The Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY returns to Albany, New York and Capital Hills at Albany from June 2-4. This is the 14th consecutive year the Epson Tour (dating back to 2004) has played at Capital Hills. The 2017 event is the eighth event of the 2017 season and begins a stretch of six consecutive weeks of tournaments that runs through the Donald Ross Centennial Classic at French Lick Resort from July 7-9.
The field of 142 players from the United States and around the globe will compete for a $125,000 total purse. The winner will earn $18.750.
Here are five things you should know about the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY.
NCAA Nationals to Albany
There are two players currently in the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY – Leslie Cloots (North Carolina) and Katelyn Dambaugh (South Carolina) - that are competing this week at Rich Harvest Farms in the NCAA championships. Dambaugh advanced past Stage II in 2016 (T24) and played Final Stage, but did not earn LPGA Tour status while Cloots advanced out of Stage I, but narrowly missed advancing to Final Stage. She finished T85. Dambaugh is the No. 5 ranked amateur in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) while Cloots is No. 50 in the world. Dambaugh was a 2015-16 Women’s Golf Coaches Association First-Team All-American. Dambaugh made her LPGA Tour debut earlier this year as an amateur invite into the ANA Inspiration. She posted a scoring average of 71 this season, which is the lowest in South Carolina history. Cloots is a native of Belgium and had two top 10 finishes during the Fall 2016 season. She tied for fifth last year at the ACC Championships.
Locals Earn Exemptions
Colleen Cashman-McSween will be playing in her third consecutive Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY as a sponsor exemption. She is in her 4th year as the UAlbany Women’s Golf Coach. As a professional golfer, she competed in over 100 tournaments on the former LPGA FUTURES Tour and won the 2003 Tampa Bay Next Generation FUTURES Golf Classic. She played collegiately at Purdue University where she was a 2 – Time All Big Ten Selection. Cashman-McSween was the 2015 MAAC Coach of the Year at Albany. Meanwhile, Bailey Cocca, who graduated from Shaker High School in Albany and previously played as a sponsor exemption as a 15 and 16 year old, recently graduated from Coastal Carolina in 2016 with a degree in communications. She finished in the top five in the Big South Conference Tournament in 2014 and 2016. She also won the New York State Junior Championship in 2009 and 2010 in addition to winning the 2016 New York State Women’s Amateur Championship. Cocca is now an assistant pro at Normanside Country Club, which is a stones throw from Capital Hills.
Past Champion Cindy LaCrosse Returns
The future stars of the LPGA have been coming to the Albany area since 1984. In fact, Dottie Pepper, now a golf analyst, won in 1985. In 2010, Cindy LaCrosse won three times on the Epson Tour including at Capital Hills to complete one of the most dominant years in Tour history. LaCrosse is back on the Epson Tour for the first time since 2010 this year. LaCrosse has had a solid start to the season, ranking 16th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list through seven starts. She has 18 career top 10’s on the Epson Tour and two this season.
Nine of Top 10 on Money List to Compete
Nine of the top 10 on the current Volvik Race for the Card money list are scheduled to compete at Capital Hills from June 2-4 including No. 1 Anne-Catherine Tanguay, who has five top 10 finishes in six starts. Tanguay has accumulated nearly $40,000 without the benefit of a win. She has finished inside the top 15 in each of her starts. The only player in the top 10 not on the preliminary field list is Paola Moreno of Colombia. The top ranked American player in the field is No. 12 Lindsey Weaver, a rookie that played college golf at Arizona. The most recent winner, Celine Boutier, who moved up to No. 2 on the money list will compete in Albany. Boutier, who won a national title at Duke, overcame a two-shot deficit to win in a playoff at the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic.
Frankie Ballard Concert on Friday (June 2) at 7:30
Nationally recognized country singer Frankie Ballard will perform near the 18th hole of Capital Hills on Friday, June 2nd right after the completion of the first-round of the tournament. Ballard has had a string of #1 singles with “Helluva Life”, Young & Crazy and “Sunshine & Whiskey”. The concert, titled “Concert on the Course”, is open to the public and will take place near the 18th green and the clubhouse.
General admission tickets are $20 and VIP tickets are $50. To purchase tickets, visit CLICK HERE
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