Wiesner Creeps Closer To Top Spot; Hole-In-One Recorded By KeilSouthern Pines, N.C. – Fifty-five-year-old Toni Wiesner of Fort Worth, Texas, positioned herself close to medalist honors during the second round of stroke play Sunday at the 41st USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, being held at the par-72, 5,873-yard Mid-Pines Inn and Golf Club.
Coming off a firm 3-over 75 Saturday, the left-handed hitting Wiesner posted a 5-over 77 for a two-day total of 152. First-round leader Nancy Smith (2-over 74), 55, of North Port, Fla., teed off in the afternoon.
But Wiesner was at least able to overtake 53-year-old Marsha Butler of San Diego, who shot a 6-over 78 for a two-day total of 9-over 153 for sole possession of second place, depending on what players in the afternoon do. Wiesner sank an 8-foot putt on her final hole to save par.
“I don’t want to be medalist,” said Wiesner laughing, who has finished runner-up twice at the Senior Amateur. “I think I’d like to be two or three.”
Battling a cold, Wiesner came out strong by carding a 1-over 37 on the front nine. She managed that on the strength of two birdies, despite hitting only two fairways. Four bogeys on the back nine marred what was turning into a superior round. “I had titanium hands with the putter,” said Wiesner.
Playing in temperatures 20 degrees cooler than Saturday’s afternoon round seemed to refresh her.
“The heat just drags you down,” she said. “Coming from Texas, I want to go to a cool place.”
Teeing off in the afternoon, Sharon Keil, 58, of Lady Lake, Fla., became the fifth player in USGA Senior Women's Amateur history to record a hole-in-one. Using a 5-iron, she aced the 145-yard, par-3 8th. All four previous aces occurred in the 2000 Senior Women's Amateur, which was at Seaside Course at Seaside Island, Ga.
Butler’s playing partner, Regina Parker, 56, of Hobe Sound, Fla., also turned in one of the better scores in the morning with a 7-over 79 and total of 14-over 168.
Starting on the 10th hole, Parker birdied No. 8 and then had an impressive up and down on her finishing hole. It was different from Saturday, when she bogeyed her last five holes.
Playing in cooler conditions Sunday made a difference in being able to hold everything together, said Parker.
“I just started losing oil on the back nine [Saturday]. I had five bottles of water but should have had more,” said Parker.
In any event, the goal is getting to match play, where Parker, like the rest of the field, will reload. One round of match play is scheduled for Monday, with two rounds Tuesday, the quarterfinal Wednesday, and the semifinals and final set for Thursday.
“I have to play to my strengths, which is my short game,” said Parker. “You don’t really change much from stroke play to match play unless your opponent dictates that you do. Your first opponent in golf – and many players don’t think of it this way – is yourself.”
Butler, who quit the game for 15 years before picking it up again in her late 30s, had a chance to birdie her final hole but took the conservative route by two-putting from 22 feet.
“I had a feeling I was in the 70s,” said Butler. “I’d rather par for a 78 than three-putt for a 79 or 80.”
Butler, taking up doubles tennis during her sabbatical from golf, missed three putts of 8 feet or less. She admitted to being tentative.
Now Butler will enter into match play for the first time since being a junior. Deciding to bury nerves and look at the event more as a vacation with her husband, the former California State Junior champ looks forward to match play.
“I loved match play,” said Butler. “My father used to say, ‘Get ‘em 1 down, then get ‘em 2 down, then get ‘em 3 down.’ It was never let up.”
Nancy Harris, 61, of Minnetonka, Minn., had the morning’s low round with a 4-over 76 for a two-day total of 166.
Three-time defending champion Carol Semple Thompson, 53, of Sewickley, Pa., also teed off in the afternoon.
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.
