Alli Troxell, left, and Addisyn Newman teamed to win the Tennessee Women's Four-Ball title
photo by Tennessee Golf Association
Little did Addisyn Newman and Alli Troxell realize when their paths first crossed as children that their common passion for golf would one day lead to sharing their first Tennessee Golf Association championship.
That far-flung dream manifested itself on Thursday at the General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course as the duo combined to shoot 10-under 134 over two days to capture the 30th Tennessee Women’s Four-Ball Championship by a four-shot margin.
Newman is entering her sophomore year as a home-school student while competing at Hardin Valley Academy in Knoxville, and Troxell is a freshman at Chattanooga’s Boyd-Buchanan School. Their pairing proved to be a dynamic combination in winning their first tournament as partners.
“Ever since we were little, we played in these U.S. Kids tournaments and that’s how we met,” Newman said. “I’m pretty sure we came to Alli and said, ‘Hey, you want to play in this cool tournament?’ And then they accepted, so we were really excited to play together.”
This “cool” tournament has a history of producing notable champions, most recently when Bella Bugg and Isabella Johnson won this event three years ago before emerging as Tennessee Women’s Amateur champions the past two years.
After Newman and Troxell entered Thursday’s final round with a two-shot lead after shooting 5-under 67 on Wednesday, their closest pursuers made a move. The team of Michelle Dodson of McMinnville and Rachel Ellis of College Grove birdied two of their first four holes to draw even with the leaders at 5-under, one shot ahead of Franklin’s Danna Raube and Karen Richards.
But a birdie from Newman at the par-3 5th hole put her side back in the lead, a position they refused to relinquish the remainder of the round.
Both Troxell and Newman birdied No. 8 to move to 7-under, increasing their margin to two shots. It remained that way until Ellis birdied No. 12 to put her squad at 6-under, with Raube and Richards two back after a birdie of their own.
Another birdie from Newman at 13 – one of five in her round – put them at 8-under to add to their advantage. Dodson and Ellis then suffered an untimely double bogey to drop them four off the lead, while Raube birdied 16 to move within two shots with two holes to play.
Needing a strong finish from the pair of 15-year-olds to win their first TGA title, Troxell and Newman closed in resounding fashion. Troxell posted a birdie at 17, and Newman added a birdie at the last to punctuate their round of 67 to close at 10-under.
Raube and Richards carded their second straight 69 to finish at 6-under 138 to finish as runner-up. Dodson and Ellis shot 71 to register a total of 4-under 140, joined by Cookeville’s Nikki Orazine and Sonya Briggs in a tie for third.
Defending champions Beth Underhill of McMinnville and Kylie Crouch of Cookeville recorded a two-day total of even par 144 to finish alone in 5th place.
The team of Erica Chappell of Nashville and Julie Carlton of Hermitage claimed the Senior flight, winning by two shots at 2-under 142. Three pairings tied for second at even par 144 that included Nashville’s Helen Holland and Noni Nielsen, Robin Banner of Knoxville and Loudon’s Susan Miller, and the team of Karin Rader-Carson of Kingston Springs and Shelly Steel of Fairview.
Both Troxell and Newman have become accustomed to playing in important tournaments within their age group. Troxell helped lead Boyd-Buchanan to a runner-up finish in last year’s TSSAA Division II-A state tournament while placing 5th among individuals.
Newman was co-medalist at the 2024 Class AA state tournament before finishing runner-up in a playoff and participated this summer in both the Tennessee Women’s Amateur as well as the Junior PGA National tournament.
But competing in a statewide tournament with no age restrictions was a different animal.
“I’ll admit I was a little bit nervous on the first tee,” Troxell said.
Newman also confessed experiencing some jitters to open the tournament, but those were quickly eradicated moments later.
“After I was able to knock down my second shot on the first hole to within a foot, that calmed down the nerves really quick,” Newman said.
They collected six birdies and a lone bogey each round, finding a winning chemistry in their first outing together.
“I think just feeding off of each other helped,” Newman said. “Our energy was focused on pumping each other up and encouraging each other.”
Troxell wasn’t feeling too sorry for missing a couple of days of school to win her first TGA title.
“It was totally worth it,” Troxell said. “This is one of my favorite wins so far. I mean, we shot 10-under as a team, and that is just amazing.”
For complete results, go to Tennessee Women's Four-Ball.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com