Semifinal Matches Are Set

Knoxville, Tenn. - The field of eight was reduced to four Tuesday in the 18th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur at Holston Hills Country Club.

Thuhashini Selvaratnam motions toward her putt during her victory in the quarterfinal round. (John Mummert/USGA)

Virginia Derby Grimes, 40, from Montgomery, Ala.; Kathy Hartwiger, 38, of Birmingham, Ala.; Thuhashini Selvaratnam, 28, of Tempe, Ariz.; and Corey Weworski, 42, of Carlsbad, Calif., all advanced to the semifinal round, scheduled for this afternoon. The 18-hole final begins Wednesday morning.

Two former champions and Alabamans, Grimes and Hartwiger, will be pitted against each other. Both are trying to become the fourth multiple winner of the championship. Grimes won in 1998; Hartwiger in 2002. In the first semifinal match, Weworski will try to cool off the smoking Selvaratnam.

Because all at least made it to the quarterfinal round, they are automatically exempt out of sectional qualifying for next year's championship.

Coming off three major surgeries, Grimes chugged past 31-year-old Lisa De Simone of Phoenix, Ariz., with a 3-and-2 victory. Grimes never trailed, going 3 up through eight holes. De Simone carved into the deficit with a 45-foot chip-in just off the front lip of the 11 th green. But that's as close as she would come. The wind would come out of De Simone's sails when she missed a 3-footer for a halve on the 13 th hole.

Two years ago Grimes underwent a second operation on her back. Doctors inserted titanium spaces filled with crushed bone between a degenerative disc.

"Just keep moving," said Grimes after the match of her mind-set. "I'm really excited with everything I've accomplished so far."

So is Selvaratnam. She held off Sally Krueger, 46, of San Francisco, 1 up to move into her first semifinal. Selvaratnam, who fully covers her skin while playing due to an allergy to the sun, fell behind early but wrested control of the lead by the fourth hole.

On No. 12, a 381-yard par 4, she carded an eagle with a 7-wood from 168 yards out. The ball hit the green 20 feet short and rolled in.

"Ah, one more," said Selvaratnam in reference to moving on.

"The goal is to be consistent this afternoon."

In Hartwiger's match, 41-year-old Mina Hardin of Fort Worth, Texas, valiantly came back but fell short. Hartwiger entered the back nine with a 5-up lead, only to watch it plummet to one by the 13 th hole.

Hardin missed three putts 3-feet or less to win holes on the back nine, even though she shot even par. She said she had trouble finding rhythm on the front.

"I was a click away," said Hardin. "It's like when you listen to the radio, and you can hear the music but you're one click away.

"She opened the door and I just couldn't walk through."

Weworski moved on by dispatching Patricia Cornett, 50, of Mill Valley, Calif., 2 up. She grabbed the lead on the sixth hole with a par and held tight the rest of the way.

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.