Thompson To Meet Carr In Semifinal At USGA Senior Women’s Amateur

Southern Pines, N.C. – Three-time defending champion Carol Semple Thompson, 53, of Sewickley, Pa., advanced to the semifinal round after beating Nancy Fitzgerald, 58, of Carmel, Ind., 4 and 3, Wednesday at the 41st USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, being held at the par-72, 5,873-yard Mid-Pines Inn and Golf Club.

Thompson continued her USGA record of winning the most consecutive matches in a single championship, which now stands at 22. With two victories Tuesday, Thompson broke the record she shared with Alexa Stirling and Glenna Collett Vare, both of whom won 19 in a row.

“I’m amazed,” said Thompson. “I don’t feel as though I’ve played that well all week.”

On a soggy and overcast day, Thompson, who has never lost the event since becoming eligible three years ago, grabbed a 2-up lead after the first five holes. She used a par-birdie combination on the 4th and 5th holes.

After pushing the lead to 4 up on the 13th hole, Thompson was in the driver’s seat. On the winning hole, the 455-yard, par-5 15th, Thompson placed her 140-yard approach within 12 feet of the hole. Fitzgerald, the 1997 champion, equaled the shot as her ball stopped 5 feet from the flagstick. But Fitzgerald ended up two-putting.

“I could not read, could not read the greens,” said Fitzgerald. “It was very poor. My caddie couldn’t read them either.”

Earning medalist honors with a two-day qualifying score of 6-over 150, Thompson is attempting to become the first medalist to win the championship since it switched to match play in 1997.

Fitzgerald felt fortunate to make it as far as she did. That’s because she spent last Saturday night in a local hospital being treated for pancreasitis. She nearly withdrew from second-round stroke play qualifying, but medicine helped her feel better.

“I thought, ‘Carol is a human,’” said Fitzgerald of her thoughts entering the match. “If I could hit the ball and keep it in play, I had a chance.”

Said Thompson: “I love playing with Nancy. She’s one of the best players.”

Now, in a rematch of last year’s final, Thompson goes head to head with Renton, Wash., native Anne Carr, last year’s runner-up. Carr eliminated Connie Shorb, 55, of York, Pa., 3 and 2.

A kindred soul, Carr has lived life the way she plays golf: calculated with no regrets. When she was 37 and living in Denver, she quit her job as a computer programmer and moved to Wyoming to become an artist. To that point, she had never painted a picture in her life. In 1982, she hitch-hiked across Europe, “sleeping in sheep pastures,” she said.

She is eager to face Thompson again.

“Well, I’m ready for Carol. It’s anybody’s ballgame tomorrow. Whoever has their best game is going to win,” said Carr.


A 2002 inductee into the University of Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame, Barbara Berkmeyer, 58, of St. Louis, advanced to her first Senior Women’s Amateur semifinal. She knocked off this year’s Canadian Senior Amateur champion, Alison Murdoch, 58, of Canada, 5 and 4. Berkmeyer was 5 up after the turn before closing out the match on the 14th hole.

Berkmeyer will take on 53-year-old Marsha Butler of San Diego, a California State Junior Champion in 1967. Butler defeated Taffy Brower of Boynton Beach, Fla., 3 and 2.

Butler grabbed the momentum when she chipped in from 30 feet on the 314-yard, par-4 9th to go 1 up. After gradually increasing the lead to 3 up, Butler won when Brower conceded on No. 15. Brower watched as a tree knocked down her approach, and then placed the ball behind a brush on her next shot. Butler had gotten on in two.

For Butler, who viewed this trip as a vacation with her husband, moving on has exceeded all her expectations. After all, she had given up the game for about 15 years.

“I’ve exceeded so many expectations,” said Butler. “We’re supposed to visit my son at The Citadel. He said, ‘Mom, just keep winning.’”

The Senior Women’s Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs. The event was first played in 1962.

Story written by Ken Klavon, USGA.
Quarterfinal Round Results (Fourth Round)
Southern Pines, N.C. – Scores following the second round of stroke play Sunday at the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, played at the par-72, 5,873-yard Mid-Pines Inn and Golf Club:
Quarterfinal
9:15 am Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley, Pa. (150) def. Nancy Fitzgerald, Carmel, Ind. (163), 4 and 3
9:25 am Anne Carr, Seattle, Wash. (161) def. Connie Shorb, York, Pa. (161), 3 and 2
9:35 am Barbara Berkmeyer, St Louis, Mo. (165) def. Alison Murdoch, Canada (156), 5 and 4
9:45 am Marsha Butler, San Diego, Calif. (153) def. Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach, Fla. (155), 3 and 2

Semifinal Pairings
8:00 am Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley, Pa. (150) vs. Anne Carr, Seattle, Wash. (161)
8:15 am Barbara Berkmeyer, St Louis, Mo. (165) vs. Marsha Butler, San Diego, Calif. (153)

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