Thompson Takes USGA Senior Women's Amateur Fourth Year In A Row
Southern Pines, N.C. – Sooner or later Carol Semple Thompson, 53, of Sewickley, Pa., may have to start charging the USGA rent for housing the Senior Women’s Amateur trophy. That’s because Thompson won the championship for the fourth consecutive year when she beat Barbara Berkmeyer, 58, of St. Louis, 3 and 1, amid pouring rain Thursday at the 41st USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, held at the par-72, 5,873-yard Mid-Pines Inn and Golf Club.  

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Interesting Player Notes From USGA Senior Women's Amateur
Southern Pines, N.C. -- The following are interesting player notes for those in the field. For starters, nine countries are being represented in the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, with eight contestants from Canada, the most of any country outside of the United States; players from 32 states in the United States are competing.  

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Championship Fact Sheet

PAR AND YARDAGE – Mid Pines Golf Club will be set up at 5,873 yards with a par of 36-36--72.

THE COURSE – Mid Pines Golf Club was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1921. 

ADMISSION - The public is invited.  Both admission and parking are free.

DEFENDING CHAMPION - Carol Semple Thompson, 53, of Sewickley, Pa., defeated Anne Carr of Renton, Wash., 1 up, to earn her third straight USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in 2001, at her home course, Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley, Pa.

It was the sixth USGA title for Semple Thompson, who also won the 1973 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 1990 and 1997 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.   The sixth title ties her with Hollis Stacy and Glenna Collett Vare.  She now stands three behind all-time record holder Bobby Jones, who holds nine championships.

EXEMPT PLAYERS - Seventeen golfers who are exempt entered this upcoming Championship, including six past champions.

· Taffy Brower – 2001 quarterfinalist
· Barbara Berkmeyer – 2002 runner-up Canadian Senior Women's Championship
· Anne Carr – 2001 finalist
· Karen Ferree – 2001 semifinalist
· Nancy Fitzgerald – 1997 champion
· Elizabeth Haines – 2001 semifinalist
· Mary Lou Henderson – 2001 quarterfinalist
· Barbara McIntire – 1959 and 1964 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion
· Mary McKenna – winner 2001 Senior Ladies British Open
· Patty Moore – 2000 semifinalist
· Cecilia Mourgue-D'Algue – 2000 semifinalist
· Alison Murdoch – 2002 champion Canadian Senior Women's Championship
· Tish Pruess – special exemption (1991 champion)
· Anne Sander – 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1993 champion
· Marlene Streit – 1985 and 1994 champion
· Carol Semple Thompson – 1999, 2000 and 2001 champion
· Rosemary Thompson – 1992 champion
· Marianne Towersey – 2001 quarterfinalist
· Toni Wiesner – 2000 semifinalist

In addition to her exemption for being a past champion, Semple Thompson also met several other criteria for special exemption this year: she’s a former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, reached the round of 64 in the past two U.S. Women’s Amateurs, and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open the past two years.

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS – In addition to Semple Thompson, the other three semifinalists from 2001 return: Anne Carr of Renton, Wash., Karen Ferree of Hilton Head, S.C., and Elizabeth Haines of Galdwyne, Pa.

NORTH CAROLINA QUALIFIERS – Clate Aydlett of Elizabeth City, N.C., was the medalist at qualifying at Mid Pines on Sept. 3.  She shot a 79 to lead 12 qualifiers from the site.  The other North Carolina qualifiers from Mid Pines are: Carol Jones from Hillsborough, Eleanor Walker of Greensboro, Mary Hill of Winston-Salem and Peggy Yountz of Cornelius:

USGA ON THE WEB - Log on to the USGA internet site at www.usga.org for the latest and most complete Senior Women’s Amateur Championship information.

WHO CAN ENTER- Open to female amateur golfers who will have reached their 50^th birthday on or before Oct. 5, 2002, and have USGA Handicap Indexes not exceeding 18.4.  Entries closed Aug. 21, 2002.

ENTRIES – The USGA accepted a record 418 entries.  The previous high was 391 in 2000.

SCHEDULE - Championship play will be conducted Saturday, Oct. 5 through Thursday, Oct. 10.

FORMAT – The first two days of the Championship, Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 5-6), will be conducted at stroke play for the starting field of 132 golfers (7:45 a.m. start).  After 36 holes, the field will be trimmed to the 64 lowest scorers, who will advance to match play. 

Schedule for Match Play (Times EDT):

• Monday (Oct. 7) - 9 a.m., Round one matches begin
• Tuesday (Oct. 8) - 8 a.m., Round two; 1:30 p.m., Round three
• Wednesday (Oct. 9) – 9:15 a.m., Quarterfinal round;
• Thursday (Oct. 10) – 8 a.m., 8:15 a.m. – Semifinal matches; 12:45 p.m., Final round

FOR THE WINNER - The champion receives:

· possession of the Senior Women’s Amateur Championship trophy for the ensuing year
· an exemption for all future USGA Senior Women’s Amateur championships
· an exemption for the next U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship
· an exemption for the next three U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships,
· an exemption for the next U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship

THE USGA AND NORTH CAROLINA - The United States Golf Association has conducted 18 championships in the state of North Carolina.  The last time a USGA Championship was contested in North Carolina was in 2001 with the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines.   The Senior Women’s Amateur is making its second stop in North Carolina as the 1991 championship was played at Pine Needles.

THE USGA AND MID PINES GOLF CLUB – Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club is hosting its first USGA Championship. 

HOLE-BY-HOLE – 5,873 yards, par 36-36--72;

HISTORY OF CHAMPIONSHIP- The USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship dates back to 1962.  The first championship took place at the Manufacturer’s Golf and Country Club in Oreland, Pa.  In its 40 years of competition, the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship has had 21 different winners. 

Ten golfers have won the title more than once:

· Maureen Orcutt - 1962 and 1966
· Loma Smith  -- 1964 and 1965
· Carolyn Cudone - 1968 through 1972
· Alice Dye  -- 1978 and 1979
· Dorothy Porter - 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1983
· Constance Guthrie - 1984 and 1986
· Marlene Streit - 1985 and 1994
· Anne Sander - 1989, 1990 and 1993
· Gayle Borthwick - 1996 and 1998
· Carol Semple Thompson – 1999, 2000, 2001

The event moved to match play in 1997 and became the last of the 10 national amateur championships to adopt a match-play format.  Sectional qualifying was first conducted for the 2000 championship.

FUTURE SITES - In 2003, the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship will be conducted at Barton Creek Golf Club in Austin, Texas from September 6-11.  The 2004 Championship will be conducted Oct. 9-14 at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif.

USGA MEDIA CONTACT - The USGA Media Contact on site will be Ken Klavon, Web Editor in Media Relations.  He will arrive on Oct. 3.  Until then, he can be reached by phone at (908) 234-2300 x1286.  The Media Center phone number is 910-692-3027.

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