Phyllis Preuss

Phyllis Preuss, 52, of Colorado Springs, Colo., shot a 1-under-par on the second nine of the third round to rally and win the 30th U.S. Senior Women's Amateur at Pine Needles Resort.

Preuss finished with a third-round 74 and a three-day total of 221, 11 over par, to defeat Belle Robertson and Anne Sander by one stroke.

Both runners-up made serious runs at the title. Robertson, 55, held a three-stroke lead over Preuss through 14 holes, but she took a triple bogey and a bogey on the final four holes; Preuss, meanwhile, parred the last four holes.

Still, Robertson could have forced an 18-hole playoff by making a 6-foot putt for birdie on the 54th hole. Sander, who had won the last two championships, started the day five strokes behind the leaders, who were tied at 147, but she finished birdie-eagle to close the gap.

Betty Probasco, of Lookout Mountain, Tenn., who shared the lead with Preuss and Robertson after two rounds, shot a final round 76 to finish in fourth place, two strokes back.

Her 67 on the second day was the lowest 18-hole score in the history of the championship, and the first sub-70 score. One day later, Carol Ellis, of Minneapolis, recorded the second sub-70 score with a two-under-par 68.

While Preuss won the Group 1 age division, Robertson finished first in Group 2, Probasco in Group 3 and Dorothy Porter in Group 4.