Murphy, Torti share medalist honors in qualifier for inaugural U.S. Women's Senior Open

   The long overdue inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship will be staged July 12 to 15 at  Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill. and 22 senior golfers teed it up last Monday at Northampton Country Club for a chance to be part of history.

   Debby Murphy, a teaching pro at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., site of last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, and Marie-Theresa Torti of Canada shared medalist honors as each carded a 5-over 77 in sweltering heat over the 5,950-yard, par-72 Northampton layout.

   Holly Vaughn of Naples, Fla. grabbed the third and final ticket to Chicago Golf Club as she prevailed in a playoff with Jamie Simons of Old Spring Harbour, N.Y. after each posted a 7-over 79.

   The 57-year-old Murphy hadn’t played 18 holes since December, but she flirted with a pair of aces on her way to sharing medalist honors. Murphy’s 5-hybrid at the 153-yard 13^th came up a roll or two short of a hole-in-one and she tapped it in for birdie and then she knocked an 8-iron to three feet and converted the birdie try at the 121-yard 16^th hole.

   “One of my students said, ‘Are you kidding me? You need to go out and try to qualify,’ so I gave it a try,” Murphy told the website for the Golf Association of Philadelphia, which administered the qualifier. “I hadn’t been playing, but now I’m glad I did.”

   The 55-year-old Torti had her only birdie at the short, par-3 16^th as she fired a 9-iron to two feet and made the putt.

   Vaughn parred the second hole of the playoff to claim the final berth out of the qualifier. Simons is the first alternate.

   Heather Cameron of Canada and Jane Fitzgerald of Kensington, Md. each posted an 82 to finish tied for fifth and are the other two alternates.

   Laura Tyler of Northumberland was a shot behind Cameron and Fitzgerald with an 83.

   Five players, led by Bethlehem’s Noreen Mohler, who has been one of the top senior amateur players in Pennsylvania for a while, were among the group at 85. Also at that figure were Lisa Diprospero-Day of Coatesville, Karen Siegel of Maple Glen, Angiewhitley Coleman of New Castle, Del. and Karen Noble of Chatham, N.J.

   Linda Nevatt of Warminster carded an 86 and Diane Rama of Harleysville posted an 87.