Gayle Borthwick

Gayle Borthwick, 54, of Canada, defeated Ireland's Valerie Hassett, 4 and 3, to win the 1998 USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship on the par-72, 5,791-yard Green Course of the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.With her victory, Borthwick became the first player to have won the championship at both stroke play and match play. She won in 1996 when the Senior Women's Amateur was conducted at stroke play. The format changed to match play in 1997.

For Borthwick, it was her seventh national championship. She has won the Canadian Girls' Junior, the Canadian Women's Amateur, the Canadian Women's Mid-Amateur and two Candian Senior Women's Amateur championships in addition to two USGA Senior Women's Amateur championships.

Borthwick used two fine recoveries to defeat Hassett in the 18-hole final. She was 2 up when she drove into the trees on the 10th hole. She chipped out, then nearly holed a 100-yard wedge shot and made a short putt to halve the hole with a par.

On the 13th hole, she hit her approach shot into a greenside bunker. Her bunker shot finished within three feet of the hole. She again made a par putt to save a half.

Hassett's putter let her down. She missed several mid-range birdie putts that would have won holes. At the 14th, she three-putted from 20 feet to go three holes down in the match. At the 15th, she three-putted from 30 feet and bogeyed. Borthwick made a par to win the hole, the match, and the championship.Borthwick said that on the day of the final, she had twice kissed the trophy that she first won in 1996.

"I love that trophy," the champion said.Hassett, who lives in County Clare, Ireland, was playing in the Senior Women's Amateur as part of what she called her "dream tour." She had competed in the Canadian Senior Women's Amateur before coming to the United States to play several famous American courses and to compete in the Senior Women's Amateur.

The championship final followed the morning semifinal matches in which Hassett defeated Cathy Schaefer of Fort Myers, Fla., 1 up. Borthwick defeated defending champion Nancy Fitzgerald of Carmel, Ind., 2 and 1.

Toni Wiesner, 51, of Fort Worth, Texas, set a scoring record in the 36-hole stroke play qualifying. Wiesner fired 67-68-135 to best the old record by nine strokes. Wiesner was defeated by Schaefer on the 19th hole in the quarterfinal round.