McGill tied for third in qualifying in U.S. Senior Women's Amateur with 72 at Orchid Island

   Sunnybrook Golf Club’s Lisa McGill made a nice run to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Waverly Country Club in Portland, Ore. a year ago.

   She’s making the most of the exemption she earned into this year’s championship for making last year’s quarterfinals. The 59-year-old McGill carded an efficient even-par 72 at the Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla. Saturday and is among a group of four players tied for third after the opening round of qualifying for match play.

   Martha Leach of Hebron, Ky., the low amateur in this summer’s inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club, grabbed the lead in qualifying with a 3-under 69 over the 5,689-yard, par-72 Orchid Island layout.

   Defending champion Judith Kyrinis of Canada, who defeated McGill in the quarterfinals on her way to the title at Waverly, is alone in second place after posting a 2-under 70.

   McGill, who appears to split her time between Philadelphia and New England, did a nice job of negotiating an Orchid Lakes layout that has water on 17 of its 18 holes without taking any big numbers.

   McGill made a birdie at the third to make the turn at 1-under. She had bogeys at the 11^th and 13^th holes, but was able to make a birdie at the short, par-4 17^th to finish at even-par.

   McGill was joined at even-par by Leigh Klasse of Cumberland, Wis., Patricia Ehrhart of Honolulu, Hawaii and Corey Weworski, the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion.

The 56-year-old Leach, the 2009 Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, had five birdies on her way to her 3-under round.

   Suzi Spotleson of Canton, Ohio, who, I’m pretty sure, snuck into the Philadelphia area on a business trip a several years ago and played in and won the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Match Play Championship, is among the group tied for 32^nd at 6-over 78.

   Jane Fitzgerald of Kensington, Md., the medalist in the Golf Association of Philadelphia-administered qualifier at Northampton Country Club, is in the group tied for 48^th after carding an 80. Fitzgerald reached the second round of match play at Waverly a year ago before getting knocked out by McGill.

   The top 64 finishers following Sunday’s second round of qualifying will advance to match play, which gets under way Monday.

   The other two qualifiers from Northampton, Merion Golf Club’s Liz Haines and Allison Long of Coatesville, struggled at Orchid Island.

   Haines, 70 years young and one of just four players 70 or older in the field, is in the group tied for 124^th after finishing with a 90. Long is in the group tied for 127^th after signing for a 94.