Guatemala's Arenas Takes Halfway Lead With 1 Under Par 70

Sunriver, Ore. – Beatriz Arenas, 59, of Guatemala, shot a 1-under-par 70 to take a three-stroke lead at the halfway point of the first day of stroke play at the 2007 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Sunriver Resort’s Meadows Course.

Madelaine Campbell, 57, of Newport Beach, Calif., and Lou Hart, 55, of Meridian, Miss., each posted a 2-over-par 73 to trail by three strokes.

"It is very good score,” said Arenas, who is playing in her first Senior Women’s Amateur. “I putted very well. I focused on my own game. I shot 32 and 38 because there are some tough holes on the second nine.”

Arenas posted the only sub-par score from the early set of starting times. She logged four birdies, including three on her first nine, and three bogeys.

Arenas, who has played in six Women’s World Amateur Team Championships for her country, was never aware of the Senior Amateur until earlier this year.

"Never in Guatemala did we have notice of this tournament,” said Arenas, whose daughter, Maria, played college golf in the USA at Pepperdine in California. “This year, the federation said: ‘Would you like to qualify in Houston.’ So I did.”

She credited her driving accuracy for part of her success. “My driver was not very nice yesterday and the day before,” she said. “Today, I was on the fairway all the time because the rough is hard.”

An avid oil painter, two things did not escape her eye: the surroundings and the colors of the University of Oregon. She wears a magnetic ball marker on her cap with the gold ‘O’ on its green background.

"Since I am here, I have to adopt them,” she said of Oregon Ducks. “This is such a beautiful place. I have never played a golf course like this.”

"It was crazy,” said Hart. “I thought if I could shoot 82-82 I might have a chance to qualify. You set your sights and set your goals. The 82 was my goal for the day.”

Carolyn Creekmore, 55, of Dallas, Texas, who won the title in 2004, was 1-under-par at the turn but finished with a 75.  “I made bogey after bogey and added a double,” she said. “It was like someone else took over my body.”

Diane Lang, of Weston, Fla., who won in 2005 and 2006 and four-time champion Carol Semple Thompson of Sewickley, Pa., had afternoon starting times.

Story written by Pete Kowalski, USGA Meda Relations Manager. E-mail him with questions and comments at pkowalski@usga.org.