When it came to Thursday’s USGA Senior Women’s Amateur qualifying at Hiwan Golf Club, the expectations varied wildly from player to player.
For some in the 25-golfer field, simply qualifying for a USGA championship would be nirvana. Others are realistically taking aim at making the 64-player match play portion of the national tournament. Still others believe they can go deep into the match play tree and perhaps even win a national title.
Whatever the expectations, five women left Hiwan with a little more pep in their step as they earned spots in the national championship for senior women’s players.
Landing a trip to the Senior Women’s Amateur — set for Sept. 21-26 in San Martin, Calif. — were part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy, who shot a 4-over-par 77 and gained medalist honors in Colorado for the second straight year; Kathy Malpass (78), an Evergreen resident and a Hiwan member for the last 15 years; Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (79), who now lives full-time in Tempe, Ariz.; Beth Clippinger of Centennial (80); and Deb Hughes of Denver (81).
(The five are pictured above. From left: Malpass, Hardy, Eaton, Clippinger and Hughes.)
The qualifiers range in age from 51 (Hardy) to 61 (Clippinger).
“You always think the young ‘munchkins’ are going to come beat you out,” Clippinger said with a grin. “So it is more special (to qualify at age 61).”
It’s worth noting that, as a group, all five of Thursday’s qualifiers have competed in the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur before. Eaton will be going for the fifth time in five tries, Malpass and Clippinger for the fourth, Hughes for the third and Hardy for the second.
Eaton, who just completed a sweep of 2013 CWGA senior championships (match and stroke), has advanced to match play all four previous years she’s played in the Senior Women’s Am. But most impressively, she’s made it to the quarterfinals of the national championship twice, in 2009 and ’11.
“I know I can win it,” said Eaton, who has captured four state titles this year (two in Colorado and one each in California and Arizona). “I just have to stay in it. I know I have the game to do it. It’s just a matter of not getting frustrated. I feel this year, if anything, it could be a good year for me to go further because I’ve been playing so well.”
This will be the 22nd or 23rd USGA championship for Eaton, by her reckoning. But the total for Hardy, who likewise made it to the round of 32 in the Senior Am last year, is even more impressive. She’s well in the 30s as far as competing in USGA championships go.
Hardy has made it as far as the semifinals and quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (in separate years), and to the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. On Thursday, she showed what she’s capable of by shooting a 2-under-par 34 on the front nine at Hiwan before her putter gave her fits on the back.
“It’s a great course, very challenging,” said Hardy, a Houston resident most of the year. “I drove the ball really well and I hit a ton of greens, but I didn’t putt well. You’ve got to play out here a lot to know the greens, but (Wednesday) was my first round ever out here.”
That certainly isn’t the case with Malpass, a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver the last six years. Having been a member at Hiwan since 1998, she knew the course’s extremely challenging greens — which Eaton called “crazy” and “funky” — better than most.
“It’s always nice to have that confidence on the greens,” Malpass said. “Usually when I play other places I think there’s a break but there’s not. That’s the Hiwan curse, right? But I think it definitely did help me to have the confidence on the greens. But I needed that because my driver was putting me in places no man would want to be.”
Hughes, runner-up to Eaton earlier this week in the CWGA Senior Stroke Play, and Clippinger were a little extra determined to qualify for the national tournament this year after losing out in a playoff in last year’s qualifying.
“I missed it by one stroke last year, so this is a little bit of redemption for me to do it this year, especially after the second-place finish in the Senior Stroke Play,” Hughes said.
USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifying
At Par-73 Hiwan GC in Evergreen
QUALIFIED FOR SENIOR WOMEN’S AMATEUR
Marilyn Hardy, Champions GC 34-43–77
Kathy Malpass, Hiwan CC 39-39–78
Kim Eaton, Riverdale GC 40-39–79
Beth Clippinger, South Suburban Wga 41-39–80
Deborah Hughes, Green Valley Ranch GC 43-38–81
ALTERNATES (In order)
Christie Austin, Cherry Hills CC 39-43–82
Sue Davis, Saddle Rock Wga 45-38–83
FAILED TO QUALIFY
Cindy Pallatino, CommonGround GC 39-45–84
Liz Kennedy, Tiara Rado GC 40-46–86
Debra Woolf, Fort Worth, Texas 43-43–86
Katty Rothberg, Cherry Creek CC 40-47–87
Sally Lawrence, Broken Tee GC 43-44–87
Sheryl Larsen, Lakewood CC 42-46–88
Jessi McVay, CommonGround GC 44-44–88
Debbie Blount, The Club at Cordillera 44-44–88
Laurie Steenrod, Saddle Rock GC 43-46–89
Charlotte Barley, Springfield, Ore. 43-47–90
Beverly Hoffenberg, Pinehurst CC 47-46–93
Karen Williams, Wellshire GC 51-42–93
Patty Smogor, Broken Tee GC 43-51–94
Juliet Miner, Bear Dance Wga 48-50–98
Christine Gingrich, South Suburban GC 47-52–99
Pat O’Connor, Collindale GC 52-50–102
Peggy Puckett, Wellshire GC 51-54–105
Cindy Joos, Broken Tee Englewood Wga 56-58–114
