Sunnybrook's McGill easily earns spot in match-play bracket in U.S. Senior Women's Amateur

   Sunnybrook Golf Club’s Lisa McGill easily advanced to the match-play bracket as she finished tied for eighth in qualifying in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship Sunday at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla.

   After opening with a solid even-par 72 over the 5,729-yard, par-72 Orchid Island layout in Saturday’s opening round, the 59-year-old McGill struggled a little, carding a 5-over 77 and joined five other players who landed on 5-over 149.

   McGill, a quarterfinalist a year ago when this championship was held at Waverly Country Club in Portland, Ore., went off the 10^th tee Sunday and started slowly with a bogey at the 10^th and a triple-bogey 8 at the par-5 13^th.

   But she bounced back right away a birdie at the 14^th. McGill quickly answered a bogey at the 16^th with a birdie at the 17^th. McGill made a bogey at the first and a double bogey at the sixth before finishing strong with a birdie at the eighth.

   McGill’s opponent in the first round of match play Monday afternoon will be Meghan Christensen of Houston.

   Suzi Spotleson of Canton, Ohio, a former winner of the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Match Play Championship, added a 75 to her opening-round 78 as she finished in the group tied for 21^st at 153 to earn a ticket to match play.

   Pamela Kuong of Wellesley Hills, Mass. got hot on her final nine holes, the front nine at Orchid Island, with a sizzling 32 to grab medalist honors.

   The fast finish by the 57-year-old Kuong, the runnerup in this championship in 2015, enabled her to shoot a 3-under 69. Combined with her opening-round 74, it gave Kuong a 1-under 143 total.

   Corey Weworski, the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion from Carlsbad, Calif., finished two shots behind Kuong in second at 1-over 145. Weworski added a 1-over 73 to her opening round of even-par 72.

   Defending champion Judith Kyrinis of Canada and three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Ellen Port of St. Louis, Mo. finished another shot behind Weworski in a tie for third at 2-over 146.

   Kyrinis cooled off from an opening round of 2-under 70 with a 4-over 76. Port bettered par with a 1-under 71 after opening with a 75.

   Port reached the second round of last month’s U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Norwood Hills Country Club in her home town of St. Louis before falling to eventual champion Shannon Johnson.

   Jane Fitzgerald of Kensington, Md., the medalist in a Golf Association of Philadelphia-administered qualifier at Northampton Country Club, failed to advance to the match-play bracket. After opening with an 80, Fitzgerald posted an 86 Sunday to finish at 166.

   Seven players, all of whom finished at 19-over 163, will be involved in a playoff Monday morning for the one ticket left into match play.

   Merion Golf Club’s Liz Haines and Allison Long of Coatesville, the other two players who advanced out of the Northampton qualifier, also failed to make it into match play.

   The 70-year-old Haines, the runnerup in the 2004 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, bounced back from an opening-round 90 with an 85 while Long improved 10 shots from her opening-round 94 with an 84 for a 178 total.