Winning never gets old, whether you’ve claimed 18 CWGA titles or just one.
Just ask Christie Austin of Cherry Hills Country Club, owner of the 18 victories, or teammate Kathy West of Castle Pines Golf Club, who earned her first CWGA championship on Sunday.
The two paired up at Rifle Creek Golf Course for an eight-stroke win in the Brassie Championship, a best-ball stroke-play event. It was Austin’s sixth Brassie title, with West being her fourth partner in victory, following Liz Ivancie (1990), Janet Moore (1994, 2001 and 2010) and Tori Glenn (2014). (The 2017 champions are pictured, with Austin at left.)
“It’s always such a fun format,” said Austin, who was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. “I’ve enjoyed four-ball, both stroke and match, for close to 30 years playing in these events. I love playing partner events.”
Indeed, of Austin’s 18 CWGA titles, 15 have come in two-person team events: six each in the Brassie and Mashie, two in the Chapman and one in a Mixed event. (Individually, Austin has been victorious twice in the CWGA Senior Stroke Play and once in the Senior Match Play.)
In this case, Austin met West in Scottsdale, Ariz., at a club where both are members. And since West and her husband, who are primarily Tulsa residents, are spending more time in Castle Pines these days, Austin and West joined forces for the Brassie.
“This is my first time to play in a CWGA championship,” West said. “It’s a really friendly group of people here, and that’s part of the fun of it.”
Another part was West making a hole-in-one during Saturday’s first round “” with a gap wedge on the 112-yard 15th hole. It was the third ace of West’s life, and second in competition.
“But it’s been a long time, so that felt like the first one actually,” she noted.
After Saturday’s 1-under-par 71 “” which included a two-stroke penalty for hitting from the wrong tee box on No. 13 “” Sunday’s final round was less eventful. Their even-par 72 in round 2 left them at 1-under 143 overall. They made three birdies and three bogeys in the second round.
“We hung in there today,” Austin said. “We had a few holes where one or the other of us wasn’t in the hole. And each of us had a couple of times where we did some really great things.
“What (fellow competitor) Kathy Malpass told us was, “˜You guys really paired well this week.’ She was right. When one of us hit it out of play, the other one hit it right down the middle. We managed our risk well. We made a couple of silly bogeys today, but all in all I’m really pleased with the way we paired as a team. It was very comfortable. We laughed and we joked. We kept it very light and easy, and we came out a winner.”
Malpass, from Hiwan Golf Club, and partner Katherine Moore-Lilly from Cordillera finished second in the championship flight at 151 after closing with a 77. Lynn Larson and Laurie Steenrod, who have twice won the Brassie as teammates, shared third place at 160 with Lynne Batchelder and Nancy Ziereis, who shot a second-round 81.
The gross-division winners of the other flights were Donna Edelen and Becky Finger (170 in first flight), Karla Hutchinson and Kathleen Mikoloyck (175 in second flight), and Sue Means and Nondis Lowther from Rifle Creek (172 in third flight).
With the exception of the first flight, the same teams won the net division titles. Penny Sykes and Candy Hammerich prevailed in the net competition in the first flight.
CWGA Brassie Championship
At Par-72 Rifle Creek GC in Rifle
GROSS SCORES
Championship Flight
Christie Austin, Cherry Hills CC Wga / Kathy West, Castle Pines Wga”“71-72″“143
Kathy Malpass, Hiwan Wga / Katherine Moore-Lilly, Cordillera Wga ““ Valley”“74-77″“151
Nancy Ziereis, Valley CC Wga / Lynne Batchelder, Valley CC Wga”“79-81″“160
Laurie Steenrod, Saddle Rock Wga / Lynn Larson, Pinery CC Wga”“77-83″“160
LeAnna Rosenow, West Woods Wgc / Patricia Swanson, West Woods Wgc”“79-84″“163
Pam Cortez, Riverdale Wga / Sue Knutson, Coal Creek Wga”“85-82″“167
Phyllis Emrich, Columbine CC Lga / Deborah Sturm, Stewart Park Golf Club”“85-84″“169
Karen Hale, CC of Castle Pines / Dee Baker, Eisenhower Wga”“84-86″“170
First Flight
Donna Edelen, Riverdale Wga / Becky Finger, Riverdale Wga”“84-86″“170
Lyn Bullen, Bookcliff Country Club / Judy Maillis, Broken Tee Englewood Wga”“80-91″“171
Janine Lowe, South Suburban Wga / Ellen Thomas, Lga at Blackstone/Black Bear”“84-88″“172
Penny Sykes, Rifle Creek GC / Candy Hammerich, Rifle Creek Wga”“87-86″“173
