Three of Penn State women’s golf coach Denise St. Pierre’s
“core four” from the last two seasons made a run at the Pennsylvania State
Women’s Golf Association’s Amateur Championship last week at Ligonier Country
Club.
But Ligonier’s Kristen Obush made it through all three, well
sort of, to capture the state women’s amateur crown Thursday.
For whatever reason, senior Lauren Waller, who lost in a
playoff to Radnor’s Brynn Walker in the 2014 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a
senior at Canon-McMillan, forfeited the final to Obush. But give Obush credit,
she had to get through two of Waller’s Penn State teammates to get to the
final. And Waller reached the final with a hard-fought decision over defending
champion Katie Miller, also a Ligonier member.
Waller probably just fell ill or aggravated a nagging injury
and thought it better to forfeit the final rather than risk making things worse
with the start of the college season just weeks away.
Waller, along with fellow seniors Cara Basso, the 2012 PIAA
Class AA champion as a sophomore at Villa Maria Academy, and Jackie Rogowicz, a
two-time District One champion at Pennsbury, and junior Madelein Herr, the
District One Class AAA champion as a senior at Council Rock North in 2015, have
been part of the five-player starting lineup for the Nittany Lions in nearly
every tournament the last two seasons.
I’m sure they are anticipating taking a step forward this
season. Basso, who plays out of Whitford Country Club, made it to the NCAA
Madison Regional as an individual this past spring after finishing tied for
fourth in the Big Ten Championship, but getting there as a team would be a
significant step for them and for the program.
Basso’s talent was on display in the qualifying for match
play as she claimed medalist honors with a sparkling 5-under 67. Earlier this
summer Basso repeated as the winner of the Women’s Golf Association of
Philadelphia’s Match-Play Championship at Cedarbrook Country Club. Herr, playing out of Jericho National
Golf Club, was the runnerup with a 1-under 71.
Waller, playing out of Southpointe Golf Club, matched par
with a 72 and shared third place with Obush, former Coatesville standout Sammie Staudt, a junior at Seton Hall, and
Caroline Wrigley, a member of a talented group of western Pennsylvania players
at last fall’s PIAA Class AAA Championship. Staudt plays out of Applecross
Country Club. Wrigley, who plays out of Butler Country Club, finished third in
the state tournament last fall as a junior at North Allegheny.
Katie James, a member of Shady Side Academy’s 2016 PIAA
Class AAA championship team, and Olivia Zambruno, the 2016 PIAA Class AA
champion as a senior at Greensburg Central Catholic, shared seventh place, each
carding a 3-over 75 and former Central Dauphin standout Allison Cooper was
alone in ninth with a 4-over 76.
James, playing out of Fox Chapel Golf Club, is expected to
join the program at SMU in a few weeks, Zambruno, playing out of Pleasant
Valley Golf Club, saw some action as a freshman at Penn State last season, and
Cooper, playing out of Colonial Ridge, appears to be playing at Penn State
Harrisburg.
The 35-year-old Obush, a scholastic standout at Indiana High
School who played collegiately at Cleveland State, opened match play with a 4
and 3 win over Taylor Waller – pretty sure she’s Lauren’s younger sister – and
then pulled out a 1-up decision over Herr.
The hole-by-hole results of the match stopped with Herr
holding a 2-up advantage on the back nine, but Obush rallied for the win.
Obush led Basso, 3-up, in the semifinals after winning the
12th with a par. Basso cut her deficit to 1-down with birdies at 14
and 16, but Obush and Basso halved the 17th with pars and the 18th
with bogeys to put Obush in the final.
Lauren Waller claimed a 6 and 5 victory over Stephanie Urban
of Lawrence Park Golf Club in the opening round of match play and earned a 2-up
decision over Staudt in the quarterfinals.
That earned her a date in the semifinals with Miller, the
35-year-old from Jeanette who was a three-time PIAA champion at Hempfield Area
and a collegiate standout at North Carolina. Miller was also a co-medalist in
qualifying for match play at last fall’s U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship
at Champions Golf Club’s Cypress Creek Course in Houston.
Waller won the 10th hole with birdie and the 11th
and 12th holes with pars to grab a 3-up lead, but Miller fought back
with back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 to cut her deficit to 1-down. But Waller
won the 15th with a par and held on for a 2 and 1 victory.
Julianne Genuardi of Applecross captured top honors in the
first flight by knocking off Molly Gorman of Irem Country Club in 21 holes.
In the second-flight final, Nina Busch of Oakmont Country
Club needed 19 holes to defeat Sara Klinchock of Ligonier and capture the top
spot in the flight.
Sunnybrook Golf Club’s Lisa McGill cruised to the state
Senior Amateur title with a 6 and 5 victory over Beth Ward of Colonial Golf
& Tennis Club in the final.
The 59-year-old McGill reached the quarterfinals of the U.S.
Senior Women’s Amateur Championship last fall at Waverly Country Club in Portland,
Ore. before falling to eventual champion Judith Kyrinis of Canada. Pretty sure
that quarterfinal berth earned McGill an exemption to this year’s U.S. Senior
Women’s Am, which tees off Oct. 6 at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in
Vero Beach, Fla.
McGill earned medalist honors in qualifying as she matched
par with a 72. Kerry Rutan of Philadelphia Cricket Club shared second with
legendary Bethlehem amateur Noreen Mohler of Northampton Country Club, each
posting a 77.
McGill claimed a 4 and 3 victory over Rutan in the
semifinals while Ward had to go 20 holes to get past the 64-year-old Mohler and reach the final.
Mohler, by the way, also earned a berth in match play in the U.S. Senior
Women’s Amateur at Waverly last fall before being ousted in the first round.
Pattie Parsons of Carlisle Country Club took top honors in
the Senior first flight, defeating Susan Konstalid of Range End Golf Club,
2-up, in the final.
Second-flight honors in the Senior division went to Karen
Hough of Ligonier, who edged Barbara Anne Maier of Frosty Valley Country Club, 2
and 1, in the final.
A second Ligonier member joined Obush in being crowned a
state champion as Sheila Kassel claimed a 5 and 4 decision over Susan Colton of
Butler Country Club in the Super Senior final.
Barbara Pagana of Susquehanna Valley Country Club was the
qualifying medalist with a 3-over 75 and Colton was the runnerup with an 80.
Kassel got past Pagana with a 5 and 4 victory in the semifinals to reach the
title match.
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