Past Champions Port, Shanahan-Rowe Advance At U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur

Eugene, Ore. – Three-time champion Ellen Port, 41, of St. Louis, Mo., and defending champion Laura Shanahan-Rowe, 43, of Bedford, N.H., were easy winners Monday in the first round of match play at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Eugene Country Club.

Port, who won in 1995, 1996 and 2000, took eight of the first nine holes en route to a 6-and-4 victory over Janet Moore of Greenwood Village, Colo., in the 25-and-over championship. Shanahan-Rowe was nearly as good, winning six of the first seven on her way to beating Sandy Jacoy of Agoura, Calif., 6 and 5. Port and Shanahan-Rowe were each the equivalent of 2 under par for the first nine holes.

“I feel like I’m a better player now than when I won my other three,” said Port, a career school teacher and coach and recent winner of the Missouri State Women’s Amateur. “I’ve worked hard to improve my putting and sand game.

“Today I made a couple of birdies and then she gave me three or four holes. Before you know it, you’re buried and you can’t get out. I’ve had it happen to me."

Among the other 31 winners were co-medalists Taffy Brower, 57, of Boynton Beach, Fla., and Lara Tennant, 35, of Portland, Ore., and last year’s runner-up Mina Hardin, 42, of Ft. Worth, Texas. Brower, the oldest player remaining in the field, defeated Cathy Sigvertsen of West St. Paul, Minn., 2 and 1. Tennant, who was the women’s golf coach at the University of Oregon in Eugene in 1994 and 1995, beat Sharon Hadley of nearby Springfield, Ore., 3 and 1. Hardin built a 3-up lead and hung on to beat Shannon Ogg of Charlotte, N.C., 1 up.

The mother of five children (including twins) under age 7, Tennant hasn’t had much time to keep her game sharp in recent years.

“I’m still laughing and trying to enjoy myself,” said Tennant. “I’m very competitive but I don’t have expectations.”

Also advancing were 1988 Mid-Amateur champion Martha Lang, 49, of Mandeville, La., 1997 Women’s Amateur runner-up Robin Burke, 40, of Houston, Texas, and Sherry Herman of Marlboro, N.J., a semifinalist from last year’s Mid-Amateur.

Play continues Tuesday with the second and third rounds of match play. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are scheduled for Wednesday, with the 18-hole final match on Thursday.

Seven-time USGA champion Anne Sander, 65, of Seattle, Wash., and six-time USGA champion Carol Semple Thompson, 53, of Sewickley, Pa., were among the first round losers.

The Women’s Mid-Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Results
Eugene, Ore. – Results of Monday’s first round of match play at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, played at the 6,159-yard, par 72 Eugene Country Club:

Upper Bracket
Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach, Fla. (150) def. Cathy Sigvertsen, West St. Paul, Minn., (163), 2 and 1.
Lesley Stracks, Washington, D.C. (159) def. Tara Joy-Connelly, Ambler, Pa. (159), 1 up.
Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas, Texas (160) def. Cindy Lee, Tempe, Ariz. (155), 19 holes.
Kathy Hartwiger, Birmingham, Ala. (160) def. Deborah Anderson, Redlands, Calif. (156), 6 and 5.
Mary Jane Anderson Hiestand, Clarkston, Mich. (154) def. Leigh Klasse, St. Anthony, Minn. (161), 7 and 5.
Susan Romano, Chesterland, Ohio (157) def. Dianne Yelovich, San Pedro, Calif. (160), 19 holes
Pat Milton, Akron, Ohio (161) def. Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley, Pa. (154), 2 and 1.
Elizabeth Haines, Gladwyne, Pa. (160) def. Lynne Cowan, Davis, Calif. (157), 2 up.
Mina Hardin, Ft. Worth, Texas (151) def. Shannon Ogg, Charlotte, N.C. (162), 1 up.
Tracy Welch, Winchester, Mass. (158) def. Cathi Donahoo, Kentfield, Calif. (159), 5 and 4.
Sherry Herman, Marlboro, N.J. (155) def. Kathy Crumley, Dallas, Texas (161), 5 and 4.
Shelley Anderson, Clarksville, Tenn. (156) def. Anne Sander, Seattle, Wash. (160), 5 and 4.
Laura Shanahan-Rowe, Bedford, N.H. (152) def. Sandy Jocoy, Agoura, Calif. (162), 6 and 5.
Claudia Pilot, Austin, Minn. (159) def. Lynn Anderson, Edina, Minn. (158), 3 and 1.
Shannon Silvernail, Macon, Ga. (161) def. Akemi Khaiat, Costa Mesa, Calif. (155), 2 and 1.
Lyn Nelson, Half Moon Bay, Calif. (160) def. Anne Carr, Seattle, Wash. (156), 2 up.

