Longwood, Fla. – It was Lin Culver who out lasted Suzanne Ricard to capture the victory of the Women’s Senior Match Play Championship on Wednesday. Additionally, Sandie St. Onge captured the victory of the inaugural Super-Senior Division. The last Women’s event of 2022 proved to be an exciting one with one round of qualifying stroke play for the Championship and Super-Senior divisions starting on Monday and matches to follow on Tuesday. In addition, the Middle and Forward divisions played matches on Monday and Tuesday. Match elimination began after the afternoon matches on Tuesday with only a limited field left to compete for Wednesday.
Championship Division
It was an exciting week of stroke play and match play and included several turn of events across the week. It started with defending champion, Gigi Higgins capturing the number one seed after the first round of stroke play. Higgins carded a 76 securing her lead by only one stroke ahead of Tama Caldabaugh and Susie Keane who each posted scores of 77.
Tuesday’s matches were tight! Bronwyne Bruwer endured and defeated Higgins in the morning match, but it was Therese Quinn who ultimately outlasted Bruwer to advance to the semi-finals.
In addition, Mary Jane Hiestand defeated Marie Torti in 19 holes to face Lin Culver in the afternoon, however Culver overcame Hiestand two-up to advance the semi-finals and face Therese Quinn on Wednesday morning.
Culver prevailed and defeated Quinn 4&2 and Suzanne Ricard defeated Alexandra Frazier one-up on the eighteenth hole Tuesday afternoon. As a result, Culver and Ricard faced off in an exciting final championship match on Wednesday afternoon.
Lin Culver delivered some remarkable rounds and never gave up. Culver was one up on Ricard making the turn to the back nine in the final match on Wednesday afternoon. However, Ricard fought back to shift the match to all square after fourteen holes. Culver took the lead once again after making par on hole fifteen to move back to one-up. Ricard hit her tee shot a little right into a fairway bunker on hole sixteen while Culver’s drive sat left center of the fairway. Ricard hit a great shot out of the bunker onto the fringe about thirty feet past the hole. Each opponent two putted to make par and halve the hole. The match continued to remain tight the last two holes. Culver stuck it to fifteen feet on hole seventeen, a par three, and narrowly missed her birdie putt to halve the hole once again. Culver remained one-up heading into hole eighteen. She hit a perfect tee shot down the middle while Ricard hit her drive a little to the right forcing her to chip back out into the fairway. Culver made a par to close out the match two-up and capture the win.
Super-Senior Division
Sandie St. Onge dominated all week starting by securing the number one seed after posting a 78 in the first round of stroke play. Kathie Westlund captured the second seed trailing St. Onge by only four strokes. St. Onge continued her streak on Tuesday by defeating Christine Hunt in her morning match and Ruth Averback in her afternoon match. She then advanced to the finals on Wednesday to play against Kathie Westlund for the title. St. Onge triumphed and captured the first ever Super-Senior Match Play Championship Title.
Middle Division
In addition, Jennifer Eckensberger and Karen Carter of the Middle Division were victorious in their matches on Tuesday and faced each other in the finals on Wednesday morning. Carter defeated Eckensberger 2&1.
In the Middle First Division, Beth Sholar and Peggy Butts faced off in the finals and Sholar overcame Butts to capture the win 2&1.
Forward Divison
Linda Jane Parson of the Forward Division defeated Jane Renninger in nineteen holes to capture the win.
Finally, in the Forward First Division, Sonia Frederick outlasted Christine Lovizio 3&2 to secure the division win.
