Florida’s Taffy Brower Shares The Lead After U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur First Round

Eugene, Ore. – Although she’s giving away as much as 32 years to the youngest players in the field, 57-year-old Taffy Brower was one of four players to shoot a 2-over-par 74 and share the first round lead at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Eugene Country Club.

Browner, of Boynton Beach, Fla., who reached the quarterfinals a year ago, shares the top spot with Deborah Anderson, 51, of Redlands, Calif., Akemi Khaiat, 38, of Costa Mesa, Calif., and Sally Krueger, 44, of Coronado, Calif., in this age 25-and-older championship.

Lynn Anderson of Edina, Minn., and Martha Leach of Hebron, Ky., were one stroke back with scores of 75. Only 44 golfers broke 80 over the 6,159-yard course.

Brower’s five birdies led the field, and her confidence grew with each one.

“Once I made one birdie, I got the confidence to knock more in,” said the three-time Florida State Women’s Amateur champion who has played in the company of women’s golf legends JoAnne Carner and Louise Suggs. “I’m playing better now than ever because I just stopped thinking so much. I tell myself to just get up and hit the ball.”

Anderson was the only one of the four low scorers to finish in the afternoon, when windy conditions made the course more difficult.

“I have never played so bad and scored so well in my life,” said Anderson, who needed just 11putts over her last nine holes.

Play continues Sunday with the second round of stroke play before the field is trimmed to the low 64 scorers, who will advance to match play. The championship final match is set for Thursday.

After one round the 64th best score fell at 10-over-par 82.

Among the other scorers, defending champion Laura Shanahan-Rowe, 43, of Bedford, N.H., three-time Mid-Amateur winner Ellen Port, 40, of St. Louis, Mo., two-time winner Carol Semple Thompson, 53, of Sewickley, Pa., and seven-time USGA champion Anne Sander of Seattle, Wash., each finished with 78. Sander, 65, won her first USGA title at the 1958 U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Semple Thompson is a six-time USGA champion with a Senior Women’s Amateur title in each of the last three years. She is looking to add to her trophy collection.

“I’m not ready to concede anything to anybody in the field,” says Semple Thompson. “I’m very pleased to be in the 70s. This is a very difficult golf course.”

Local favorite Mary Budke, 48, of Eugene, Ore., who won the 1972 U.S. Women’s Amateur and eight State Amateur titles in the 1970s, carded an 85, largely because of an 8 on the par 4 11th hole.

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.