Constance Brodt, Fox Hill Club Wga / Karen Leuschel, Riverdale Wga”“84-89″“173
Jo Ann Higgins, Fox Hill Club Wga / Katie Maurer, Fox Hill Club Wga”“88-85″“173
Berta Thimmig, Riverdale Wga / Susan Elliott, Riverdale Wga”“85-92″“177
Kathryn Morris, Spring Valley Wga / Amy Hicks, Spring Valley Wga”“87-90″“177
Peggy Sontag, River Valley Ranch / Joanne Kates, River Valley Ranch Wga”“91-89″“180
Second Flight
Karla Hutchinson, Fox Hollow Lgc / Kathleen Mikoloyck, Willis Case Wga”“87-88″“175
Debbie Childs, Lone Tree Lga / Cheryl Berning, ““89-91″“180
Cindy Ortega, Foothills Wga / Kathy Diehl, Broken Tee Englewood Wga”“90-93″“183
Sharon Thiel, Riverdale Wga / Diane Storlie, Riverdale Wga”“93-93″“186
Mary Smith, Fox Hollow Wga / Suzanne Elkins, Fox Hollow Wga”“93-95″“188
Cynthia Elsener, Walnut Creek Golf Preserve Wga / Marita Rhea, Indian Peaks Wga”“88-101″“189
Adele Reester, Colorado National Wga / Julie Pate, Colorado National Wga”“104-91″“195
Deanna Messerli, Riverdale Wga / Dee Riedel, West Woods Wgc”“97-101″“198
Third Flight
Sue Means, Rifle Creek Wga / Nondis Lowther, Rifle Creek GC”“84-88″“172
Kim Gauthier, Glenwood Springs Lgc / Brit Glock, Glenwood Springs Lgc”“88-93″“181
Sandra Schnitzer, Riverdale Wga / Bunny Ambrose, Riverdale Wga”“91-96″“187
Dee Martinez, West Woods Wgc / Janet Squires, West Woods Wgc”“94-100″“194
Mary Graff, West Woods Wgc / Barbara Bender, Coal Creek Wga”“98-98″“196
Rose Rismanchi, Aurora Hills Wga / Margie Doss, Meadow Hills Wga”“103-98″“201
Karen Hessl, River Valley Ranch Wga / Pj Click, Lakota Canyon Ranch Wga”“101-102″“203
Audrey McEwen, Coal Creek Wga / Susan Wagner, Coal Creek Wga”“99-105″“204
Leticia Overholt, Fossil Trace Wga / Rhonda O’Reilly, Fossil Trace Wga”“105-101″“206
NET SCORES
Championship Flight
Christie Austin, Cherry Hills CC Wga / Kathy West, Castle Pines Wga”“67-68″“135
Sue Knutson, Coal Creek Wga / Pam Cortez, Riverdale Wga”“71-65″“136
Phyllis Emrich, Columbine CC Lga / Deborah Sturm, Stewart Park Golf Club”“71-67″“138
Kathy Malpass, Hiwan Wga / Katherine Moore-Lilly, Cordillera Wga ““ Valley”“68-71″“139
Nancy Ziereis, Valley CC Wga / Lynne Batchelder, Valley CC Wga”“71-71″“142
LeAnna Rosenow, West Woods Wgc / Patricia Swanson, West Woods Wgc”“67-75″“142
Laurie Steenrod, Saddle Rock Wga / Lynn Larson, Pinery CC Wga”“69-75″“144
Karen Hale, CC of Castle Pines / Dee Baker, Eisenhower Wga”“72-74″“144
First Flight
Penny Sykes, Rifle Creek GC / Candy Hammerich, Rifle Creek Wga”“68-66″“134
Susan Elliott, Riverdale Wga / Berta Thimmig, Riverdale Wga”“64-71″“135
Donna Edelen, Riverdale Wga / Becky Finger, Riverdale Wga”“67-70″“137
Constance Brodt, Fox Hill Club Wga / Karen Leuschel, Riverdale Wga”“67-70″“137
Janine Lowe, South Suburban Wga / Ellen Thomas, Lga at Blackstone/Black Bear”“67-71″“138
Kathryn Morris, Spring Valley Wga / Amy Hicks, Spring Valley Wga”“68-71″“139
Lyn Bullen, Bookcliff Country Club / Judy Maillis, Broken Tee Englewood Wga”“65-74″“139
Katie Maurer, Fox Hill Club Wga / Jo Ann Higgins, Fox Hill Club Wga”“72-71″“143
Joanne Kates, River Valley Ranch Wga / Peggy Sontag, River Valley Ranch”“73-70″“143
Second Flight
Karla Hutchinson, Fox Hollow Lgc / Kathleen Mikoloyck, Willis Case Wga”“68-66″“134
Debbie Childs, Lone Tree Lga / Cheryl Berning, ““70-71″“141
Cindy Ortega, Foothills Wga / Kathy Diehl, Broken Tee Englewood Wga”“69-72″“141
Cynthia Elsener, Walnut Creek Golf Preserve Wga / Marita Rhea, Indian Peaks Wga”“66-78″“144
Sharon Thiel, Riverdale Wga / Diane Storlie, Riverdale Wga”“72-73″“145
Mary Smith, Fox Hollow Wga / Suzanne Elkins, Fox Hollow Wga”“72-73″“145
Deanna Messerli, Riverdale Wga / Dee Riedel, West Woods Wgc”“75-75″“150
Adele Reester, Colorado National Wga / Julie Pate, Colorado National Wga”“82-70″“152
Third Flight
Sue Means, Rifle Creek Wga / Nondis Lowther, Rifle Creek GC”“60-63″“123
Kim Gauthier, Glenwood Springs Lgc / Brit Glock, Glenwood Springs Lgc”“61-65″“126
Sandra Schnitzer, Riverdale Wga / Bunny Ambrose, Riverdale Wga”“66-71″“137
Dee Martinez, West Woods Wgc / Janet Squires, West Woods Wgc”“67-71″“138
Margie Doss, Meadow Hills Wga / Rose Rismanchi, Aurora Hills Wga”“73-68″“141
Audrey McEwen, Coal Creek Wga / Susan Wagner, Coal Creek Wga”“67-75″“142
Karen Hessl, River Valley Ranch Wga / Pj Click, Lakota Canyon Ranch Wga”“71-72″“143
Mary Graff, West Woods Wgc / Barbara Bender, Coal Creek Wga”“72-73″“145
Leticia Overholt, Fossil Trace Wga / Rhonda O’Reilly, Fossil Trace Wga”“74-71″“145
