Fact Sheet

2006 USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship
Oct. 7 - 12, 2006

Sea Island Golf Club
St. Simons Island, Ga.

PAR AND YARDAGE – The Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club will be set up at 5,832 yards with a par of 36-35—71.

COURSE ARCHITECT – The Seaside course at Sea Island Golf Club was designed by Harry Colt and C.H. Alison and opened in 1928. There have been two major revisions – by Joe Lee in 1973 and by Tom Fazio in 1999.

COURSE SET-UP – The USGA Course Rating™/Slope Rating® for Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course during the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship is: 73.6/137
Teeing ground – Height of grass – 0.400"
Collars around greens – 0.300", approximately 30 inches wide, or one mower width
Putting greens – no height prescribed; speed: 9.5-10 feet on the Stimpmeter
Primary rough – 1.25"
Driving range tee – .5"

SEA ISLAND GOLF CLUB (SEASIDE COURSE) HOLE-BY-HOLE – 5,832 yards, par 36-35—71;

WHO CAN ENTER - Open to female amateur golfers who will have reached their 50^th birthday on or before Oct. 7, 2006, and have USGA Handicap Indexes not exceeding 18.4. Entries closed Aug. 16, 2006.

ENTRIES – The USGA accepted a record 543 entries for the 2006 championship, the first time entries for the Senior Women’s Amateur have totaled more than 500. The previous record high of 457 entries was set in 2005.

QUALIFYING – Sectional qualifying for the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur was conducted from Sept. 4-12 at 23 sites.

THE FIELD – The starting field will consist of 132 golfers. Each golfer will play two rounds of stroke play before the field is trimmed to the low 64 scorers, who will advance to match play.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY – Championship play will be conducted from Oct. 7-12. Following 36 holes of stroke play (Oct. 7-8), the low 64 scorers will advance to match play. Match play rounds are listed below:

Oct. 9 (Monday) – First-round matches
Oct. 10 (Tuesday) – Second- and third-round matches
Oct. 11 (Wednesday) – Quarterfinal and semifinal matches
Oct. 12 (Thursday) – Championship final match, 18 holes

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

USGA ON THE WEB – Log on to the USGA Internet site at www.usga.org/championships for the latest and most complete Senior Women’s Amateur Championship information. The site will also provide stories and downloadable photographs daily. Scores will be posted hole-by-hole for stroke play and all rounds of match play. Please visit www.usga.org/championships or http://www.seniorwam.org.

THE 2005 CHAMPIONSHIP – Diane Lang of Weston, Fla., won the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur on her first attempt as she defeated four-time champion Carol Semple Thompson of Sewickley, Pa., 1 up, at The Apawamis Club in Rye, N.Y.

Lang, a 50-year-old native of Jamaica, and Thompson, playing in her record 102^nd USGA championship and seeking her eighth overall title, waged a seesaw battle that was not settled until Lang won the 18^th with a solid par 4 after Thompson had three-putted the final green from 70 feet away.

FOR THE WINNER – The champion receives:

• possession of the Senior Women’s Amateur Championship trophy for the ensuing year
• an exemption for the next 10 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, if otherwise eligible.

THE TROPHY – The Senior Women’s Amateur Championship Trophy was presented in 1962 by the United States Golf Association and Friends of Senior Golf. Ironically, when Marlene Streit of Canada won the 1985 championship, she declined to take possession of the trophy, fearing a hassle with Canada’s custom officials when she returned home. The trophy stayed at USGA headquarters in New Jersey for the year.

THE USGA AND GEORGIA – This will be the 25^th USGA championship conducted in the state of Georgia. The first was the 1948 U.S. Amateur Public Links, played at North Fulton Park Golf Club in Atlanta. Most recently, The Farm Golf Club in Rocky Face hosted the 2005 Senior Amateur.

EXEMPTIONS TO THE 2006 USGA SENIOR WOMEN’S AMATEUR – Nineteen players, including seven USGA champions, are fully exempt from qualifying into the championship.

Eva Ansquaruis of Sweden – 2005 Senior Ladies British Open Amateur champion
Mary Budke of Eugene, Ore. – 1972 U.S. Women’s Amateur winner
Ginny Burkey of Fircrest, Wash. – Canadian Ladies Golf Association Senior Championship winner
Carolyn Creekmore of Dallas, Texas – 2005 Senior Women’s Amateur champion; 2005 Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist
Robin Donnelley of Lake Forest, Ill. – 2005 Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist (also the 1989 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion)
Gunilla Ekman of Sweden – International European Senior Ladies Championship winner
Annette Gaiotti of Salt Lake City, Utah – 2005 Senior Women’s Amatuer semifinalist
Karin Gumpert of Germany International European Senior Ladies Championship runner-up
Liz Haines of Gladwyne, Pa. – 2004 Senior Women’s Amateur semifinalist
Viveca Hoff of Sweden – 2005 Senior Ladies British Open Amateur runner-up
Diane Lang of Weston, Fla. – 2005 Senior Women’s Amateur champion
Martha Lang of Birmingham, Ala. – 2004 Senior Women’s Amateur semifinalist (also the 1988 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion)
Cecelia Mourgue D’Algue of France – 2005 Senior Women’s Amateur semifinalist
Reggie Parker of Hobe Sound, Fla. – 2005 Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist
Anne Sander of Seattle, Wash. – 1958, 1961, 1963 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion; 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1993 Senior Women's Amateur champion
Marlene Streit of Canada – 2003 Senior Women’s Amateur champion; 1956 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion
Carol Semple Thompson of Sewickley, Pa. – 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Senior Women’s Amateur champion; 2005 Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up; 1973 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion
Marianne Towersey of Pebble Beach, Calif. – 2005 Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist
Toni Wiesner of Forth Worth, Texas – 2004 Senior Women’s Amateur semifinalist

GEORGIANS IN THE FIELD – There are four residents of Georgia in the 2006 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur field. Ena Harvey (Greensboro); Claudeen Lindberg (Atlanta); Brenda Pictor (Marietta); and Darlene Werhnyak (Lawrenceville) all successfully went through sectional qualifying to advance to the championship.

HISTORY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP – The first USGA Senior Women’s Amateur championship was played in 1962 at the Manufacturer’s Golf and Country Club in Oreland, Pa. In its 43 years of competition, the championship has had 22 different winners. Ten golfers have won the title more than once.

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 USGA SENIOR WOMEN’S AMATEUR SITES – The 2007 Senior Women’s Amateur will be played at Sunriver (Ore.) Resort from Sept. 1-6. The 2008 championship will be conducted at Tulsa (Okla.) Country Club from Sept. 20-25.

USGA MEDIA CONTACT – The USGA media relations staff member on site will be Beth Murrison. Prior to the championship, please call the USGA office at (908) 234-2300 for information.