Madison Hawkes’ bid for a three-peat remains alive as the Madison resident reached the semifinals of the 97th CWGA Championship to be held today at Redding CC.

Hawkes, a Madison resident, defeated Diane Rothwell 7 and 6 before edging fellow Madison resident and former CWGA champion Lynda Foster in 20 holes Tuesday. Hawkes beat Foster in last year's final.

Hawkes will face Julie Paolino of Ellington Ridge CC at 8 a.m. today in the semifinals.

In the other semifinal, Lisa Fern-Boros of the Highland GC in Shelton will square off against Nikki Liucci (Farmington Woods CC). The 36-hole final is Friday at 8 a.m.

NEWINGTON >> Catherine McEvoy sat in a golf cart at Indian Hill Country Club, still in shock just a handful of minutes after winning the State Women’s Amateur championship Thursday afternoon.

Among those coming up to congratulate the senior-to-be at Greenwich High School was Pat O’Sullivan Lucey, arguably the state’s best female amateur golfer ever. The member at Race Brook Country Club in Orange won the first three Women’s Amateur championships.

In celebrating the golden anniversary of the Amateur, Lucey was on hand to greet players coming in. Presenting McEvoy with the championship trophy was Lida Kinnicut Tingley, the winner of a record eight Amateur crowns. The tournament also honored Betty Boyko, a long-time member at Indian Hill CC, the first president of this championship and was elected into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame in December. 

So McEvoy, 17, will forever be woven into the history of this tournament and arguably its most special year.

“I’m kind of in shock. It doesn’t feel like it actually happened,” McEvoy said. ”A couple of weeks ago, I was in a slump and not playing well. This week, I got my game back together.”

READ MORE ABOUT THE CT WOMEN'S AMATEUR FINAL ROUND

50th Connecticut Women’s Amateur

(at Indian Hill CC)

Final round

Catherine McEvoy (Riverside), 78-76-73-227; Jen Holland (Branford), 76-74-78-228; Kelly Whaley (Farmington), 76-76-77-229; Mackenzie Hawkes (Madison), 82-78-75-235; Natahlie Filler (Bloomfield), 78-80-77-235; Maisie Filler (Bloomfield), 83-74-81-238; Sarah Houle (Sandy Hook), 82-77-79-238; Gabrielle Martin (Madison), 82-79-81-242; ; Brooke Stepanek (Guilford), 86-81-76-243; Julia Kemmling (Berlin), 82-82-79-243; Autumn Serruta (Avon), 82-84-78-244; Nicole Elliott (Burlington), 80-84-84-248; Marissa Grillo (Avon), 81-83-84-248; Debbie Johnson (Stamford), 82-80-86-248.

Jen Holland of Branford (above) shot a 1-over-par 74 Wednesday to take a two-shot lead into the final round of the 50th Connecticut Women's Amateur Championship at Indian Hill Country Club.

Holland (two-round total of 4-over 150) leads Kelly Whaley, the defending champ, by two after Whaley, 18, shot her second straight 76. The two women will be paired together Wednesday at 9:52 a.m.

Catherine McEvoy of Riverside is third (154) and Maisie Filler of Bloomfield is fourth (11-over 157).

Jen Holland of Branford and defending champion Kelly Whaley of Farmington both shot 3-over-par 76 to tie for the lead after the opening round of the 50th Connecticut Women’s Amateur Monday at Indian Hills Country Club in Newington.

Holland is a former champion and Whaley, who will begin her freshman year for the University of North Carolina women’s golf team in a matter of weeks, is seeking her fourth title. Nathalie Filler of Bloomfield and Catherine McEvoy of Bloomfield of Riverside both are tied for third with 78 and Nicole Elliott (Burlington) and Jean Sennett (West Hartford) are tied for fifth after posting 80s.

Madison residents Mackenzie Hawkes, the two-time Connecticut Women’s Golf Association champion, and Gabby Martin, who will be a junior at Hand High, are tied for ninth with 82.

KENSINGTON >> Mackenzie Hawkes was a young child when she first met Lynda Foster. Hawkes’ father Mickey was the head golf professional at Madison Country Club.

“She’s like club champion extraordinaire at Madison (CC),” Hawkes said.

Amazingly, in all their years as members at Madison CC, the two had never played a round of golf together — until Friday. Foster stood in Mackenzie Hawkes’ path of winning a second straight Connecticut Women’s Golf Association championship.

And for awhile, Foster held the lead on Hawkes. But the 18-year old Hawkes, bound for Northwestern University, turned the tables, held the lead after the first 18 holes of the match, then went on to dominate the final 7 and 6 at Shuttle Meadow CC.

“I watched her grow up. Everybody has been dying to see us play together and now we have,” Foster said. “She is beautiful to watch, has a pretty swing and is very gracious.”

Hawkes, who attended the Westminster School in Simsbury, said it’s “crazy hard to play a friend. She is an amazing, amazing woman, who is super kind. It was a lot of fun being out there. … I’d rather play someone who is fun to play with who I know.”

Hawkes, who beat Jill Tryon in a sudden-death playoff to win last year after the two were tied following the first 36 holes, won four straight holes in her second round Friday, holes 25 through 28, to move from 2 up to 6 up.

“I think I played OK in the morning round. I didn’t putt well in the afternoon,” Foster said. “The distance really isn’t the problem because I have been playing all week with people who hit it by me. She is a great putter and she has a much better short game than some of the other (golfers) I played.”

After both players halved the 29th hole with par, Foster three-putted for double bogey on the par-4 12th, the 30th overall, to allow Hawkes to collect her second straight title in the tournament’s 96th edition.

“Going into the second round, I wasn’t feeling super, super confident,” Hawkes said. “And then I got in a mode after I made a really good par on the first hole and that kind of set me off to have a really good front nine, which was a big reason why the back nine was so short.”

Foster is a former two-time champion herself of this event, the last coming in 2010 at CC of Farmington. The first came a decade ago at Shuttle Meadow CC.

She built a 3-up lead after just seven holes in the morning 18. But that lead evaporated quickly, as Hawkes won the next three holes.

Consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th holes put Hawkes up for good. Her lead was 1-up after the morning 18.

“I got here early and hit a bunch of putts, short putts, 4- or 5-foot putts. I think that’s where I won the match,” Hawkes said. “I made about four or five key 5-foot putts that I would’ve missed the past few days.”

Nikki Liucci of Farmington Woods CC won the 18-hole Founder’s Cup final 6 and 5 over Siobhan Stephen from Hop Meadow CC.