She’s no stranger to making history.
On July 26 of last year, at Kingsmill Country Club in Virginia, Connelly-Eiswerth finished the final round of the LPGA Professionals National Championship in a tie for fifth, earning herself an exemption into the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Sammamish, Wash. Not only will this mark her sixth appearance in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, but it’s also her seventh playing in a major championship on the LPGA Tour, as her first major start came at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open.
“The overall competitive experience at a major championship makes you want to come back,” expressed Connelly-Eiswerth. “It is such a unique opportunity to qualify as an LPGA Professional each year for the opportunity to play on a major stage. It’s fun. It’s stressful. It’s all the things you love about golf."
Connelly-Eiswerth is an LPGA Class A Professional from Fleming Island, Fla., who serves as an LPGA and PGA Teaching Instructor at San Jose Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida.
Her journey through golf started when she was five, kickstarted by a little competition from her parents, something that still sparks her motivation to this day. Connelly-Eiswerth grew up as an only child with two parents who played various sports, including golf. Often bringing her along with them to the course, they began to hone her skills, gradually working backward from the putting green to the tee box, and it was then that a young Stephanie got hooked on the game.
“If you’ve ever met my parents, my mother might be one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met,” says Connelly-Eiswerth. “They were never going to let me just win. I was going to have to earn it.”
She fell in love with the LPGA Tour when she started middle school. “Dottie Pepper was probably my favorite LPGA Player,” said Connelly-Eiswerth. “We got a dog in middle school that we named Dottie after my favorite LPGA player. It was very fitting because she was a feisty little dog.”
During what today is known as the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Connelly-Eiswerth and her dad would travel down to Dupont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware to volunteer as standard bearers. With her dad holding the sign and Connelly-Eiswerth adjusting the numbers, she realized that she would be in this sport for life.
Throughout high school, she competed in the Mid-Atlantic PGA’s junior golf program and the American Junior Golf Association. She then went on to play collegiate golf at The Ohio State University and the University of Central Florida. As she continued to chase her competitive drive, she earned a professional spot on the Epson Tour in 2009. Over the next seven years, Connelly-Eiswerth made 29 career cuts before pursuing a new path in the golf industry.
In 2016, she became the Assistant Golf Coach for the University of North Florida’s women’s golf team. “Moving from playing to teaching and coaching was a lot of fun,” says Connelly-Eiswerth. “I still was able to be on the golf course a lot. You’re just out there with the players, helping them practice and prepare for tournaments, so you get to fuel that competitive side.”
In 2018, Connelly-Eiswerth completed her LPGA certification, and PGA teaching certifications in 2021, while transitioning during 2020 out of coaching after securing a position at San Jose Country Club as a Teaching Instructor.
“I’m so glad I found a way to stay in the game, starting out with coaching and now teaching,” says Connelly-Eiswerth. “It goes back to those more rewarding moments of just helping people have a good day, even though it’s just golf. It feels good to be a bright part of someone’s day.”
In 2023, Connelly-Eiswerth made history. At the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, she became the first female in the PGA Tournament Series 46-year history to win the series event. To no one’s surprise, Connelly-Eiswerth was recognized as the 2023 Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year.
“I’ve set a lot of goals for myself over the last couple of years while transitioning from playing to working in the game,” said Connelly-Eiswerth. “I felt like I had not yet accomplished all that I wanted to as a player. So, getting this one was a big win for me.”
Last year, at the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower Course, Connelly-Eiswerth was reunited with old friends and former competitors, Brittany Lincicome and Azahara Muñoz as they were paired together during a practice round. “I grew up playing junior golf against them,” says Connelly-Eiswerth. “It was a comfortable pairing and great catching up and playing with them again.”
Besides the drive of the competition and the reunion of past friendships and competitors, this KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is important not just to Connelly-Eiswerth, but also to those watching her as well. As she travels to Sahalee Country Club at the end of June, Connelly-Eiswerth will see massive support from her family, who will join her on the course. She’ll have her husband on her bag while her students and members of San Jose Country Club will be cheering her on from the opposite side of the country.
Besides competition, her students drive her passion each day. “I hope they see that it’s not like I always win,” says Connelly-Eiswerth. “A lot of the time, you lose more than you win at these events. Having them see me take on the challenge of going out to compete every time is no different than them coming out every day working to improve their game.”
She wants to prove that she belongs out there as much as anyone, as she sets her sights on earning a place on the top half of the leaderboard and competing through the weekend in Sahalee.
“For me, it I important to stay on top of my game and compete. I am incredibly competitive at everything,” says Connelly-Eiswerth. “I’ve never wanted to stop playing and I think staying competitive and learning and improving my skills even now, it helps me to grow my game so I can pass that on to my students.”
Even if you find success in the golf industry, there are always opportunities to learn and set new goals. Looking ahead 10 years from now, Connelly-Eiswerth could see herself in a position as the Director of Instruction, helping to grow her students’ games and her profession.
But for now, a cut made at the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship would be a great addition to Connelly-Eiswerth’s ever-growing list of accomplishments, just another tally in her personal history book, one that’s already chock-full of incredible achievements.
