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Robin Weiss Donnelley And Carol Semple Thompson Advance At USGA Senior Women's Amateur
Santa Cruz, Calif. - Robin Weiss Donnelley, 51, of Lake Forest, Ill., and Carol Semple Thompson, 55, of Sewickley, Pa., were two of the four past USGA champions to advance Monday in the 32 matches of the first round at the USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship at Pasatiempo Golf Club .
Weiss Donnelley, who was the stroke play medalist by five strokes at 6-over-par 150 over the demanding 5,790-yard layout, won the 1989 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur and Semple Thompson is a seven-time USGA champion, including a four-time winner of the Senior Women's Amateur. Martha Lang, 51, of Mandeville, La., the 1988 Women's Mid-Amateur champion, and Nancy Fitzgerald, 60, of Carmel, Ind., the 1997 Senior Women's Amateur champion, showed they still have what it takes as well. Weiss Donnelley and Lang are playing in their first Senior Women's Amateur, restricted to women age 50-and-older. Play continues Tuesday with the second and third rounds of match play. The championship runs through Thursday's scheduled 18-hole final match. Weiss Donnelley won the first two holes and finished with a flurry, winning three consecutive holes, to close out Nancy Chaffee of Barrington, R.I., 4 and 3. "I'm enjoying it," said Weiss Donnelley, who also was selected to three USA Curtis Cup teams in her 30s. "I'm playing against my peers and they call me a rookie. This is the camaraderie and competition that's kept me in amateur golf for so long." Semple Thompson cruised to a 5-up lead through 12 holes and defeated Cheryl Brayman of East Hills, N.Y., 5 and 3. "It wasn't pretty," said Semple Thompson, who has high standards. "I don't remember this course being so hard." Semple Thompson is one of a handful in the field, including Weiss Donnelley, who played in the 1986 Women's Amateur at Pasatiempo, won by Kay Cockerill . Many of Monday's winners have competed against each other in top competitions for 40 years. "I like being in the group that has shown up time after time at top competitions," said Semple Thompson, who now exercises often to stay fit for top competition into her late 50s. "In this group, I don't feel my age. I'm still young enough to handle it." Lang beat Theresa Quinn of Jacksonville, Fla., 2 and 1, and Fitzgerald beat Kathie Hetherington of Alamo, Calif., 3 and 2. One of the best players on the day was Marianne Towersey, 53, of Newport Beach, Calif., who was the equivalent of 2-under-par in beating Susie-Q Conklin of Sunnyvale, Calif., 5 and 4. "I guess I get to use this borrowed putter another day," said Towersey, whose long putter broke after the first day of stroke play, forcing her to borrow a long putter from a member of the club staff. Towersey faces Weiss Donnelley in her second round match. Towersey reached the semifinals last year, where she lost to defending champion Marlene Streit, 70, of Canada, in 24 holes. This time, however, Streit won't be around for the semifinals. Her magic ran out in the first round as she lost to hometown favorite Sandy Woodruff, 55, of Santa Cruz, Calif., a Pasatiempo Club member and reigning women's club champion. The long-hitting Woodruff won the first three holes versus Streit and then hung on to earn her first-round victory, 3 and 2. "It was a joy to have the opportunity to play against her," said Woodruff. "I knew she would come back, even when I was 4-up. This was a big deal for me. I really respect the player and person she is. I hope this gives me the confidence. I really want to do well now." "I played better today, but Sandy played great," said Streit, the winner of 15 national Canadian titles, who will be inducted into the World Gold Hall of Fame in Florida next month. The Senior Women's Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Story written by Craig Smith, USGA director of media relations. You can reach him at csmith@usga.org.
Santa Cruz, Calif. - Results of the first round of match play Monday at the USGA Senior Women's Amateur, at the 5,790-yard, par 36-36-72 Pasatiempo Golf Club . First Round Upper Bracket Robin Weiss Donnelley, Lake Forest, Ill. (150) def. Nancy Chaffee, Barrington, R.I. (173), 4 and 3. Marianne Towersey, Newport Beach, Calif. (167) def. Susie-Q Conklin, Sunnyvale, Calif. (167), 5 and 4. Patty Moore, Charlotte, N.C. (170) def. Marian Barker, Lubbock, Texas (163), 4 and 3. Patricia Cornett, Mill Valley, Calif. (164) def. Carol Peffer, Mentor, Ohio (170), 3 and 1. Elizabeth Haines, Gladwyne, Pa. (160) def. Sally Tomlinson, Merced, Calif. (172), 4 and 3. Ann Probert, New Vernon, N.J. (166) def. Dianne Yelovich, Pinehurst, N.C. (169), 4 and 2. Marsha Butler, San Diego, Calif. (160) def. Jacque Cooper, Heath, Texas (172), 4 and 3. Nancy Fitzgerald, Indianapolis, Ind. (166) def. Kathie Hetherington, Alamo, Calif. (169), 3 and 2. Martha Lang, Mandeville, La. (156) def. Therese Quinn, Jacksonville, Fla. (172), 2 and 1. Alice Harcourt, Fallbrook, Calif. (168) def. Anne Sander, Pauma Valley, Calif. (167), 4 and 2. Nancy Smith, North Port, Fla. (163) def. Bonnie George, Huntingdon Valley, Pa. (171), 3 and 2. Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach, Fla. (165) def. Kitty Colliflower, Rochester, N.Y. (170), 1 up. Reggie Parker, Hobe Sound, Fla. (158) def. Mary Ann Beattie, St Louis, Mo. (172), 1 up. Barbara Byrnes, Mesa, Ariz. (166) def. Karen Oldham, Naples, Fla. (168), 4 and 3. Karen Mabli, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. (163) def. Sharon Keil, The Villages, Fla. (171), 4 and 3. Marcia Fisher, Canby, Ore. (166) def. Lynn Larson, Aurora, Colo. (170), 4 and 3.
