CCU grad Bailey Cocca of Myrtle Beach wins N.Y. State Women’s Am

Bailey Cocca, a Myrtle Beach resident, New York native and recent Coastal Carolina graduate, won her first New York State Women’s Amateur Championship on Friday in a playoff at Elmira Country Club after shooting a 6-over 79-72-74–225.

Cocca wants to play for at least one more year and is trying to determine if she’ll turn pro or remain an amateur in the coming months. Her family owns Coccadott’s Cake Shops in the area and elsewhere.

“It kind of buys me more time to figure it out by winning,” said Cocca, who will visit family in New York for another week before returning to the Grand Strand.

Cocca has been working with swing instructor Alasdair Dyer at Barefoot Resort, and they have worked on a swing adjustment for the past couple weeks.

“I’ve been focusing on practicing and working on things I need to work on so I can be ready for [LPGA Tour] Q-School next year if I’m ready for that,” Cocca said. “I’m definitely not doing Q-School this year. I’m not ready.”

Cocca, who won the New York State Junior Girls Championship twice by the age of 16, entered the final round three shots behind 36-hole leader Marianna Monaco and tied with defending champion Kyra Cox. She was 2-under on the front nine to pull within two shots, pulled even by the 13th hole, and took the lead with a par on the par-4 14th after nearly driving the green.

A Monaco birdie on 16 left the two tied and Cox a shot back. Cocca got up and down for par from a greenside bunker on the par-4 17th, with both Cocca and Monaco making rather routine pars on the 18th to force a playoff, and Cox missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th that would have qualified her for extra holes.

Cocca hit a wedge to within 12 feet of the first playoff hole, and though she missed the birdie putt, Monaco three-putted for bogey from 15 feet on the back fringe, missing a 3-footer for par.

This story was originally published July 18, 2016 at 4:03 PM with the headline "CCU grad Bailey Cocca of Myrtle Beach wins N.Y. State Women’s Am."