Moore survives scare, but advances to round of 32 at U.S. Senior Women’s Am
By Gary Baines – 08/26/2019
Four players with strong Colorado connections made it to match play at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, but by the time the round of 64 was complete, only one had advanced — and that one was after getting a considerable scare thrown into her.
Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, from Centennial, earned a spot in the round of 32 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but only after losing a big lead then winning in 19 holes.
Moore (pictured with caddie/fellow Hall of Famer Christie Austin in a photo by Clint Brown of the Iowa Golf Association) was seemingly comfortably 4 up through 13 holes in Monday’s round-of-64 match against 21st-seeded Sherry Wright of Oxnard, Calif. But Wright proceeded to win four of the last five holes of regulation — one with a birdie, two with pars and one with a bogey.
Suddenly Moore went from 4 up with five holes left to being headed to extra holes. But after going 4 over in that five-hole stretch, Moore parred the 19th hole to defeat Wright, who made bogey.
Moore, who went to the round of 32 at last year’s Senior Women’s Am, ended up 7 over par for the 19 holes. She never trailed against Wright.
Also going extra holes on Monday was part-time Gunnison resident Marilyn Hardy, who was the 12th seed in the 64-golfer match-play bracket. And had Hardy prevailed on Monday, she would have faced Moore in the round of 32 on Tuesday. Just three weeks ago, the two shared a cart during the final round of the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play in Colorado Springs.
But in the longest match of round 1, 53rd-seeded Pamela Kuong of Wellesley Hills, Mass., outlasted Hardy in 24 holes, earning the round-of-32 berth against Moore.
From hole 5 until winning the match with a birdie on the 24th hole, Kuong never held a lead. Prior to that 24th hole, the two had tied the previous six holes with pars.
Hardy, who went to the round of 16 in 2018, finished 3 over par for 24 holes.
Meanwhile, the other two Colorado locals fell 4 and 3 in Monday’s first round of match play. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton, a four-time quarterfinalist in this event, lost to Australian Sue Wooster. Eaton never led in the match, going 6 over par for 15 holes.
And Stacey Arnold of Westminster, competing in her first U.S. Senior Women’s Am, was ousted by Anita Wicks of Roseburg, Ore. Arnold was 1 up after six holes, but Wicks won six of the remaining 10 holes, while Arnold won one.
Here are the results for all the players with strong Colorado connections:
MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 64
Janet Moore of Centennial def. Sherry Wright, Oxnard, Calif., 19 holes
Pamea Kuong of Wellesley Hills, Mass., def. Marilyn Hardy of Gunnison, 24 holes
Sue Wooster of Australia def. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton, 4 and 3
Anita Wicks, Roseburg, Ore., def. Stacey Arnold, Westminster, 4 and 3
STROKE PLAY
10. Part-time Gunnison resident Marilyn Hardy 77-73–150
30. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton 77-78–155
38. Stacey Arnold of Westminster 78-79–157
44. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore of Centennial 78-80–158
Failed to Make Match Play
Part-time Castle Pines resident Kathy West 83-79–162
Tiffany Maurycy of Denver 82-81–163
Kristine Franklin of Broomfield 82-83–165
Christie Austin of Denver 81-89–170
For all the scores from the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, CLICK HERE.