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2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Storylines

 

National Champions: A total of 21 USGA champions are in the field. Here is the list: Laura Coble, 2005, 2009 USGA Women’s State Team; Carolyn Creekmore, 2004 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur; Robin Weiss Donnelley, 1989 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; Amber Marsh Elliot, 2003 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; Virginia Derby Grimes, 1998 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, 1997 USGA Women’s State Team; Kathy Hartwiger, 1997 USGA Women’s State Team, 2002 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; Sherry Herman, 2009 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur; Joan Higgins, 2008 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amater; Leigh Klasse, 2001 USGA Women’s State Team; Diane Lang, 2005, 2006, 2008 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur; Martha Lang, 1988 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; Marion Maney-McInerny, 1992 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; Judy Miller, 2007 USGA Women’s State Team; Claudia Pilot, 2001 USGA Women’s State Team; Ellen Port, 1995, 1996, 2000 U.S. Mid-Amateur; Anna Schultz, 2007 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur; Tui Selvaratnam, 2007 USGA Women’s State Team; Meghan Bolger Statis, 2006, 2007 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; Corey Weworski, 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; Carol Semple Thompson, 1973 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 1990, 1997 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, 1995 USGA Women’s State Team

USA Curtis Cup Team Players: Robin Burke, 1998; Pat Cornett, 1978, 1988; Robin Weiss Donnelley, 1990, 1992, 2000; Virginia Derby Grimes, 1998, 2000, 2006; Martha Lang, 1992; Noreen Mohler, 1978; Ellen Port, 1994, 1996; Meghan Bolger Stasi, 2008; Carol Semple Thompson, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002.

Women’s World Amateur Team: Carol Semple Thompson is the only competitor in this field to have played in the Women’s World Amateur Team. She represented the USA in 1974, 1980, 1988, 1992 and 1994.

World Golf Hall of Fame: Carol Semple Thompson is also the only player in the field who has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Florida Participants:  Brenda Pictor of Jacksonville, Fla., is the only native-born Floridian in the field.

Oldest & Youngest: Carol Semple Thompson, at 60, is the oldest player in the field. Patti Hogeboom, Connie Isler, Kristen Obush, Kendra Ballone, Katrin Wolfe are all among the youngest, at 25.

Most Appearances: Carol Semple Thompson is the only player to have played in all 23 U.S. Women’s

Mid-Amateur championships. She also has never missed the match-play cut.

States & Countries: 33 states and six countries – the United States, Canada, Thailand, Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Russia – are represented in the field.

Here are some individual storylines:

Lisa Anderson, 45, of Middleton, Mass., has a caddie with the perfect name, Hogan. He’s her friend John Hogan.

Melissa Aylor, 26, of New York, N.Y., an associate banker with Citi Private Bank, has run a half-marathon, participated in a triathlon, skied in Chile and ice climbed in France.

Desiree Banlow, 42, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., is an avid poker player who uses her winnings to fund golf tournaments. She also was featured in a filmed equipment commercial featuring Sergio Garcia, Reteif Goosen, Mike Weir and Sean O’Hair.

Holly Bare, 26, of Clovis, Calif., had a hole-in-one the first time she played golf with her (now) husband, and a second hole-in-one the second time she played with him.

Samantha Barton, 39, of Boulder, Colo., was captain of the U19 England lacrosse team.

Kim Briele, 48, of New Bern, N.C., was a sportscaster on local television.

Robin Burke, 46, of Houston, Texas, is married to former Masters champion Jack Burke, Jr.

The father of Wendy Burton, 45, of Cortland, N.Y., Sandy, played on the Wake Forest golf team with Arnold Palmer.

Cyndi Carlson, 45, of Chesapeake, Va., was an expert Scottish dancer at the age of 12.

Tara Joy Connelly, 36, of Pembroke, Mass., lost 100 pounds in 2004, with a strict diet and lots of exercise.

Patricia Cornett, 51, of Mill Valley, Calif., is a hematologist-oncologist in San Francisco.

Kay Daniel, 38, of Covington, La., is an orthodontist.

  

Kim Eaton, 50, of Greeley, Colo., is executive director of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

Cynthia M. Friend, 54, of Lexington, Mass., is a professor of chemistry.

Melanie Furuta, 28, of Ladera Ranch, Calif., is assistant director of rules and competitions for the Southern California Golf Association.

Tatiana Gammicchia, 42, of University Park, Fla., was born in Russia and competed in track and field for the Russian national team in the triple jump, long jump and 100 meter hurdles.

Rebecca Halpern, 31, of Chicago, Ill., is a television writer/producer/reporter for The History Channel.

Mina Hardin, 49, of Fort Worth, Texas, is a reinstated amateur who was the first Mexican woman on the LPGA tour.

Marilyn Hardy, 48, of Houston, Texas, is married to noted golf instructor Jim Hardy.

Connie Isler, 25. Of Arlington, Va., holds the record for being the youngest NCAA head coach in any sport, set when she was 21 and a coach at Georgetown University.

Alicia Kapheim, 47, of Pennington, N.J., works in lighting design and has won four lighting design awards. She has also run in four marathons.

Kathy Kurata, 49, of Pasadena, Calif., is a professional Japanese classical dancer.

Martha Lang, 56, of Birmingham, Ala., the 1988 Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, is also vice chair of the USGA Women’s Committee.

Martha Leach, 47, of Herron, Kentucky, is the sister of three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Hollis Stacy.

Jennifer Lucas, 28, of Knoxville, Tenn., has a unique vocation, she’s an “industrial tape specialist.”

Reba Mabie, 32, of Boulder Junction, Colo., has shown old English sheepdogs for the breeder who has the number one dog of that breed at shows nationwide, including Westminster Kennel Club in New York City.

Judy Miller, 59, of Tucson, Ariz., recently adopted a desert tortoise.

Noreen Mohler, 55, of Bethlehem, Pa., was recently named captain of the 2010 USA Curtis Cup team.

Donna Mummert, 33, of Lebanon, N.J., is an assistant director on the USGA staff.

Janet Moore, 45, of Greenwood Village, Colo., has full confidence in her caddie, her husband Kent, who is the only player in Colorado to win that state’s junior, stroke-play, match-play, mid-amateur and senior golf championships.

Debra Lee Myers, 48, of Seattle, Wash., paints wonderful murals and works in Venetian plaster.

Courtney Myhrum, 47, of Pittsburgh, Pa., once played 18 holes with Arnold Palmer.

Linda Pearson, 54, of Glendale, Calif., is the owner of a restaurant called “Dinah’s Chicken.”

Brenda Pictor, 54, nearly shot her age in June when she fired a 59 in a couples tournament at Sunset Hills C.C. in Carrollton, Ga.

Martha Jane Redfearn, 48, of Newport Beach, Calif., was Miss Rodeo California in 1980 and runnerup in the 1990 Mrs. America Pageant.

Kathy Schowe, 45, of LaQuinta, Calif., has a music collection of more than 10,000 songs.