L’Observateur / October 25, 1999

ST. FRANCISVILLE – When Leisl Hasbrouck of LaPlace was invited toparticipate in the 1999 Louisiana Junior Cup Matches held this the weekend of Oct. 9 at The Bluffs on Thompson Creek in St. Francisville, sheknew she would be in for a challenge. The tournament was traditionallyfor only the best 16 and 17-year-olds in the state and Hasbrouck was only 13.

Playing for the East team, Hasbrouck, the Gulf States Maxfli champion, was partnered with Katie Kane of Baton Rouge, the Gulf States Junior Tour Player of the Year.

Hasbrouck and Kane faced Hillary Duncan, sister of LSU star Meredith Duncan, and Veronica Yatco, the Louisiana Girls and Women’s Amateur champion. Yatco, 16, won the Louisiana Women’s Amateur, defeating thetop women in the state, including a couple of the All-American girls on the LSU golf team.

In the same rain that swamped the LSU-Florida football game, Hasbrouck and Kane fell in match play 3 & 2 to Duncan and Yatco in four ball. Insingles, Hasbrouck faced Yatco. For most of the early going, Hasbrouck hadYatco two down.

About the mid point of the match, Yatco tied Hasbrouck and the two traded holes down the stretch. It came down to the final hole where both girlshad the opportunity to win but both missed birdie putts, halving the hole and gaining a half point for each of their teams.

“Leisl really played with all her heart,” Bob Hasbrouck, Leisl’s dad and the head professional at Belle Terre Country Club, said.

“Last year, Veronica beat Leisl by about seven shots a round at the state championship. For Leisl to stay with Veronica and actually have her twodown at one point was testament to her continuous improvement. I’venever been more proud of her.”Also competing in the Junior Cup match, which uses a Ryder Cup-style format, was Brett Bergeron, the Louisiana Gulf States Player of the Year.

Bergeron played well despite losing both his matches in closely contested battles.

The West team, loaded with many returning Louisiana Cup veterans, won the overall match, 15-13, despite being down 5 1/2 to 3 1/2 after the four-ball competition.

This was the first time for both Bergeron and Hasbrouck in the competition.

The Louisiana Cup matches are held annually at the best courses in the state. Directed by Bob Knighton of Shreveport, the players are chosen ontheir abilities shown during the year’s competitions and are witnessed by some of the top collegiate coaches in the area.

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