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Women's Mid-Amateur Blog
Friday, October 05, 2007
Final Thoughts
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The 2007 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur is in the books and Meghan Bolger has won the title for a second consecutive year. Bolger, 29, played beautifully all week. She was one of the longest players off the tee and certainly earned the title, beating local favorites Missy Farr-Kaye (second round) and Kerry Postillion (final), along with stroke-play medalist Dawn Woodard (quarterfinals) and 2004 USGA Senior Women's Amateur champion Carolyn Creekmore (third round).
Desert Forest members can be proud that a player from their club reached the championship match for a third consecutive year. Postillion played wonderful golf throughout the week, especially in her third-round win over Mina Hardin, when she holed a 27-foot birdie putt at 18 to pull out a 1-up win. Her short-game wizardry was amazing. She admittedly struggled with her golf swing, which she has been working on most of the summer. Then again, she is a mother of four and is home-schooling her youngest.
Many thanks to Desert Forest for its warm hospitality all week. Everyone from the members, professional staff and volunteers made us feel welcome. And the golf course was in impeccable shape. The club should be proud of its efforts to put on a tremendous national championship.
Next year the event moves to Barton Hills in Ann Arbor, Mich. With the quality of golf that was displayed this past week, that championship promised to be every bit as exciting. And, perhaps, Bolger will have a chance at a three-peat, something that has never been achieved at the Women's Mid-Amateur, although Ellen Port and Sarah Lebrun Ingram have won three titles.
Thanks to everyone who read the blog and responded. See you next year.
David Shefter, USGA Staff Writer
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Thursday, October 04, 2007
Final Match Thoughts
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We certainly have an interesting championship match with defending champion Meghan Bolger taking on Desert Forest member Kerry Postillion. Postillion definitely will have the crowd on her side. Her galleries have grown as the week has progressed. She also is moving to the Greater Phoenix area in two months so she'll officially be a "local" resident. She's been a Desert Forest member since 2003 and this year captured the women's club championship. Postillion also is a two-time runner-up (1996 and 2005), so she's hoping the third time will be a charm.
Bolger knows what it's like to have the crowd on her side. Last year in Mississippi, she was the "local" favorite as she was the women's golf coach at the University of Mississippi. Her team came out to cheer her on in the semifinals.
Bolger also has been playing outstanding golf. She has not trailed in a match all week and has been all square or had the lead in a Women's Mid-Amateur match for 93 consecutive holes dating back to the first hole of last year's final against another Desert Forest member, Thuhashini Selvaratnam. Bolger is bidding to become the first repeat champion at this event in 11 years.
This promises to be an outstanding match and we have another glorious day in the desert for it.
David Shefter,
USGA Staff Writer
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Women's Mid-Am Thoughts
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The more I cover the Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, the more I am impressed with the competitors. Not only are they outstanding golfers, but they have interesting lives away from the course. You've got stay-at-home moms, accountants, doctors, golf coaches, etc. Meeting pediatric dentist Heidi Stark and hearing about her four annual trips to Honduras to assist the needy with healthcare was fascinating.
It's amazing to hear how these women juggle their careers, families and golf games. Three-time champion Ellen Port, a semifinalist this year, not only has two children to care for, but also coaches field hockey and boys' golf at a private St. Louis high school. And she can compete at the highest levels of golf.
Finalist Kerry Postillion has four children and is home-schooling her youngest. Semifinalist Lisa McGill is a stay-at-home mom of two. Quarterfinalist Anna Schultz is a certified public accountant.
This is what makes amateur golf great. These women can have careers, families and other interests while also being able to come to a great venue like Desert Forest and compete for a national championship.
