On Thursday, exactly 40 years after Lynn Zmistowski etched her name on the CWGA Match Play trophy for the second time, she staked out a presence on the glass prize that goes to the Senior Match Play champion.
Zmistowski trailed after 16 holes of the senior championship final, but won Nos. 17 and 18 at Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton to defeat Kathy Malpass of Hiwan Golf Club 1 up and claim the senior title.
For Zmistowski, it was her fifth individual CWGA championship as she’s also captured two Match Plays and two Senior Stroke Plays. Overall, the player from Willis Case has claimed 15 individual state amateur titles in three states: Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona. She’s been inducted into the Golf Hall of Fames in both Colorado (class of 2000) and Minnesota (2014).
“This means a lot,” said Zmistowski (pictured above and below), who splits her time between Boulder and Arizona. “I’m pretty old now. I’m 70, but I can be competitive with the (50-and-over players). I still hit it pretty long, but not as long as I used to. It feels real good to keep up my game and still be competitive.”
Though she had dominated her previous two matches — winning both by 5-and-4 margins — Thursday proved much different. In fact, she never led until she won the 18th hole. Malpass, a two-time Senior Match Play champ, went 1 up when she parred No. 16 after just missing a 9-foot birdie putt, while Zmistowski made bogey.
But after both players were in similar positions on the par-3 17th — with long birdie putts — Malpass three-putted for bogey, while Zmistowski salvaged a par from 5 feet.
Then all square going into 18, Malpass’ approach shot from the right rough ran over the green and into the back bunker, while a wedge by Zmistowski left her with a 10-foot birdie putt. Worried that there was very little sand under her ball, Malpass elected to putt out of the bunker, and her ball ended up short of the putting surface, on the collar. After Malpass’ par attempt ran well past the cup, Zmistowski nestled her birdie attempt within inches of the hole, leading to a concession and the victory.
“I’m disappointed,” said the 59-year-old Malpass (left), who won four women’s club championships at Raccoon Creek in the 1990s, when she called it her home course. “I played fairly well until the back nine (she was even on the front), but I made some mental errors. Like on 18, I was in the rough and thought I needed to take a little more club (7-iron) because it’s still wet. And with the adrenaline or whatever, I blasted it through there.
“This is really my first competitive tournament of the season because I just got back from a 15-day trip to Europe. So I can’t be that disappointed, but of course I am.”
Zmistowski, who battled a balky putter and was 2 down after eight holes, had squared the match on No. 15, when she blasted from a greenside bunker to within 6 inches of the cup for par. After having tree issues on her third shot (below), Malpass recorded a bogey there.
But after Malpass took the lead again with a solid par on 16, Zmistowski rallied down the stretch.
The part-time Coloradan knows it isn’t easy to play with the lead, so she remained confident going into the final two holes.
“I know the feeling that Kathy had because I’ve played golf for so long,” Zmistowski said. “When you have the lead, it kind of works a reverse on your mentality. When you watch somebody come from behind on the tour, the pressure is on the guy who’s leading because he’s got everything to protect.
“At that point (the pursuer) has nothing to lose. You just try to hit your best shots. When you’re trying to protect a lead, you’re a little more careful. You don’t want to make a big mistake. I knew she had to be thinking that, so it sort of relaxed me.”
