Karen Siegel is one of those really good players you never hear much about, but she is around the game a lot.
The 56-year-old Maple Glen resident earned a trip to the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa as an alternate out of a local qualifier a year ago. Siegel missed out on a spot in the match-play bracket by three shots at Cedar Rapids.
Siegel is an assistant coach for the golf team at her alma mater, Penn. A young group of Quakers was in the midst of a nice season last spring when the coronavirus interrupted its season. The pandemic continues to keep Penn on the sideline, although I suspect some of the Quakers are still working steadily on their games, wherever they are.
Tuesday, Siegel teamed up with fellow Commonwealth National Golf Club member John Alterman, a 59-year-old New Hope resident and frequent playing partner of Siegel’s in mixed events, to capture the title in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 2nd Mixed Foursome Championship at Overbrook Golf Club in Radnor Township, Delaware County.
Alterman and Siegel matched par on the tough 6,094-yard, par-70 Overbrook layout with a 70 as they cruised to a four-shot victory.
The tournament was won on Overbrook’s 500-yard, par-5 12th hole. Alterman and Siegel had gone 1-over on the front nine in the select-drive/alternate-shot format. They were giving themselves opportunities, but couldn’t get anything to fall.
Siegel blasted her drive on the 12th hole and an Alterman 5-wood left Siegel with a 20-footer for eagle. Changing her approach a little on the slick Overbrook putting surfaces, Siegel drained the eagle putt and the team was on its way.
“The greens were playing fast today and we were getting a few good looks, but were putting defensively,” Siegel told the GAP website. “It’s funny, because right before that we were discussing how he thinks there’s more break to putts and I didn’t see as much. The greens were tough to get a feel for. When it went in, I could only laugh. That was a big (eagle) for us.”
Alterman and Siegel arrived at the 18th tee even for the round. Alterman’s approach didn’t clear the false front and rolled 40 yards back down the fairway, but Siegel got the tricky chip to stop 10 feet from the hole. Alterman holed the par putt, getting some applause from the gathering of fellow competitors on the Overbrook porch.
The Glenmaura National Golf Club pair of Vince Scarpetta and Whitney Saulsberry and Robert Cooper of The Links at Gettysburg and Allison Cooper of Harrisburg Country Club shared second place, each team posting a 4-over 74.
The West Shore Country Club tandem of David Herbst and Kim Herbst, who teamed up to capture the inaugural Mixed Foursomes Championship a year ago at Concord Country Club, mounted a strong defense as they finished alone in fourth place with a 5-over 75.
Three teams – the Huntingdon Valley Country Club duo of Rob Lewis and Maureen Koerwer, the Blue Bell Country Club pair of Brian McGowan and Megan McGowan and Brady Aiken of St. Davids Golf Club and Tina Gregor of Huntingdon Valley – finished in a tie for fifth place, each signing for a 76.
The Northampton Valley Country Club tandem of Shawn Gensbauer and Melissa Landis finished alone in eighth place as they carded a 78.
The Philadelphia Cricket Club pair of Dan Feeney and Amy Feeney and the Burlington Country Club duo of Neil Spence and Shari Zola rounded out the top 10 as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each posting a 79. Daniel Robb and Danielle Lunger of Wilmington Country Club finished alone in 11th place with an 80.
The Concord Country Club tandem of Jim Allen and Amy Allen captured low-net honors as they finished with a 4-under 66. Team Allen’s gross total of 81 left them in a tie for 12th place with another Concord team, Doug Fedorysyn and Nancy Denig.
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