David Shefter,
USGA Staff Writer
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Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Bolger Cruising
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For those of you keeping score at home, Meghan Bolger has yet to trail in a match this week. In fact, the last time Bolger faced a deficit at the Women's Mid-Amateur was after the first hole of the 2006 final against Thuhashini Selvaratnam. Bolger quickly won the second hole and never looked back in a 5-and-4 win. She currently has a 2-up lead over fellow Greater Philadelphia area rival Lisa McGill after five holes of their semifinal Wednesday.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Light-Hearted Moment
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A funny moment occurred on the first hole in the quarterfinal match between Ellen Port and Virginia Grimes. Grimes had just holed out for a par and Port still had a few feet left for her par. But the USGA walking official, Mindy Zamzow, thought Grimes had conceded Port's putt, so she began to announce the results of hole one.
"Wait a minute," said Port. "I still have to putt. Unless you know something that I don't know."
Everyone, including Zamzow, had a brief chuckle before Port holed the putt. Zamzow had apparently heard Grimes say "good putt" to Port and thought that was a concession. Grimes was just saying the effort was good and Zamzow was momentarily confused with the communication between the two champions.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Quarterfinalist Set
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We are down to the final eight players and it's quite a group of quarterfinalists. Among the group are four USGA champions, including defending Women's Mid-Amateur champ Meghan Bolger. Also in the group is three-time Women's Mid-Amateur winner Ellen Port, 1998 champ Virginia Grimes and reigning Senior Women's Amateur champion Anna Schultz. Schultz also was a runner-up in the Women's Mid-Am in 2000, while Desert Forest member Kerry Postillion of Burr Ridge, Ill., is a two-time Women's Mid-Amateur runner-up. And Dawn Woodard is the stroke-play medalist.
Wow!
It promises to be quite a morning Wednesday for the four quarterfinal matches. Woodard takes on Meghan Bolger, while Port meets Grimes. Port and Grimes also have represented the USA at the Curtis Cup, the latter three times. Schultz takes on Lisa McGill and Postillion meets Joan Higgins, who has played just 44 holes of match play through three rounds. Grimes has only played 43 holes of match play.
The hard part will be choosing which match to follow. Then again, that's a good problem to have.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Going The Distance ... And More
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Carolyn Creekmore spends at least four days a week doing step aerobics, weight lifting and situps to keep herself in top physical condition. Never mind that keeping her horses fed also requires a lot of physical activity. So playing 24 holes is no big deal. Neither is having to play another match on top of it.
"Stepping up and down on a 13-inch bench is a lot harder than walking up and down the fairway," said Creekmore after eliminating Laura Ladden in 24 holes in the second round of match play at the 2007 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Tuesday. "If I didn't [work out], this would probably be hard. And I'm not going to say this is not going to be hard this afternoon."
Creekmore, the 2004 USGA Senior Women's Amateur champion, earned a third-round date with defending champion Meghan Bolger, who defeated local favorite Missy Farr-Kaye, 2 and 1. Bolger had a couple of hours to kill after completing her match and waiting to find out her third-round opponent.
"I'm physically fit, so I'm OK," said Creekmore, who had 33 minutes in between matches to have lunch and recharge the batteries. "I think what happens when you are out there is you just go. So your legs are tired, so what. If I am still here tomorrow, I might have a different story. While I am out there, I don't think about [fatigue]. I feel fine."
Two other first-round matches went extra holes. Toni Wiesner outlasted fellow lefty Jill Hardy in 19 holes, while Leigh Klasse defeated Ann Pohira in 19 holes.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Round Two Match Play Thoughts
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Beautiful weather has returned to the Valley of the Sun, although yesterday turned out just fine, despite the threat of rain and thunderstorms. We have some interesting second-round matchups, including defending champion Meghan Bolger facing local favorite Missy Farr-Kaye of Scottsdale. Both players were on form in the first round Monday, so this promises to be an outstanding match.
