Ogg Posts 71, Takes Early Lead

Knoxville, Tenn. - Twenty-seven-year-old Shannon Ogg of Seattle, Wash., sizzled with a 1-under-par 71 Friday at Holston Hills Country Club to hold the early lead at the 18th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur.

Marilyn Hardy, 42, of Houston, Texas, stood two strokes off the lead with a 1-over 73, followed by Leigh Klasse, 44, of St. Anthony, Minn., with a 2-over 74.

Five players - 31-year-old Shelley Anderson of Clarksville, Tenn.; Pat Milton, 51, of Munroe Falls, Ohio; 47-year-old Claudia Pilot of Austin, Minn.; three-time champion Ellen Port of St. Louis, Mo.; and two-time winner Carol Semple Thompson, 55, of Sewickley, Pa. - all shot 3-over 75s on the tough 6,228-yard Donald Ross layout.

Sixty-six competitors were on the course in the afternoon completing their first round.

Ogg, the runner-up in last year's championship, started on No. 10 and carded a 1-over 37 by the turn before reversing the trend with a 2-under on her back nine. She birdied three of her final eight holes.

"A 71 on this course is as good as most of the pros would do," said Semple Thompson, who is competing in her 98th USGA championship.

Afterward Ogg was mildly surprised to post a red number because she hasn't played much golf this summer. In April she transferred to Seattle from Charlotte, N.C., for work and has been living out of three suitcases since.

Knowing full well there's a lot of golf left to be played, Ogg has high hopes after losing 3 and 2 to Amber Marsh Elliott, 35, of Greensboro, N.C., in last year's final at Long Cove Club.

"That would be the best of all worlds if I could improve on that," said Ogg of finishing runner-up. "I was ecstatic to make it that far."

Hardy, a semifinalist in the inaugural Women's Mid-Amateur in 1987, righted the ship with a 1-under 35 on the back nine. Back-to-back birdies on No. 13 and 14 helped the cause.

Klasse, part of the winning Minnesota squad at the 2001 Women's State Team Championship, chalked up her round to solid course-management skills. Lugging her own bag, she claimed she's a better player now than when she competed for the University of Minnesota in the early 1980s. Her round was bolstered by consecutive birdies on 15, 16 and 17.

The team victory in 2001 provided Klasse a self-belief that she can do well in individual competitions.

"You get to a confidence level that you can compete in a national championship," she said.

For Semple Thompson, the seven-time USGA champion probably has all the confidence she needs. A strong short-iron game and registering 10 one-putts left her satisfied with a 75. The main objective, she said, is to simply make match play.

"Another 75 and I'll be fine," she said.

After taking an eight on the par-5 18th hole, Milton cooled off in the shade under a tree trying to explain what happened. She tried forcing a 6-iron from 140 yards out but the ball went into the left greenside rough. A flop shot and three putts later, and she had her eight.

"If I could get my mind off a snowman on the last hole, I'd have better thoughts," said Milton, who has played in the USGA Senior Women's Amateur, Women's Open, Women's State Team, Women's Amateur and Girls' Junior.

Marsh Elliott seemed fine with her 5-over 77. A double bogey on No. 3, followed by back-to-back bogeys on four and five had her reeling a bit.

The main thing was that there no wrecks, she said. Being the champion shouldn't be an issue either.

"There aren't any concessions made to me because I'm the champion," she said. "It's not like I have an advantage on the field."

The first round of stroke play will be completed Friday, followed by the second round of stroke play Saturday. The low 64 scorers advance to the first round of match play on Sunday, with the second and third rounds on Monday, and quarterfinals and semifinals on Tuesday. The 18-hole final will be contested on Wednesday.

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.

Story written by Ken Klavon, USGA Web Editor. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.