Eugene, Ore. -- Results after the first round of stroke play at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, played Saturday at the 6,159-yard, par 72 Eugene Country Club:
Akemi Khaiat, Costa Mesa, Calif., 35-39--74
Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach, Fla., 36-38--74
Sally Krueger, San Francisco, Calif., 35-39--74
Deborah Anderson, Redlands, Calif., 37-37--74
Lynn Anderson, Edina, Minn., 36-39--75
Martha Leach, Hebron, Ky., 36-39--75
Shelley Anderson, Clarksville, Tenn., 37-38--75
Susan Marchese, Omaha, Neb., 38-38--76
Lyn Nelson, Half Moon Bay, Calif., 36-40--76
Lara Tennant, Portland, Ore., 37-39--76
Sherry Herman, Marlboro, N.J., 38-38--76
Felicia Johnston, Tualatin, Ore., 36-40--76
Barbara Lilley, West Palm Beach, Fla., 39-37--76
Anne Carr, Seattle, Wash., 39-38--77
Ellen Port, St. Louis, Mo., 38-39--77
Susan Romano, Chesterland, Ohio, 38-39--77
Anna Schultz, Richardson, Texas, 36-41--77
Martha Lang, Mandeville, La., 38-39--77
Marilyn Hardy, Houston, Texas, 35-42--77
Jennifer Thompson, Timonium, Md., 40-37--77
Alicia Kapheim, Pennington, N.J., 37-40--77
Kathy Crumley, Dallas, Texas, 35-42--77
Laura Shanahan-Rowe, Bedford, N.H., 37-41--78
Lisa Desimone, Carmel, Calif., 36-42--78
Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Asheville, N.C., 38-40--78
Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley, Pa., 36-42--78
Corey Weworski, Carlsbad, Calif., 38-40--78
Shannon Ogg, Charlotte, N.C., 37-41--78
Marianne Towersey, Newport Beach, Calif., 38-40--78
Anne Sander, Seattle, Wash., 37-41--78
Amber Marsh, Jamestown, N.C., 38-40--78
Mina Hardin, Ft. Worth, Texas, 40-38--78
Toni Wiesner, Fort Worth, Texas, 40-38--78
Adrienne MacLean, Verona, N.J., 37-41--78
Lynne Cowan, Davis, Calif., 40-39--79
Mary Jane Anderson Hiestand, Clarkston, Mich., 37-42--79
Cindy Lee, Tempe, Ariz., 39-40--79
Laura Waits, Tyler, Texas, 37-42--79
Tracy Welch, Winchester, Mass., 40-39--79
Lori Teague, Hickory, N.C., 40-39--79
Amy Dickison, Danvers, Mass., 40-39--79
Tara Joy-Connelly, Ambler, Pa., 38-41--79
Cathy Sigvertsen, West St. Paul, Minn., 38-41--79
Sandra Nakagaki, Culver City, Calif., 39-40--79
Cathi Donahoo, Kentfield, Calif., 39-41--80
Nancy Fitzgerald, Carmel, Ind., 38-42--80
Patricia Cornett, Mill Valley, Calif., 38-42--80
Kathy Hartwiger, Birmingham, Ala., 41-39--80
Robin Burke, Houston, Texas, 39-41--80
Gail Flanagan, Rye, N.Y., 37-43--80
Claudia Pilot, Austin, Minn., 41-40--81
Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas, Texas, 43-38--81
Lisa McGill, Watch Hill, R.I., 39-42--81
Stefanie Coleman, University Place, Wash., 36-45--81
Shannon Silvernail, Macon, Ga., 39-42--81
Laura Coble, Augusta, Ga., 37-44--81
Leigh Klasse, St. Anthony, Minn., 41-40--81
Ann Swanson, Woodinville, Wash., 40-41--81
Amy Bubon, Yorba Linda, Calif., 39-42--81
Cynthia Navis, Montecito, Calif., 39-42--81
Kimberly Briele, New Bern, N.C., 41-41--82
Kara Soderberg, Rockford, Ill., 41-41--82
Christina Steffen, Amelia Island, Fla., 39-43--82
Patty Coatney, Edmond, Okla., 39-43--82
Nancy Kromar, Austin, Texas, 40-42--82
Anna Morales, Austin, Texas, 40-42--82
Lynn Marnie, Tallahassee, Fla., 39-43--82
Lesley Stracks, Washington, D.C., 40-42--82
Colette Rosenberg, Pacific Palisades, Calif., 37-45--82
Sarah Phillips, Tallahassee, Fla., 41-41--82
Joan Garety, Rockford, Mich., 40-42--82
Carolyn Forcina, West Trenton, N.J., 38-44--82
Judy Miller, Monterey, Calif., 41-42--83
Janet Moore, Greenwood Village, Colo., 37-46--83
Elizabeth Haines, Gladwyne, Pa., 42-41--83
Angela King, Broomfield, Colo., 39-44--83
Natalie McNicholas, Baltimore, Md., 41-42--83
Heather Kraus, Lexington, Ky., 39-44--83
Beth Williams, Atlanta, Ga., 39-44--83
Dori Emerick, Lemont, Ill., 42-41--83
Lisa Smego, Olympia, Wash., 41-43--84
Ginny Burkey, Fircrest, Wash., 39-45--84
Dianne Yelovich, San Pedro, Calif., 40-44--84
Tracy Freeman, Dixon, Calif., 40-44--84
Pat Milton, Akron, Ohio, 43-41--84
Suzi Spotleson, Canton, Ohio, 41-43--84
Lisa D'Hondt, Temecula, Calif., 41-43--84
Maggie Leef, Brookfield, Wis., 39-45--84
Christie Austin, Cherry Hills Village, Colo., 40-44--84
Lea Green, McCalla, Ala., 39-45--84
Kathleen Prieve, Canby, Ore., 42-42--84
Renata Fajger, Stamford, Conn., 40-44--84
Katie Falk, Milwaukee, Wis., 40-44--84
Sandy Jocoy, Agoura, Calif., 42-43--85
Mary Budke, Eugene, Ore., 39-46--85
Cathy Lonegan, Camarillo, Calif., 42-43--85
Heidi Stark, Glendale, Ariz., 39-46--85
Donna A. Young, Ewing, N.J., 43-42--85
Janet Weber, Gold Canyon, Ariz., 41-45--86
Maria Sera, Minneapolis, Minn., 41-45--86
Laurie White, Carmel, N.Y., 42-44--86
Carolyn Harper, Lake Kiowa, Texas, 43-43--86
Linda Pearson, Glendale, Calif., 40-46--86
Brenda Knott, Las Vegas, Nev., 41-45--86
Monica Hamilton, East Syracuse, N.Y., 40-46--86
Wallace Hamerton, Park City, Utah, 41-45--86
Mary Schmidt, Houston, Texas, 40-46--86
Susan Rheney, Houston, Texas, 41-46--87
Marcia Fisher, Canby, Ore., 44-43--87
Sharon Hadley, Springfield, Ore., 39-48--87
Rise Lakowske, Corvallis, Ore., 44-43--87
Jennie Robinson, La Quinta, Calif., 41-46--87
Kerry Rutan, Ambler, Pa., 43-44--87
Jacqueline Quinn, Kingston, N.Y., 40-47--87
Julie Streng, Greensboro, N.C., 44-44--88
Karen Mabli, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., 41-47--88
Sandra Haines, Canada, 44-44--88
Marianne Johnson, San Antonio, Texas, 42-46--88
Julie Carmichael, Indianapolis, Ind., 44-45--89
Frances Gacos, Flemington, N.J., 42-47--89
Joni Wexler, Del Mar, Calif., 44-45--89
Kee Sun Choi, Torrance, Calif., 46-43--89
Cindy Pallatino, Colorado Springs, Colo., 45-45--90
Pamela Dalton, Coto De Caza, Calif., 42-48--90
Angela Stewart, Greenville, N.C., 46-45--91
Tomomi Ito, Scottsdale, Ariz., 42-49--91
Camille Clay, Austin, Texas, 46-47--93
Karen Hale, Margate, Fla., 46-48--94
Lisa Anderson, Stoneham, Mass., 49-48--97
Theresa Delcamp, Rochester Hills, Mich., 46-51--97
Christie Cray, Clarendon Hills, Ill., 49-50--99
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