Two lefties square off with Toni Wiesner of Fort Worth, Texas, facing 2006 semifinalist Jill Hardy of Canada. Wiesner is a two-time USGA Senior Women's Amateur runner-up and has gone as far as the quarterfinals in this event. No left-handed woman has ever won a USGA event. There is one other lefty still alive. Veronique Drouin of Canada, who serves as the assistant women's golf coach at the University of Georgia, takes on Women's Mid-Amateur veteran Mary Jane Hiestand of Naples, Fla. Hiestand took out No. 5 seed Lara Tennant in Monday's first round.
It will also be interesting to see how Heidi Stark performs after receiving a bizarre first-round bye due to the disqualification of Tara Joy-Connelly. Stark was the No. 62 seed after stroke play. She did get out on the course Monday afternoon in an attempt to stay sharp. She faces Joan Higgins of Glendora, Calif., a 5-and-4 winner over Sally Krueger in the first round.
All eyes -- at least from the Desert Forest perspective -- will be on Kerry Postillion and Thuhashini Selvaratnam. If both players win their second-round matches, they would square off this afternoon in the round of 16. Postillion meets Sharon Park of Irvine, Calif., while Selvaratnam, the 2006 runner-up, meets 2001 runner-up Mina Hardin of Fort Worth, Texas.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Monday, October 01, 2007
Done For The Day
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The last first-round match just finished and it might have been one of the better-played matches of the day. Sri Lanka native Thuhashini Selvaratnam, a Desert Forest member who now makes her home in Tempe, Ariz., needed 19 holes to beat former USA Curtis Cupper Robin Burke. Burke owned a 1-up lead going to 18, but hit her tee shot right into the desert and was forced to lay up short of the hole. She failed to get up and down for par, while Selvaratnam made a 5-footer for par to force extra holes. At the 19th hole, Selvaratnam knocked her approach to 8 feet, while Burke came up short with her approach and then knocked her third shot 25 feet by the flagstick. She missed the par putt and Selvaratnam two-putted for the win.
Should Selvaratnam win her second-round match Tuesday morning, she could face fellow Desert Forest member Kerry Postillion of Burr Ridge, Ill., in the round of 16. Postillion would have to beat Sharon Park of Irvine, Calif. Selvaratnam meets Mina Hardin of Fort Worth, Texas, in a battle of former Women's Mid-Amateur runner-ups.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Grey Day?
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Our days of perfect weather are about to end today. In fact, our weather guy Greg Quinn actually has had to keep a keen eye on his computer for the first time. A tropical storm in Baja California has moved into the state and we could see a few raindrops today. There's also a chance of thunderstorms. Hopefully it will just be an aberration. The forecast for the rest of the week looks quite good. Translated: Sunny and hot.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Honesty
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You've got to give a lot of credit to Tara Joy-Connelly. Her honesty is what makes golf a great game. Joy-Connelly easily qualified for match play at the 2007 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur and was set to be the No. 3 seed. But after the match-play draw was established Sunday evening, Joy-Connelly realized something was wrong with her score. She had signed for an incorrect score on a hole and unfortunately the number was lower on that particular hole than she actually took. According to the Rules, the mistake meant immediate disqualification from the championship. But because Joy-Connelly had already been placed in the draw, her first-round opponent, Heidi Stark, received a bye into round two. It certainly was a bizarre situation, but it only came to light because Joy-Connelly had the utmost integrity to call a penalty on herself and alert USGA officials to her mistake. She won't have a chance to win this championship this year, but her actions Sunday make her a winner in everyone's book.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Sunday, September 30, 2007
Medalist Mark?
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The afternoon wave of the second round is now underway. It will be interesting to see what the scores look like this afternoon. After the completion of the morning's wave, the lowest two-day total was 6 over, by defending champion Meghan Bolger and Lynette Duran.
In the 20 previous U.S. Women's Mid-Amateurs, the medalist score has been over par 11 times. In three of the four past championships, the medalist has been under par, including yesterday's first-round leader, Dawn Woodard, at the 2006 Women's Mid-Am.
