Medalist Higgins, Past Champions Lang, Thompson, Creekmore Schultz Post First-Round Victories At 2009 USGA Senior Women's Amateur

Hot Springs, Va. – Medalist Joan Higgins of Glendora, Calif., got off to a rough start in her first-round match on Tuesday, but escaped with a win over Claudia Cenko of Beverly Hills, Mich., joining a group of USGA champions advancing to the second round of the 2009 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur at the 5,515-yard, par-70 Cascades Course at The Homestead.

Four-time champion Carol Semple Thompson of Sewickley, Pa., defeated Cheryll Damphouse of Canada, 6 and 4. Anna Schultz of Rockwall, Texas, the 2007 champion, beat Kim Kaul of Boston, N.Y., 4 and 3.

	Defending champion Diane Lang of Jamaica advanced with a 4-and-2 win over Laura Carson. (Fred Vuich/USGA)

Carolyn Creekmore of Dallas, Texas, the 2004 champion, edged Kate Johnson of Sleepy Hollow, Ill., 3 and 2, while defending champion Diane Lang of Jamaica defeated Laura Carson of Lake Bluff, Ill., 4 and 2.

Other notables to post wins included Pat Cornett of Mill Valley, Calif., a member of the 1978 and 1988 USA Curtis Cup teams, who defeated Carol Sarkissian of Chino Hills, Calif., 5 and 4, and 2010 Curtis Cup captain and 1978 Curtis Cup member Noreen Mohler of Bethlehem, Pa., who earned a 7-and-6 win over Diane Bohl of Kissimmee, Fla.

Higgins said her first few holes against Cenko, the 64th and final match-play qualifier, were a struggle.

“Those 64th players are tough,” Higgins said after her victory.

Higgins, the 2008 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, was medalist by posting a 2-over 142 (74-68) in stroke-play qualifying.

“I was really nervous and tight and I wasn’t swinging very well today,” said Higgins. “I was a little handsie, a little armsie. Being the medalist, I think I talked myself into thinking I wasn’t going to play well today.”

Higgins got down to business on the back nine. She was 3 up at the 10th hole when she made a 20-foot putt for a half.

She won the 11th with an 18-foot birdie putt and saved a half at the 12th when she got it up and down from a bunker. Safely getting down in two putts from the fringe at the 13th, she went 5 up. The 14th was halved with pars giving Higgins a 5-and-4 victory.

Thompson won the first hole against Damphouse and three of the first four holes. She never trailed in the match.

“Cheryl gave me some presents today, but I did play a little better on the front nine than I did in the qualifying rounds,” Thompson said. “I was just trying to get pars.”

Lang led Carson throughout much of their match, but struggled midway through after leading, 2 up, as late as the seventh hole. Carson squared the match at the ninth, and Lang didn’t regain the lead until the 13th hole.

“It was one of the hardest matches, coming from my not too comfortable state” said Lang. “It was touch and go.”

Lang’s recovery on the first hole provided impetus, she said. She has taken three lessons from former PGA Tour professional J.C. Snead, a local resident, since arriving in Hot Springs. She used Snead’s tip to hole a difficult downhill chip shot out of high grass to save a par and win the first hole.

“J.C. Snead showed it to me yesterday,” Lang said of the shot. “I opened the clubface, did the little shot and it went right in the hole.”

The eighth hole was a turning point, Lang said. Carson made a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3. Lang then missed her birdie putt of slightly less than 6 feet to lose the hole and shrink her advantage to 1-up. At the ninth, Lang missed a 6-foot birdie putt while Carson made hers and the match was square. But beginning at the 13th, Lang won four holes in succession to close out the match.

“I’m feeling a lot more confident after my sessions with Mr. Snead,” said Lang. “Not only will I take a lesson in the middle of a championship, I’ll take a lesson in the middle of the night if someone will offer it to me.”

Cornett has been a fine player but her work as an oncologist gives her little time to play and she’s something of a dark horse in the championship.

“It’s hard, working full time, taking care of the kids (she has daughters 17 and 19) and the dogs,” Cornett said.

In her match with Sarkissian, Cornett led from the second hole and birdied the eighth to go 2 up, then birdied the ninth for a half. She won holes 10, 13 and 14 with pars. “I hit the ball exactly the way I wanted to, which provides a little less stress, for a change,” she said.

Match play continues at the Senior Women’s Amateur with  two rounds each on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by the 18-hole final on Thursday.

The Senior Women’s Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association. Ten are strictly for amateurs.

Story written by Rhonda Glenn, manager of communications for the USGA. E-mail her with questions or comments at rglenn@usga.org.

Hot Springs, Va. – Results of the first round of match play at the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur at the 5,515-yard, par-70 Cascades Course of The Homestead.

