Now, it is a major flighted event at two different courses and is two-best-balls of- four, with gross and net prizes.

The Crystal Bowl – This tournament was the conception of one of Cincinnati’s pioneers in women’s golf. Martha Parker Wilson came from a golfing family, won the Camargo Club Championship in 1951 and 52, and played in the City championship from 1937 to 1957. She was a devoted member of the GCWGA, serving on the Board from 1949-51 and again in 1956 and 57. At the fall meeting of the GCWGA in 1951 she suggested that a two-man team from each club playing in a best ball tournament would be “interesting for the 1952 season.” The tournament was a success and was named the Crystal Bowl in 1957 and has grown into one of our most popular events.

The Loretta Jones trophy – Women’s Senior Championship – Loretta Jones of Ft. Mitchell CC, while serving on the GCWGA Board, conceived the idea of a Senior Tournament. When Loretta passed away her daughter Margaret, a three-time winner of the Women’s City tournament, donated a trophy in her mother’s name, to be re-engraved and presented to the low gross winner of the 60-64 year old age group (Muirfield flight).