Beth Murrison
USGA Media Relations
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Round Two Underway
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The second and final round of stroke-play qualifying at the 2007 U.S. Women's Mid-Amatuer has begun under another idyllic day in the Arizona desert. We have clear skies, virtually no wind and pleasant temperatures. Whether Desert Forest Golf Club is a paradise in round two remains to be seen. Clearly the course won round one on Saturday as only Dawn Woodard broke par, shooting a 3-under 70. The scoring average was 83.664. Another solid round this afternoon by Woodard likely will earn her stroke-play medalist honors for a second consecutive year. And the medalist is likely to break the mark of 150 shot by the medalist at the 1990 USGA Senior Amateur held at Desert Forest.
The match-play cut is a different story. It's likely to come somewhere in the 160s. It all depends if the winds pick up in the afternoon like they did Saturday.
Something to watch today is if 58-year-old Carol Semple Thompson will make it 21-for-21 in cuts made at the Women's Mid-Amateur. The two-time champion and seven-time overall USGA titlist shot an 81 Saturday. A solid round today should give the Sewickley, Pa., resident a starting time on Monday. But Desert Forest member Lynn Simmons has a lot of work to do. She opened with a disappointing 88, so she'll need a round in the low- to mid-70s to continue on in this championship. Two other Desert Forest members look to be in good position to make the cut. Two-time Women's Mid-Amateur runner-up Kerry Postillion shot a 78, while 2006 runner-up Thuhashini Selvaratnam had a 79.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Saturday, September 29, 2007
Getting Blustery
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As if Desert Forest isn't playing hard enough, the winds have picked up this afternoon, making the conditions even more challenging. Just talked to Lara Tennant, who shot a 4-over 77, and she said the winds definitely picked up over her final six holes. So far, the only player in red figures is Dawn Woodard of Franklin, Tenn. Woodard was the stroke-play medalist last year at Old Waverly. Carol Semple Thompson carded an 81, while Desert Forest member Lynn Simmons of Phoenix came in at 88. The current stroke average for the par-73 course is 83.205.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Rough Start
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Carol Semple Thompson, a two-time U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion and seven-time USGA titlist, has never missed the match-play cut in the 20 previous U.S. Women's Mid-Amateurs. But that streak could be in jeopardy this week at Desert Forest. Thompson, the 2006 and 2008 USA Curtis Cup captain, has bogeyed three of her first four holes in the first round of stroke-play qualifying. Thompson reached the third round last year before falling to eventual champion Meghan Bolger.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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More Blogs
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Wendy Uzelac of the USGA staff also has a blog going this week about what's happening at the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur. Here is that link.
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Mingling
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You always meet a lot of interesting people at USGA championships, especially at the Mid-Amateurs, where the players are a little older and are through with their junior and college days. Had breakfast this morning with Louella Kanew of Los Angeles, who is a former tennis professional. Kanew played collegiately at the University of Texas and tried the professional circuit for a year. "I hated it," she said. Kanew's media bio sheet says she is retired from movie marketing. This is her fourth U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur. She made match play in 2005 in Houston, losing in the first round to defending champion Corey Weworski. Last year, she struggled in the cold and damp conditions at Old Waverly and missed the match-play cut. Kanew's neck was bothering her and it forced her to hit irons off the tee.
At Friday night's Players' Dinner, I sat with Jan Phillips, Deborah Jamgochian and Noreen Mohler, all of whom competed at the 2007 USGA Senior Women's Amateur. Mohler, of Bethlehem, Pa., and a 1978 USA Curtis Cupper, advanced to the semifinals, while Phillips lost in the first round to eventual semifinalist Tanna Lee Richard. Jamgochian also fell in the first round. Phillips told me her caddie was a guy named Bob Dillon, but when she first said the name, we all chuckled thinking the famous rock star might be making an appearance at Desert Forest.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Friday, September 28, 2007
This Week's Favorite?
