FORT MYERS, Fla. – Terrill Samuel raises the trophy as Women’s Senior Amateur champion for the third consecutive year. Samuel rallied on her final nine of the tournament to seize the victory by one stroke over the field.
In addition, Joy Passalacqua wins the Super-Senior Championship division, outlasting the field by one stroke.
Senior Championship Division
Lexington Country Club proved to be a great test of golf for each competitor. The course forced shot placement, and the fast, undulating, greens challenged the short game. First and second round leader, Wendi Christensen explained, “It’s a great course. I really like the fact that you have to think your way around. There are definitely some placement shots, and it is not a course that you can get lazy with. But I love it, it’s fun to play.” The leaderboard certainly was not lazy throughout the event as it remained tight at the top, with ultimately an experienced champion grabbing the win.
The first round began on Monday for the Senior Championship Division. Christensen lead the way with a three-over par, 75. She posted two birdies over the eighteen holes to emerge with the lead in windy conditions. Terrill Samuel and Kathy Glennon shared second place only one stroke behind Christensen.
The leaderboard remained close as the second round progressed. Therese Quinn made moves up the leaderboard firing a two-over par, 74 to sit in second place only one stroke off the lead. In addition, Kathy Glennon also moved into a share of the lead with Christensen. Christensen explained that she was simply focusing on hitting one shot at a time in order to stay in the game mentally and hold on to her lead. She also said, “I am really happy with my tee shots right now and it is giving me a great opportunity to hit a good approach into most greens.”
However, things took a turn in the final round. Terrill Samuel entered the final round one stroke off the lead and she stated, “I did not really think I had a chance to win, especially when I got off to a bad start.” Samuel started off one-over through four holes. In the meantime, Christensen, Glennon, and Gigi Higgins all took turns holding the lead. However, it was on the final nine that things started to change, and more specifically on the fourteenth hole. After consecutive bogeys on holes ten and eleven, Samuel had fallen out of the lead. However, she kicked into high gear when she made a birdie on the fourteenth hole, a par-three over the water. Samuel sunk a long putt and then continued on to make another birdie on the sixteenth hole. She hit tight approach shots on the final two holes coming in and made par on each to grab the victory by one stroke over Kathy Glennon. Samuel explained, “I finally made a putt on fourteen, and then a two-putt birdie on sixteen really helped me out. I did not even realize I had won when I finished on the eighteenth.”
Glennon hung in the entire round, however a bogey on the last hole left her one shot short of a playoff with Samuel for the victory. Christensen finished in solo third place with a tournament total of thirteen-over par. Moreover, this victory marks Samuel’s third consecutive win as the Women’s Senior Amateur champion only one victory short of tying four-time champion, Mary Jane Hiestand.
Super-Senior Championship Division
The Super-Senior Championship Division began their first round on Tuesday, and competed over thirty-six holes. Defending champion, Marianne Springer held the lead after the first round, posting a five-over par, 77. She held a two-stroke lead over Barbara Harrison and Joy Passalacqua.
Springer extended her lead to three strokes as she started the final round. However, Passalacqua made a charge carding three birdies in her first nine holes. She held consistent on the back with pars, and only three bogeys to outlast Springer by one stroke. The defending champion finished in solo second place, and Laura Carson secured a solo third place finish.
Field Divisions
Senior Field – Gross
First Place: Micki Cuppet, 82-82
Second Place: Kerstin Koenig, 84-85
Third Place: Betsy Knights, 82-87
Senior Field – Net
First Place: Kerstin Koenig, 70-71
Second Place: Micki Cuppet, 77-77
Third Place: 77-77
Super-Senior Field – Gross
First Place: Linda Sturges, 83-81
Second Place: Linda Davis, 90-83
Third Place: Sydney Dunning, 90-85
Super-Senior Field – Net
First Place: Linda Sturges, 73-71
Second Place: Linda Davis, 78-71
Third Place: Sydney Dunning, 77-72
