Kim Eaton already was going to be bouncing around the U.S. in the next month and a half. Then on Wednesday, she gladly added another stop to her crowded travel schedule.
The part-time Greeley resident, who last week qualified for the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, put another USGA tournament on her itinerary on Wednesday by being medalist in U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Sectional Qualifying at Glenmoor Country Club in Cherry Hills Village.
Eaton (pictured) qualified for her fifth U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur — and her 14th non-team USGA championship — by shooting an even-par 72, which was four strokes better than the next-best player in the field.
Also advancing to the national tournament out of the original field of 15 were former professional Maren Scoggins of Denver (76), former Colorado State University golfer Amber Ward of Westminster (79), Janet Yoder of Elbert (83) and Shannon Lutynski of Castle Rock (83). Lutynski, like Eaton, also qualified last year.
The 2011 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur is set for Sept. 17-22 in Virginia Beach, Va.
That will be just one of many stops for the 52-year-old Eaton between now and early October. The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer will soon fly to New York to participate in the annual World Police & Fire Games (Eaton is a former police officer).Then from Sept. 10-15, she’ll be in Tennessee at the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur. From there it’s on to Virginia for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. She’ll then go to Arizona for that state’s women’s senior championship. And finally, she’s headed to Georgia to compete for Arizona in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship Oct. 4-6.
That’s quite the golf tour.
“This is when all the national events are,” said Eaton, who detailed a trip in the coming month that includes a flight to New York, a car trip from there which includes stops in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, and a flight back to Colorado.
Such is the late summer/early fall life of a senior player who is very competitive on the national amateur circuit. In the last two years at USGA events in September and October, Eaton has gone to the quarterfinals of the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and to the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. In her four previous U.S. Mid-Amateurs, she’s made match play each year and gone to the round of 16 twice since 2008. And, mind you, this is a player who’s now 52 competing in a tournament which includes women from age 25 and up.
Eaton had little problem Wednesday earning medalist honors in this qualifier for the second straight year. She finished with two birdies and two bogeys at Glenmoor, where she won her 2004 CWGA Stroke Play Championship.
“I was a putting fool today,” Eaton said after needing just 28 strokes on the greens. “I made about every 10-footer that I looked at. I saved a lot of pars making 10-footers. They were in, they were in, they were in. I putted well and I hit the ball well.”
But the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur puts Eaton to the test as it’s a walking-only event and she battles arthritis in her knees and tendinitis in her feet, on which she’s undergone two surgeries.
“My feet and knees are killing me right now,” said Eaton, the CWGA Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year in 2010. “Just the walking is tough for me. I don’t mind the heat. If I ride in a cart I can play five, six, seven days in a row. But to walk, it’s tough. When you ride all the time, you tend to get a little lazy. But you know, you play through (the pain when walking).”
Like Eaton, Scoggins is a former professional. After playing college golf at Vanderbilt, she was a club professional for about six years. Following a move to Denver from Nashville, Tenn., and raising her very young child, Scoggins is playing a significant amount of amateur tournament golf for the first time in more than 15 years.
“This is my first USGA championship,” said the 40-year-old who plays out of CommonGround Golf Course. “I tried for a couple of (U.S. Women’s) Amateurs in college and didn’t make it, so I’m excited about this.”
On Wednesday, Scoggins was even par through 13 holes after making three birdies, but she bogeyed four of the last five holes to fall out of contention for medalist honors.
“It was close to being a great round, but it wasn’t quite there,” she said.
The third player who broke 80 on Wednesday, Ward, shot an even-par 35 on the front nine but faltered somewhat on the back side, posting a 44.
This will be the third USGA championship for the 26-year-old Ward, who previously competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links.
Yoder went the opposite direction as Ward on Wednesday, rallying after a 46 on the front nine to post an even-par 37 on the back.
U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Sectional Qualifying
At Par-72 Glenmoor CC in Cherry Hills Village
QUALIFIED
Kim Eaton, Greeley, Colo. 36-36-72
Maren Scoggins, Denver, Colo. 36-40-76
Amber Ward, Westminster, Colo. 35-44-79
Janet Yoder, Elbert, Colo. 46-37-83
Shannon Lutynski, Castle Rock, Colo. 40-43-83
ALTERNATES (In order)
Sally Lawrence, Englewood, Colo. 44-45-89
Meg Christensen, Houston, Texas 43-46-89
FAILED TO QUALIFY
Catherine Stypula, Boulder, Colo. 43-46-89
Sheryl Larsen, Denver, Colo. 47-43-90
Joanna Ringsby, Denver, Colo. 45-51-96
Claire Joyce, Niwot, Colo. 56-45-101
Vickie Brown, Aurora, Colo. 48-54-102
Tiffany Maurycy, Golden, Colo. WD
Kasie Kveset, Price, Utah WD