Results
Southern Pines, N.C. – Scores following the morning session of the second round of stroke play Sunday at the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, played at the par-72, 6,596-yard 5,873-yard Mid-Pines Inn and Golf Club:
Nancy Harris, Minnetonka, Minn., 38-38--76
Marianne Towersey, Newport Beach, Calif., 39-37--76
Beverly Kim, Wahiawa, Hawaii, 37-40--77
Alison Murdoch, Canada, 37-40--77
Toni Wiesner, Fort Worth, Texas, 37-40--77
Marsha Butler, San Diego, Calif., 38-40--78
Regine Parker, Hobe Sound, Fla., 40-39--79
Pam Spikes, Maumelle, Ark., 41-38--79
Rebecca Uritus, Columbus, Ohio, 39-40--79
Bonnie George, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., 42-39--81
Mary Hill, Winston-Salem, N.C., 39-42--81
Sally Casey, Baltimore, Md., 39-42--81
Lida Tingley, Bloomfield, Conn., 38-43--81
Danna King, Coto De Caza, Calif., 42-40--82
Barbara Berkmeyer, St Louis, Mo., 39-43--82
Cecilia Mourgue D'Algue, France, 42-41--83
Anne Sander, Seattle, Wash., 44-39--83
Anne Carr, Seattle, Wash., 40-43--83
Barbara Pagana, Selinsgrove, Pa., 42-41--83
Patty Lang, Saegertown, Pa., 41-42--83
Nettie Morrison, Bend, Ore., 41-42--83
Ena Harvey, Greensboro, Ga., 39-44--83
Mary Lou Henderson, Canada, 45-38--83
Clate Aydlett, Elizabeth City, N.C., 44-40--84
Connie Shorb, York, Pa., 41-43--84
Nancy Holm, Alpharetta, Ga., 44-40--84
Joann Manning, East Alton, Ill., 41-43--84
Cathy Schaefer, Ft Myers, Fla., 44-41--85
Eleanor Walker, Greensboro, N.C., 41-44--85
Mary Ann Bierman, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, 43-43--86
Mary Gale, Worc, Mass., 40-46--86
Meredith Wolf, Wellington, Fla., 41-45--86
Marianne Ceriani, Golden, Colo., 45-41--86
Marilyn Nolan-Johnson, Marietta, Ga., 43-43--86
Dottie Farmer, Middletown, Del., 42-44--86
Nancy Chaffee, Barrington, R.I., 40-46--86
Robin Krieger, Westlake Village, Calif., 42-44--86
Maryann Beattie, St Louis, Mo., 40-46--86
Deborah Anderson, Redlands, Calif., 45-41--86
Jackie Hauck, Fort Wayne, Ind., 41-45--86
Anne Gajda, Ypsilanti, Mich., 46-40--86
Roberta Bolduc, Longmeadow, Mass., 45-42--87
Bonnie Marsh, Huntington, N.Y., 45-42--87
Alice Harcourt, Fallbrook, Calif., 44-43--87
Diane Williams, Palm Desert, Calif., 42-45--87
Penny Locke, Scituate, Mass., 44-43--87
Peggy Woodard, Virginia Beach, Va., 44-44--88
Ellen McGowan, Wicomico, Va., 44-44--88
Barbara Hulke, Basking Ridge, N.J., 43-45--88
Marcella Rose, St Louis, Mo., 43-45--88
Jo-Ann Lindsay, Edina, Minn., 45-44--89
Janice Albert, Bryn Mawr, Pa., 44-45--89
Bernice Gallagher, Cincinnati, Ohio, 42-47--89
Sandy Szczerbin, San Ramon, Calif., 43-47--90
Gale Brudner, Greenwich, Conn., 42-48--90
Margaret Brady, Washington, D.C., 45-45--90
Libby Englander, Eugene, Ore., 46-44--90
Barbara Magie, Wellington, Fla., 46-46--92
Marianne Fischer, Bristol, Tenn., 50-42--92
Kathie Morris, Gresham, Ore., 46-46--92
Helen Braunston, Frisco, Texas, 45-48--93
Wanda Flora, Roanoke, Va., 46-47--93
Tammy White, Ipswich, Mass., 47-46--93
Ann Brilley, Minnetonka Bch, Minn., 49-45--94
Debra Matthews, Fallbrook, Calif., 48-46--94
Mary Smith, Sheridan, Wyo., 50-47--97
Alice Hovde, Carmel, Ind., 48-51--99
Lily Yao, Honolulu, Hawaii, 50-53--103
Home | History
| Course | Players
| Results
|
