Carol Semple Thompson

Carol Semple Thompson, 51, of Sewickley, Pa., won the first three holes and easily defeated Toni Wiesner, 53, of Ft. Worth, Texas, 5 and 4, to successfully defend her USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship title at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island, Ga.

IThe win gave Thompson five USGA titles, beginning with the 1973 U.S. Women's Amateur. She also won the 1990 and 1997 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur. Overall, only JoAnne Carner (8), Anne Sander (7), Hollis Stacy (6) and Glenna Collett Yare (6) have won more USGAwomen's titles.

Thompson won the first three holes with pars and never looked back. She stood 4-up after seven holes, and 6-up after the 12th. Wiesner managed to win only holes 4 and 13 in the match, both with pars. The match ended when the 14th hole was halved with pars.

Thompson missed just one fairway and hit 10 of 14 greens. In contrast, Wiesner hit only five greens in regulation.

"I didn't think I could manage to repeat," said Thompson. "Toni didn't playas well as she can. She gave me a great present.

"It's going to be so special to be defending when this champion- ship comes to my home course next year. I can't wait to put this trophy on the shelf at Allegheny (Pa.) Country Club again."

"My ugly twin sister showed up this afternoon," said Wiesner light-heartedly, also a finalist in 1997 and a semifinalist in 1999. "Carol is a tough opponent. She doesn't give you an inch."

Thompson eliminated Wiesner in a semifinal match at last year's Women's Senior Amateur, 1 up. In 1989, Wiesner beat Thompson in the 36-hole final of the Broadmoor (Colo.) Invitation Tournament, 4 and 3.

Thompson advanced to this Senior Women's final by winning her morning semifinal match over Cecilia Mourgue D'Algue, 54, of France, 1 up. It was a rematch of last year's championship final where Thompson won on the 19th hole.

Wiesner made a decisive birdie from 20 feet on the 16th hole to edge Patty Moore, 50, of Charlotte, N.C., in the other morning semifinal, 1 up.

Thompson never trailed in any of her first four matches, and she didn't have one that was closer than 4 and 3. She trailed only momentarily in her semifinal match against Cecilia Mourgue- D'Algue, 54, of France. Mourgue- D'Algue won the fourth hole before Thompson won the sixth.

The difference came when Thompson won holes 14 and 15 to take a 2-up lead. Mourge-D'Algue cut the margin in half by winning the 16th before the two halved the last two holes.

Wiesner had close matches in the early rounds of match play before hitting her stride with big wins in the third and quarterfinal rounds. In her semifinal match, she holed a 2G-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th hole that was the difference in her beating Patty Moore, 50, of Charlotte, N.C., 1 up.

The cut for match play came at 29-0ver-par 171, with a five-way playoff to decide the final two spots. Patsy Ehret of McDonough, Ga., survived a nine-hole playoff to earn the final berth in match play. Then she beat medalist Karen Mabli (9-0ver-par 151) of Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., and two-time champion Marlene Streit of Canada, before losing in the quarterfinal round.

Streit was one of six past champions to advance to match play. The others were Gayle Borthwick, Nancy Fitzgerald, Tish Preuss and Anne Sander.