Haines earns another trip to U.S. Senior Women's Amateur in qualifier at Northampton

   Merion Golf Club’s Liz Haines, 70-years young, earned a return trip to the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship with a 5-over-par 77 in a Golf Association of Philadelphia-administered qualifier at Northampton Country Club in Easton last Thursday.

   Haines was the runnerup to 2004 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Carolyn Creekmore, who edged the Gladwyne resident, 1-up. And 14 years later, Haines, who has been a good player forever, will be back when the 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur tees off Oct. 6 at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla.

   Although Haines failed to reach match play in last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, the membership at Waverly Country Club in Portland was happy she made the trip. Haines delivered some oral history to Waverly in the form of her late husband George Haines Jr.’s meticulous course notes from the 1970 U.S. Amateur he played in at Waverly.

   A course that has always embraced its history, Waverly was thrilled to receive Liz Haines’ time capsule from nearly 50 years ago.

   Haines wasn’t the only past U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runnerup to earn a ticket to Orchid Island as medalist honors at Northampton went to Jane Fitzgerald of Kensington, Md., who carded a 3-over 75 over the 5,695-yard, par-72 Northampton layout.

   Fitzgerald fell in the 2012 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur final to Ellen Port of St. Louis, who claimed a 4 and 3 decision at Hershey Country Club’s West Course for the first of her three championships.

   The 56-year-old Fitzgerald is a six-time Maryland State Golf Association Women’s Amateur champion and captured the state Women’s Open title in 2001. Fitzgerald, who played college golf at Penn State, stays around the game as a buyer for her husband Jim, the head pro at the Chevy Chase Club.

   Fitzgerald made the turn at 4-over over after a so-so front nine at Northampton. But she turned the round around with a birdie at the par-4 10^th hole.

   Then she nearly holed a gap wedge from 93 yards away on the 302-yard, par-4 14^th for a tap-in birdie and rolled in a 20-footer for birdie at 16 after finding the green on the 112-yard, par-3 hole with a 9-iron.

   A double bogey at 17 halted Fitzgerald’s momentum, but she still got it in at 3-over.

Fitzgerald was also at Waverly last year, falling to Sunnybrook Golf Club’s Lisa McGill in the second round of match play. McGill should also be at Orchid Island as her run to the quarterfinals at Waverly made her exempt from qualifying for this year’s championship.

   Earning the third ticket to Orchid Island up for grabs at Northampton was 56-year-old Allison Long, a Coatesville resident who plays out of Honeybrook Golf Club. Long will be playing in the U.S. Senior  Women’s Amateur for the third time, having previously qualified in 2015 and 2016.

   Frances Gacos of Flemington, N.J. finished fourth with an 81 and is the first alternate. Allyson Harrison of Canada was a shot back of Gacos in fifth with an 82 and is the second alternate.