Lower Bracket
Lara Tennant, Portland, Ore. (150) def. Sharon Hadley, Springfield, Ore. (162), 3 and 1.
Adrienne MacLean, Verona, N.J. (159) def. Lisa McGill, Watch Hill, R.I. (159), 5 and 4.
Lisa Desimone, Carmel, Calif. (160) def. Corey Weworski, Carlsbad, Calif. (155), 2 and 1.
Martha Lang, Mandeville, La. (156) def. Amy Dickison, Danvers, Mass. (160), 19 holes.
Heather Kraus, Lexington, Ky. (161) def. Felicia Johnston, Tualatin, Ore. (153), 7 and 5.
Marilyn Hardy, Houston, Texas (159) def. Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Asheville, N.C. (158), 3 and 2.
Sally Krueger, San Francisco, Calif. (154) def. Patty Coatney, Edmond, Okla. (161) 3 and 2.
Gail Flanagan, Rye, N.Y. (157) def. Amber Marsh, Jamestown, N.C. (160), 19 holes.
Ellen Port, St. Louis, Mo. (150) def. Janet Moore, Greenwood Village, Colo. (162), 6 and 4.
Susan Marchese, Omaha, Neb. (159) def. Jennifer Thompson, Timonium, Md. (159), 1 up.
Martha Leach, Hebron, Ky. (155) def. Stefanie Coleman, University Place, Wash. (160), 3 and 2.
Robin Burke, Houston, Texas (156) def. Cynthia Navis, Montecito, Calif. (160), 4 and 2.
Anna Schultz, Richardson, Texas (153) def. Nancy Fitzgerald, Carmel, Ind. (161), 1 up
Toni Wiesner, Fort Worth, Texas (159) def. Barbara Lilley, West Palm Beach, Fla. (158), 1 up.
Marianne Towersey, Newport Beach, Calif. (155) def. Christina Steffen, Amelia Island, Fla. (161), 6 and 5.
Alicia Kapheim, Pennington, N.J. (156) def. Angela King, Broomfield, Colo. (160), 19 holes.

Pairings
Eugene, Ore. – Pairings for Tuesday’s second round of match play at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at the 6,159-yard, par 72 Eugene Country Club (All times PDT):

Upper Bracket
7:45 a.m. – Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach, Fla. (150) vs. Lesley Stracks, Washington, D.C. (159)
7:53 a.m. – Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas, Texas (160) vs. Kathy Hartwiger, Birmingham, Ala. (160)
8:01 a.m. – Mary Jane Anderson Hiestand, Clarkston, Mi. (154) vs. Susan Romano, Chesterland, Ohio (157)
8:09 a.m. – Pat Milton, Akron, Ohio (161) vs. Elizabeth Haines, Gladwyne, Pa. (160)
8:17 a.m. – Mina Hardin, Ft. Worth, Texas (151) vs.Tracy Welch, Winchester, Mass.
8:25 a.m. – Sherry Herman, Marlboro, N.J. (155) vs. Shelly Anderson, Clarksville, Tenn. (156)
8:33 a.m. – Laura Shanahan-Rowe, Bedford, N.H. (152) vs. Claudia Pilot, Austin, Minn. (159)
8:41 a.m. – Shannon Silvernail, Macon, Ga. (161) vs. Lyn Nelson, Hlaf Moon Bay, Calif. (160)

Lower Bracket
8:49 a.m. – Lara Tennant, Portland, Ore. vs. Adrienne MacLean, Verona, N.J. (159)
8:57 a.m. – Lisa Desimore, Carmel, Calif. (160) vs. Martha Lang, Mandeville, La. (156)
9:05 a.m. – Heather Kraus, Lexington, Ky. (161) vs. Marilyn Hardy, Houston, Texas (159)
9:13 a.m. – Sally Krueger, San Francisco, Calif. (154) vs. Gail Flanagan, Rye, N.Y. (157)
9:21 a.m. – Ellen Port, St. Louis, Mo. (150) vs. Susan Marchese, Omaha, Neb. (159)
9:29 a.m. – Martha Leach, Hebron, Ky. (155) vs. Robin Burke, Houston, Texas (156)
9:37 a.m. – Anna Schultz, Richardson, Texas (153) vs. Toni Wiesner, Ft. Worth, Texas (159)
9:45 a.m. – Marianne Towersey, Newport Beach, Calif. (156) vs. Alicia Kapheim, Pennington, N.J. (156)