Lisa Griffin McGill

Lisa McGill is the latest in a long line of players who have moved to Rhode Island and made the golf scene better, joining Hall of Famers JoAnne Carner and Martha Kirouac, among others. The Philadelphia resident spends her summer in Misquamicut and plays out of that club. A fitness fanatic, she has done mountain climbing, including to Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro, and hiking through national parks.

The Misquamicut star almost did not compete. As it was, she was among the last to enter. But once play began at the Carnegie Abbey Club, she became the story. She earned medalist honors on Monday, then swept through match play, capped by holding off Alpine’s Daria Delfino, 1-up, in an excellent title match on a beautiful Friday morning at the club along the bay.

“It’s so exciting, the 100th," McGill said as she accepted congratulations. But more than what the week meant for the association, she spoke about how much the title - her fourth in the event - means to her. McGill had spoken at the start of the week about how personal matters almost kept her out of the tournament.

“I dedicate this to my dad, Peter B. Griffin. He’s not with us," McGill said. He died just before Christmas. McGill thought of him during the match.

“Today I was like, 'Come on, I need a little help,’" she said. This year’s championship was especially meaningful to McGill because it was the first time her two college-aged daughters, Sydney and Annie, attended the match and saw her win.

“It was nice. I just couldn’t talk to them. They’ve never watched me in competition," McGill said. “I couldn’t be happier."

McGill competed in 36 USGA events to date and has qualified for the USGA Mid-Amateur match play nine times, including in 2007 when she reached the semifinals. Lisa also won the Pennsylvania Senior Women’s Amateur in 2018.