Page 3 - 2016EldoradoShootout

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Defending champion: Jackie Stoelting returns to the scene of her first major victory on the Symetra Tour. She won the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout last year at Mystic Creek.
Stoelting returns to defend title at Mystic Creek
Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout champion eager to revisit site of first major win
Special to the News-Times
EL DORADO — When Symetra Tour golfer Jackie Stoelting takes to the links at Mystic Creek Golf Club for the 2016 Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout, she will be doing more than defending her 2015 title. She will also be revisiting the site of her biggest breakthrough in the game, as well as her first significant tournament win. This time, however, she has additional wins to her name, as well as an incredible support system that includes her husband, who doubles
as her caddie.
“Winning the 2015 Murphy USA El
Dorado Shootout was a huge boost of confidence for me. It was really my breakthrough,” Stoelting said. “I had lost my card in the LPGA, and I went and played a few events on the Symetra Tour just to gain my confidence back, and to see if I reignited my love for the game...and I sure did. El Dorado was the best situation that I could have that week to win, and I’m super excited to have been the champion there last year.” Stoelting’s 2015 win came after a period of struggle in her golf game, and was her first win after repeated second-place finishes. She credits the tournament with renewing her focus and motivation, leading to three more tournament wins, as well as the oppor-
tunity to defend her title at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout this year. She is excited to be returning to Mystic Creek, which she called “one of the top courses we play on the Symetra Tour.”
“I didn’t have any family with me when I won in 2015, but I really felt like I had a family through the community there. This is the first time that I’m able to defend a title, and it would mean everything to me to be able to win again. I’m really excited that my hus- band will be able to come with me to El Dorado and help me, hopefully, defend that title,” Stoelting said.
Not only do El Dorado and Mystic Creek hold special places in Stoelting’s heart because of her professional break- through, they’re also places that she is eager to return to on a personal level.
The excited crowds of spectators, as well as the entire community, gave the Symetra tour a warm welcome, inviting the golfers into their homes, and pro- viding one-of-a-kind hospitality.
“I love the golf course. I love El Dorado. The community really is so supportive of the tournament, and hopefully I’ll be in the same position again, contending for a win that week- end,” said Stoelting.
The Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout presented by PepsiCo will be held at Mystic Creek Golf Club Sept. 30 through Oct. 2. Tickets are free to the community, thanks to a generous spon- sorship by First Financial Bank. For more information about the event, visit the tournament’s website at www.eldo- radoshootout.com.
El Dorado NEWS-TIMES – MONDAY, September 19, 2016 – 3