Stroke-play qualifying complete at VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur, VSGA Super Senior Women’s Amateur
Posted on Tuesday, Jul. 30, 2019, 4:01 pm
Follow Jerry Ratcliffe on Twitter
Advertising inquiries: Connect with us
Email Jerry Ratcliffe: jratcliffe7000@gmail.com
By Arthur Utley
HOT SPRINGS – Allisyn Terry of Leesburg and Cheryl Grigg of Sea Island, Ga., were the only players to break par on the Omni Homestead Resort’s Old Course on Monday, and they shared the qualifying medal for the 62nd VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. Each shot 1-under 71.
Meanwhile, Dot Bolling of Salem posted a 3-over-par 75 on the Old Course to earn the medal and top seed in match play in the first VSGA Super Senior Women’s Amateur Championship for players ages 65 and older.
The 18-hole stroke-play qualifying round determined the 16 players who advanced into the respective championship flights in the two tournaments.
Neither the seniors nor super seniors needed a playoff to fill their match-play fields. Players with the same qualifying totals were seeded based on a blind draw.
Terry (River Creek Club) won the VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play at Willow Oaks Country Club last month and is playing in the Senior Women’s Amateur for the first time. She drew the top seed.
Grigg, who is a member of the Country Club of Virginia and is the second seed, was the medalist in last year’s Senior Women’s Amateur.
Terry and Grigg finished five strokes clear of a trio of players who each returned 4-over 76: Cindy
Hollingshead (Manakin-Sabot), Lindsay Wortham (Richmond, CCV) and three-time past champion Shelley Savage (Alexandria). Wortham is the third seed, Hollingshead is No. 4 and Savage is No. 5.
Terry’s first-round opponent is Cindy Thompson of Keswick, and Grigg faces Amy Phelan of Reston. Terry logged a birdie, an eagle and two bogeys on the Old Course front nine on Monday. The eagle came on the par-4 eighth when she holed a pitching wedge from 100 yards out. After a bogey at the ninth, she carded nine consecutive pars.
“I hit a lot of greens in regulation. I wouldn’t say I putted great. My long putting was not very good, but I made all my comeback putts…seems like they were 5-6 footers every time, and I made them coming back. The greens were a lot faster than [the practice round]. It was hard to get used to them,” Terry said.
“I actually came into this tournament with not much confidence. I took another lesson from my pro. I had been hooking the ball. He got me straightened out a little bit, and it seemed to work today. I tried to qualify for the U.S. Senior Women’s Am and hit the ball not good…I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my putting, but I made enough putts. I still three-putted three times. It helps when you hole out (No. 8)…It always feels good when you know you’ve played well. That’s why I didn’t go to the range tonight like I did after my round yesterday. It must feel good if you aren’t out there working on something.”
Grigg picked up four birdies but had trouble with two of the back-nine par-3s. She double bogeyed No. 11 and made bogey at No. 16.
“I did have my eye on playing well again. I’m so happy to pull it off. I’ve been playing well. I was just hoping it would hold out this week,” Grigg said.
Even with four birdies, she said she left some out on the course.
“I just had a good feel with my putter and I was hitting the ball really well; right where I wanted it to go…I had some other good looks…of course everybody’s human,” she said. “You’re just trying to get through the day. Trying to make as many pars as you can and when you make those birdies it’s always a treat.”
Grigg is one of five CCV members to reach match play. Only Brenda Baril is in the upper bracket.
In addition to Savage, five past champions advanced into match play. Defending champion Natalie Easterly (Charlottesville, CCV) meets Mimi Hoffman (Springfield, Belle Haven CC) in a rematch of last year’s final. Hoffman has won three times and has been runner-up twice since 2011. Easterly is a twotime champion.
Also in the lower bracket, Boodie McGurn (Richmond, CCV) squares off against Linda DiVall (Alexandria, Mount Vernon CC). Both are three-time winners of the event.
In an upper bracket match up, 2017 champion Mary Cabriele (Vienna, CC of Fairfax) meets Baril (Richmond, CCV). First-round losers will drop into the championship consolation flight. Matches also are being played in five other flights. First-round losers in those flights drop into consolation flights as well.
Bolling has been lobbying for a Super Senior (65-and-over) tournament for many years.
“I kept on pursuing it every chance I could, and finally they caved in,” Bolling said. “You know the squeak gets the grease.”
Bolling finished three strokes clear of Sara Cole (78) of Salem in the Super Senior qualifying. Valeta Pittman of Roanoke was the only other Super Senior to break 80. Pittman, who was the Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up in 2004, carded a 7-over 79.
Bolling won the Senior Women’s Amateur in 2001 and was runner-up three times. She was medalist twice and shared the medal two other times. She also won the VSGA Women’s Amateur in 2000 and was runner-up in 1993.
Cole was the Women’s Amateur runner-up in 1992, and Pittman was runner-up in the 2004 Senior Women’s Amateur.
All three advanced to match play in last year’s Senior Women’s Amateur.
“It’s good to be in that position again (medalist and top seed),” Bolling said. “I hit the ball well. The greens were really, really fast. I had four birdies but I had a four-putt at No. 4 and three-putted No. 7. I wasn’t too happy. You had to be very careful not to get above the hole.”
Bolling’s first-round opponent is Deltaville’s Christy Pitts. Cole plays Debbie Swinson of Chesterfield, and Pittman meets Debbie Young (Roanoke).
“You know match play. Everything changes tomorrow. I’m hoping I’ll be there Friday to play somebody. That’s all I can do. Take it one day at a time.”
Three other past Senior Women’s Amateur champions qualified. Five-time winner Peggy Woodard (1996-98, 2000, 2002) received the No. 7 seed based on the blind draw. Fran Hensley of Ridgeway (1999 champion) is the No. 6 seed, and 1989 winner Joan Darden of Henrico is the eighth seed.
Utley is a retired Richmond Times-Dispatch staff writer and frequent contributor to VSGA championship coverage.
