Story Ideas From the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur

Stepping Out of Their Husbands' Shadows

Robin Burke of Houston, Texas, and Karen Ferree of Hilton Head, S.C., have accomplished plenty as amateur golfers, but are still recognized as the wives of professional golf notables. Robin , 41, is the wife of 1956 Masters champion Jackie Burke Jr. She was the runner-up at the 1997 U.S. Women's Amateur and reached the semifinals at the 1998 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur. Karen , 53, is the wife of PGA Tour winner Jim Ferree . Karen reached the semifinals of the 2001 USGA Senior Women's Amateur.

 

Golf Course Success

Joanne Catlin of Ashburnham , Mass. , has a couple of stories to tell when it comes to interesting tales on the golf course. The 46-year-old bartender met her husband on a blind golf date and won her club championship at Oak Hill ( Mass. ) Country Club when she was seven days overdue with one of her three children.

 

Knowing the Rules

Stacey Easley , 28, of Bluffton , S.C. , met her husband, Bryan , while conducting a Rules seminar.

 

I Beat Nancy Lopez

Katie Falk , 57, of Milwaukee , Wis. , has won seven state championships but when you ask here about her golf highlights, she'll first off tell you about the time she beat Nancy Lopez in the semifinals of the 1973 Women's Western Amateur on her way to winning the title.

 

A Knowledgeable Interview

Rebecca Halpern , 25, of Chicago , Ill. , has a masters' degree in broadcast journalism and works as a freelance TV producer and broadcaster. She's earning her stripes as an amateur golfer too, having played in a U.S. Girls' Junior (1994) and a U.S. Women's Amateur (1997). This is her first U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur.

 

Still Going Strong at 60

Alice Harcourt of Fallbrook , Calif. , finally qualified for her first U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur at age 60. A mother of seven, Harcourt didn't begin playing golf until she was age 44. She played the first round of golf 14 years ago, with her husband, LaRue, and made a birdie on the second hole she ever played, a par 3 where her shot ricocheted off a few rocks and trees before coming to rest two feet from the hole. Now her husband will caddie for her this week.

 

Remembering Kuehn

The last time Brenda (Corrie) Kuehn played in a USGA championship, it was as an amateur in the 2001 U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles (N.C.) Resort, and she was seven months pregnant. Her third child, Rachel , is now two, and Brenda is back looking to improve on her best USGA finish – runner-up at the 1995 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur.

 

A Former Professional Golfer

Maryann LaPointe, 43, of Ontario, Canada, is a long way from having finished in the top 35 as a amateur at the 1995 DuMaurier Classic, an LPGA major championship. A former professional, she regained her amateur status in 1986 and has a full-time career as a bookkeeper with two teenager daughters. A three-time Canadian Amateur champion (1993, '96 and '99), she is palying in her third U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur.

 

A Lucky Dozen or More

  • Taffy Brower, 58, of Boyton Beach , Fla. , is playing in her 15 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. She reached the quarterfinals in 2001.
  • Robin Burke , 41, of Houston , Texas , is playing in her 12 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. She was a semifinalist in 1998.
  • Patricia Cornett , 49, of Mill Valley , Calif. , is playing in her 17 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. She was runner-up in 1987.
  • Mary Jane Hiestand, 44, of Naples , Fla. , is playing in her 13 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship.
  • Martha Leach , 41, of Hebron , Ky. , is playing in her 12 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. She was a semifinalist in 1991.
  • Susan Marchese, 42, of Omaha , Neb. , is playing in her 16 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship.
  • Pat Milton , 50, of Munroe Falls , Ohio , is playing in her 14 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. She was a semifinalist in 1999.
  • Ellen Port , 42, of St. Louis , Mo. , is playing in her 13 th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. She is a three-time champion (1995, '96 and 2000).
  • Carol Semple Thompson , 54, of Sewickley , Pa. , is playing in her 17 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. She won the title in 1990 and 1997.
  • Toni Wiesner , 56, of Ft. Worth , Texas , is playing in her 17 th Women's Mid-Amateur Championship.

 

Note: Cornett, Semple Thompson and Wiesner have played in every U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur (1987-2003).

 

Hockey Sticks and Golf Clubs

Adrienne McLean , 38, of Verona , N.J. , is almost as interested in the start of the National Hockey League season as the start of the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, where she is competing for the fourth time in five years. Adrienne 's husband, John , is an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils. He played in the NHL for nearly 20 years. Adrienne won the Women's Metropolitan Golf Association (WMGA) Match Play title earlier this summer.

 

From Sri Lanka to South Carolina

Thuhashini (Tui) Selvaratnam, 27, now lives in Tempe , Ariz. , where she put down roots after graduating from Arizona State University in 1999. But, she was born in Sri Lanka , where she won the Sri Lanka Amateur in 1989, at age 12. She won the Sri Lanka Amateur again in 1992 and 1999. She also won the Chinese Amateur in 1999, the Hong Kong Amateur in 1999 and the All India Amateur in 2000.

 

Youngest and Oldest

Desiree Ting of Wailuku , Hawaii , not only has traveled the farthest to play in the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, but the 25-year-old is the youngest in the 132-player field. The Mid-Amateur is open to amateurs age 25 and older.

 

Alice Harcourt of Fallbrook , Calif. , is the oldest in the field, at age 60. She qualified for her first Women's Mid-Amateur after four previous tries. She is a regular competitor in the USGA Senior Women's Amateur where she reached the round of 16 in 2002.