A golf teaching professional at the ChampionsGate Resort has been teaching the game — by playing it at a very high level.
Two weeks ago, Sandra Changkija finished eagle-birdie-birdie to overcome a three-shot deficit with three holes to play for a one-stroke victory over Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth to win her third consecutive PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship in Port St. Lucie.
Changkija eagled the 16th with a 6-iron from 165 yards to 2 feet, rolled in a 60-foot birdie putt at No. 17 and then birdied the 18th to win when Connelly-Eiswerth bogeyed the final hole.
“It feels amazing to win three in a row,” said Changkija, a PGA Assistant Professional at ChampionsGate near Orlando. “I don’t really know what to say other than I hit really good golf shots. A five-shot deficit (to start the round) to Stephanie, who’s a really good player, seemed kind of hard. I didn’t have any expectations, I just wanted to make birdies.” It’s been a fruitful year for the 32-year-old, who played collegiately at Nova Southern University in Fort Lauderdale and was a four-time Division II Player of the Year. Earlier this year, she earned her first career national Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year Award.
Last year she claimed the PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship at PGA Golf Club in February, for the second consecutive year. That win earned her a spot in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major tournament on the LPGA Tour. She was the highest finisher of all qualifying club professionals at Congressional Golf Club.
Winning the PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship secured her spot in this year’s Women’s PGA, a tournament she’s competed in a number of times.