Lower Bracket Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley, Pa. (155) def. Cheryl Brayman, East Hills, N.Y. (173), 5 and 3. T L Allen, Dallas, Texas (167) def. Jean Smith, Boise, Idaho (167), 20 holes. Toni Wiesner, Fort Worth, Texas (163) def. Joni Wexler, Del Mar, Calif. (170), 7 and 6 Annette Gaiotti, Salt Lake City, Utah (170) def. Deborah Anderson, Rancho Mirage, Calif. (165), 1 up. Sandy Woodruff, Santa Cruz, Calif. (160) def. Marlene Streit, Canada (172), 3 and 2. Jo-Ann Lindsay, Edina, Minn. (169) def. Mary Budke, Eugene, Ore. (166), 2 up. Patty Crigler, Bayfield, Colo. (161) def. Shelley Mayer, San Marcos, Calif. (172), 4 and 2. Carol Davies, Garrett Park, Md. (166) def. Kathleen Hunt, Buffalo, N.Y. (169), 4 and 2. Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas, Texas (155) def. Jill Christiansen, Lagrange, Ill. (173), 2 and 1. Alison Murdoch, Canada (168) def. Debbie Franco, Upland, Calif. (167), 2 and 1. Martha McAlister, Maumelle, Ark. (171) def. Rose Pagan, Kula Maui, Hawaii (163), 2 and 1. Barbara Pagana, Selinsgrove, Pa. (170) def. Maj-Britt Heden, Sweden (165), 3 and 2. Karen Ferree, Hilton Head, S.C. (159) def. Donna Frank, Bakersfield, Calif. (172), 3 and 2. Lori Elliott, Sparks, Nev. (168) def. Claudeen Lindberg, Atlanta, Ga. (166), 4 and 3. Ann Lahey, Kentfield, Calif. (162) def. Sherry Bowman, Manassas, Va. (172), 2 and 1. Anne Carr, Seattle, Wash. (166) def. Becky Uritus, Columbus, Ohio (170), 1 up.
Santa Cruz, Calif. - Pairings for the second round of match play Tuesday at the USGA Senior Women's Amateur, at the 5,790-yard, par 36-36-72 Pasatiempo Golf Club . Times are PDT. Second Round Upper Bracket 8: 00 a.m. - Robin Weiss Donnelley, Lake Forest, Ill. (150) vs. Marianne Towersey, Newport Beach, Calif. (167) 8:09 a.m. - Patty Moore, Charlotte, N.C. (170) vs. Patricia Cornett, Mill Valley, Calif. (164) 8:18 a.m. - Elizabeth Haines, Gladwyne, Pa. (160) vs. Ann Probert, New Vernon, N.J. (166) 8:27 a.m. - Marsha Butler, San Diego, Calif. (160) vs. Nancy Fitzgerald, Indianapolis, Ind. (166) 8:36 a.m. - Martha Lang, Mandeville, La. (156) vs. Alice Harcourt, Fallbrook, Calif. (168) 8:45 a.m. - Nancy Smith, North Port, Fla. (163) vs. Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach, Fla. (165) 8:54 a.m. - Reggie Parker, Hobe Sound, Fla. (158) Barbara Byrnes, Mesa, Ariz. (166) 9:03 a.m. - Karen Mabli, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. (163) vs. Marcia Fisher, Canby, Ore. (166)
Lower Bracket 9:12 a.m. - Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley, Pa. (155) vs. T.L. Allen, Dallas, Texas (167) 9:21 a.m. - Toni Wiesner, Fort Worth, Texas (163) vs. Annette Gaiotti, Salt Lake City, Utah (170) 9:30 a.m. - Sandy Woodruff, Santa Cruz, Calif. (160) vs. Jo-Ann Lindsay, Edina, Minn. (169) 9:39 a.m. - Patty Crigler, Bayfield, Colo. (161) vs. Carol Davies, Garrett Park, Md. (166) 9:48 a.m. - Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas, Texas (155) vs. Alison Murdoch, Canada (168) 9:57 a.m. - Martha McAlister, Maumelle, Ark. (171) vs. Barbara Pagana, Selinsgrove, Pa. (170) 10:06 a.m. - Karen Ferree, Hilton Head, S.C. (159) vs. Lori Elliott, Sparks, Nev. (168) 10:15 a.m. - Ann Lahey, Kentfield, Calif. (162) vs. Anne Carr, Seattle, Wash. (166)
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