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You could say Thuhashini Selvaratnam is one of the favorites to win the 2007 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur this week at Desert Forest. And that's not just because she's a Desert Forest member. The Sri Lanka-born Selvaratnam, 31, was the Women's Mid-Amateur runner-up in 2006, a semifinalist in 2004 and a quarterfinalist in 2005. And last week she helped Arizona win the USGA Women's State Team Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.
She's also won a whopping 23 amateur titles in 11 countries. The Women's Mid-Amateur also will be her 18th USGA championship.
But now she has the added status of trying to win this championship on her home course. Advantage or disadvantage? That depends on who you talk to. Very few people have managed to win USGA titles at their home club. Many believe it's an advantage, but the stark reality is the course is set up differently than it would be for normal club play. There are also distractions and higher-than-normal expectations, especially club members. The advantages are also there as well. Selvaratnam won't have to travel far and can sleep in her own bed. She also won't need to order room service.
One person who can relate with what Selvaratnam is trying to accomplish is Carol Semple Thompson. Thompson owns seven USGA titles, two of them coming at her home course, Allegheny C.C. in Sewickley, Pa. She won the first of her two Women's Mid-Amateur titles there in 1990. She also won the USGA Senior Women's Amateur in 2001.
"I loved playing at home," said Thompson. "I was treated like real royalty.
"[But] I think there's definitely extra pressure on you. It's a two-sided sword because you have friends and family there and they assume you'll be fine and win."
Selvaratnam's best score at Desert Forest is a 68, but she hasn't played the course like it's being set up for the Women's Mid-Amateur. Then again, she probably didn't need much time to formulate a game plan. Now all she has to do is execute it.
Selvaratnam isn't the only Desert Forest member in the field. She is joined by Lynn Simmons of Phoenix and two-time Women's Mid-Amateur runner-up Kerry Postillion of Burr Ridge, Ill.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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First Impressions
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Just took a walk around a few holes here at Desert Forest and my first message to the competitors: Hit it straight. Now that mantra holds true for all of our USGA championships, but is especially true here. Unlike a traditional parkland course where trees and thick rough define individual holes, Desert Forest offers a much different set of obstacles such as cactus, brush and plenty of dirt. You don't want to be errant off the tee. The volunteer forecaddies could be a very valuable asset to those players who miss the fairways this week. Finding a ball in the desert foliage won't be an easy task. And just for good measure, there are lizards, snakes and other desert animals wallowing in the bushes. "They are uninvited house guests," said Texan Carolyn Creekmore, the 2004 USGA Senior Women's Amateur champion.
Also ran into defending champion Meghan Bolger, who competed last week as an amateur at LPGA Tour Qualifying School in Mission Hills, Calif. Bolger survived the 36-hole cut, but failed to finish among the low 30 and ties to advance to the final stage. The LPGA does have another sectional qualifier next week in Florida for those who failed to advance or could not participate in California. Bolger opted to defend her Women's Mid-Amateur title, rather than play in the second sectional. "I'm hitting the ball well," said Bolger. "I just didn't make any putts."
By the way, it's a perfect day for golf. The clouds have kept the temperatures down and there's just a slight breeze. Just ideal.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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Welcome
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Welcome to the 2007 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur blog. We will be at Desert Forest Golf Club in Carefree all week, writing interesting tidbits from this national championship for women 25 years of age and older. There are a couple of givens this week. One, we will see some phenomenal golf this week. Two, we'll crown a champion next Thursday. And three, which is the best of all, we won't have any issues this week. The forecast for the rest of the week is sun, sun and more sun, with temperatures from the mid- to upper-80s to the low 90s, with virtually no humidity. You really can't beat Arizona in the fall. The weather is perfect.
During the week, if you have some thoughts you would like to share with us, please don't hesitate to drop us an e-mail or make a comment. We would love to hear from you. Let us know about a great story or individual. In the meantime, I'm going to go out and hunt down some stories.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer
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