Round of 64

Upper Bracket

Joan Higgins, Glendora, Calif. (142) def. Claudia Cenko, Beverly Hills, Mich. (162), 5 and 4

Sherry Herman, Farmingdale, N.J. (157) def. Lou Hart, Meridian, Miss. (157), 3 and 2

Teresa Cleland, Syracuse, N.Y. (154) def. Tina Barker, Castro Valley, Calif. (160), 5 and 3

Lisa Schlesinger, Laytonsville, Md. (154) def. Martha Lang, Birmingham, Ala. (160), 5 and 4

Frances Gacos, Flemington, N.J. (161) def. Nancy Smith, North Port, Fla. (152), 6 and 5

Mary Jane Hiestand, Naples, Fla. (158) def. Sandy Woodruff, Santa Cruz, Calif. (156), 4 and 3

Shelley Savage, Alexandria, Va. (161) def. Beatriz Arenas, Guatemala (152), 2 and 1

Dana Harrity, North Hampton, N.H. (156) def. Sue O'Connor, Lake Bluff, Ill. (158), 21 holes

Kim Eaton, Greeley, Colo. (149) def. Susan Dye, England (162), 2 and 1

Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley, Pa. (156) def. Cheryll Damphouse, Canada (158), 6 and 4

Karen Ferree, Hilton Head, S.C. (160) def. Mimi Hoffman, Alexandria, Va. (153), 2 and 1

Linda Pearson, Glendale, Calif. (155) def. Lisa McGill, Philadelphia, Pa. (159), 2 up

Robyn Puckett, Irvine, Calif. (150) def. Marian Barker, Lubbock, Texas (161), 1 up

Tanna Lee Richard, Fort Smith, Ark. (156) def. Joanne Catlin, Ashburnham, Mass. (158), 4 and 3

Rebecca Montgelas, Darien, Conn. (160) def. Cindy Bryniarski, Durango, Colo. (153), 6 and 4

Kate Grace, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (155) def. Chris Utermarck, Germany (159), 1 up

Lower Bracket

Anna Schultz, Rockwall, Texas (145) def. Kim Kaul, Boston, N.Y. (162), 4 and 3

Cindy Morris, Portsmouth, Va. (157) def. Maggie Weder, Greenville, N.C. (157), 19 holes

Noreen Mohler, Bethlehem, Pa. (154) def. Diane Bohl, Kissimmee, Fla. (160), 7 and 6

Jackie Little, Canada (154) def. Pat Brogden, Garner, N.C. (159), 2 up

Cheryl Grigg, Sea Island, Ga. (151) def. Claudia Pilot, Austin, Minn. (161), 1 up

Terry Ehrhardt, Waco, Texas (156) def. Joan Garety, Ada, Mich. (158), 19 holes

Alison Reifers, Dublin, Ohio (153) def. Diane Masterson, Cambridge, Ohio (161), 7 and 5

Brenda Pictor, Marietta, Ga. (156) def. Lindsay Wortham, Richmond, Va. (158), 2 and 1

Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas, Texas (147) def. Kate Johnson, Sleepy Hollow, Ill. (162), 3 and 2

Marianne Towersey, Pebble Beach, Calif. (157) def. Lynn Thompson, Cincinnati, Ohio (157), 4 and 3

Daryl Nels, Beavercreek, Ohio (160) def. Anne Carr, Seattle, Wash. (154), 19 holes

Diane Lang, Jamaica (154) def. Laura Carson, Lake Bluff, Ill. (159), 4 and 2

Hot Springs, Va. – Pairings for the second round of match play at the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur at the 5,515-yard, par-70 Cascades Course of The Homestead (All times EDT).

Round of 32

Upper Bracket

8 am - Joan Higgins, Glendora, Calif. (142) vs. Sherry Herman, Farmingdale, N.J. (157)

8:09 am - Teresa Cleland, Syracuse, N.Y. (154) vs. Lisa Schlesinger, Laytonsville, Md. (154)

8:18 am - Frances Gacos, Flemington, N.J. (161) vs. Mary Jane Hiestand, Naples, Fla. (158)

8:27 am - Shelley Savage, Alexandria, Va. (161) vs. Dana Harrity, North Hampton, N.H. (156)

8:36 am - Kim Eaton, Greeley, Colo. (149) vs. Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley, Pa. (156)

8:45 am - Karen Ferree, Hilton Head, S.C. (160) vs. Linda Pearson, Glendale, Calif. (155)

8:54 am - Robyn Puckett, Irvine, Calif. (150) vs. Tanna Lee Richard, Fort Smith, Ark. (156)

9:03 am - Rebecca Montgelas, Darien, Conn. (160) vs. Kate Grace, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (155)

Lower Bracket

9:12 am - Anna Schultz, Rockwall, Texas (145) vs. Cindy Morris, Portsmouth, Va. (157)

9:21 am - Noreen Mohler, Bethlehem, Pa. (154) vs. Jackie Little, Canada (154)

9:30 am - Cheryl Grigg, Sea Island, Ga. (151) vs. Terry Ehrhardt, Waco, Texas (156)

9:39 am - Alison Reifers, Dublin, Ohio (153) vs. Brenda Pictor, Marietta, Ga. (156)

9:48 am - Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas, Texas (147) vs. Marianne Towersey, Pebble Beach, Calif. (157)

9:57 am - Daryl Nels, Beavercreek, Ohio (160) vs. Diane Lang, Jamaica (154)

10:06 am - Kelly Koselek, Canada (161) vs. Judy Miller, Tucson, Ariz. (158)

10:15 am - Annette Gaiotti, Holladay, Utah (153) vs. Patricia Cornett, Mill Valley, Calif. (155)