Low Scores Hard to Come By at U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur

The big story during the first round of the 63rd U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur? The difficulty of the course. A proper USGA championship test is taking place at The Omni Homestead Resort.

The Cascades Course, designed by noted architect William Flynn, played to a scoring average of 81.07, with no player finishing in red figures. 

Sarah Gallagher, of Canton, Ga., held the clubhouse lead for the majority of the day after an even-par 72. The 2023 champion (def. Brenda Corrie Kuehn, 1 up, at Troon Country Club, in Scottsdale, Ariz.) opened her round on the inward nine with an eight-foot birdie putt. Strings of pars were interrupted by one additional birdie and two bogeys.

“The front plays harder; the slopes are challenging,” said Gallagher. “There are really a couple of holes where you would want to be closer to the green if you could, but you can’t because the fairway ends and you end up with some pretty hilly lies that you have to make some adjustments for.” 

The numbers backed up Gallagher’s assertion. The outward nine played to a scoring average of 41.1. The 524-yard par-5 fifth only gave up two birdies and was the most difficult hole on the course, playing more than a full stroke over par.

Kim Keyer-Scott, of Bonita Springs, Fla., “escaped” the fifth with a par. She finished one stroke back of Gallagher at 1-over-par 73. Interestingly, Keyer-Scott learned to play golf in Belgium after she and her husband moved there in 1997. 

“My ball-striking really stood out today. In my practice round I only hit four greens and I hit a lot more today, 13 I think so that was better,” said Keyer-Scott.

Twelve players are one shot back of Keyer-Scott, including several USGA champions and runner-ups. Defending champion Nadene Gole, 2022 champion Shelly Stouffer, Corrie Kuehn and three-time champion Lara Tennant all sit at 2-over 74. 

What’s Next?

The 132 competitors will play their final round of stroke play on Sunday with the low 64 advancing to match play, which begins on Monday. Should a playoff be needed to determine the final spots in the draw, it would begin Monday morning on No. 15, and then follow the routing through 18, if necessary. Match play continues through Thursday morning’s 18-hole championship match. Admission is free and spectators are encouraged to attend. 

Notable

• Kristin Shifflett, of Fredericksburg, Va., which is around a three-hour drive from The Omni Homestead, hit the opening shot. Shiflett captured the VSGA Women’s Senior title last year and is fresh off a win at the VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, which was held on the resort’s Old Course. 

• There are six players from Virginia in the field: Mary Cabriele (Vienna); Amy Ellertson (Free Union); Joan Gardner (Alexandria); Brenda McKinlay (Herndon); Kimberley Palko (Alexandria) and Kristin Shifflett (Fredericksburg).

• The only players to birdie the par-5 fifth were Kristyl Sunderman and Clair Stewart.

• Five competitors will celebrate birthdays during championship week. Karen Veriato turns 64 on Sept. 15, Camm Dougherty (60) and Tina Jones (68) share a birthday on Sept. 17, and both Mary Cabriele (63) and Diana Chancellor (65) also share a birthday on Sept. 18.

• The Omni Homestead has hosted the most USGA championships of any venue in Virginia (nine, including this week). It most recently welcomed the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in 2009. Other championships include: U.S. Women’s Amateur (1928, 1994); Curtis Cup (1966); U.S. Women’s Open (1967); U.S. Senior Amateur (1980); U.S. Amateur (1988); U.S. Mid-Amateur (2000).

• Marianne Springer, 81, of Wellington, Fla., is the oldest competitor in this year's field, and the oldest competitor in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in at least the last 15 years.

Quotable

“I was so excited. My husband caddied for me and everyone's nervous just to qualify for The Homestead. It’s such a thrill to be here. I just broke my age with a score of 77. - Marianne Springer, 81, on qualifying for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

“Depends on what side of the green you’re on. They can be really fast if you are on the wrong side of the hole. They roll pretty true, so I think you just need to have confidence in your line and do your best to hit a solid putt.” - Sarah Gallagher on the difficulty of the greens.

“The hills, I'm from Florida. I did a lot of math and calculations which I'm not used to doing. My caddy and I were doing a lot of that and readjusting. That and knowing where to hit the ball because there are a lot of blind spots.” - Kim Keyer-Scott on the most challenging part of the day.

“When I didn’t get in position I felt like that’s where I struggled a lot. At the end of the day, it’s a position golf course. Theres a lot of holes where I couldn’t hit driver because it didn’t make sense.” - Dawn Woodard on how the course played.

“The front nine is a lot more demanding and I just got out to such a good start, I think I went par, par, birdie, birdie. I had four 2’s on my card which is crazy. I didn’t know it until we got to the scores tent.” - Suzi Spotleson on the difficulty of her round.