Yasue Alkins of Steilacoom, Wash. shot rounds of 74-76 to win the 18th Washington State Women’s Senior Amateur Championship, claiming her third title in the championship, having also won in 2009 and 2012.
Sun Douthit, also of Steilacoom, won the 4th Super Senior Women’s title.
In the second round of the 24th Washington State Women’s Amateur, Julianne Alvarez of Seattle hung on to her lead despite a 2-over par 74. The rising junior on the University of Washington women’s golf team shot a 4-under yesterday, giving her just enough cushion to hang on. She’ll be playing in tomorrow’s final group to try to close out the victory.
Kelly Hooper of Spokane, Wash. started the day two shots behind Alvarez but picked up a shot today and will start tomorrow’s final round just one shot back. Hooper won the 2015 Pacific Northwest Junior Girls’ Amateur, and is a sophomore at Montana State University.
Making the biggest move of the day was Elise Filuk of Camas, Wash. Shooting the low round of the day, a 1-under 71, she now sits tied for fourth, five shots back of Alvarez.
Past champion Alivia Brown (2015) sits just two shots back of Alvarez. Brown is a rising senior at Washington State University, and is a two-time 4A individual state high school champion.
Alvarez, Hooper and Brown will be paired together in tomorrow’s final round, teeing off at 10:00 on the first tee.
Victoria Fallgren of Spokane padded her lead in the Women’s Mid-Amateur by shooting 3-under 69, the low round of the championship. Fallgren, who is in her fourth year as assistant women’s golf coach at Gonzaga University and a former standout player at Gonzaga, had five birdies on the day against two bogeys.
All four championships are held concurrently and conducted by the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA). The Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur championships is being contested over 54 holes of stroke play on June 27-29, while the Senior and Super Senior championships consist of 36 holes of stroke play on June 27-28.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #WSGAWomensAm and follow @WSGAChampions.
Finishing second in the Senior Women’s Amateur, five shots behind Alkins, is Denise Kieffer of University Place, Wash., and in third place is Lisa Smego of Oro Valley, Ariz., who had started the day tied for the lead with Alkins. Smego was attempting to defend her title, having won last year (and also winning in 2006, 2007 and 2013).
“It feels great,” said Alkins, when asked how it felt to this championship for the third time. “I wasn’t expecting to win at all, but for two days I played good. I just wanted to play one shot at a time.”
Paired with Smego in today’s final round, Alkins said, “I know she’s a good golfer, and I knew she would come out today and try her best. I didn’t want to know the score (during today’s round), I just wanted to go out and play.”
Click here to watch Alkins’ post-round interview.
In the Super Senior Women’s Amateur, Douthit drained a 20-foot putt to save par on the 18th hole of today’s final round to secure the title by a single shot over Mary Ryan of Renton, Wash.
Douthit, playing in the final group, held a one-shot lead on the final hole, after watching Ryan, who was playing in the group in front of her, bogey the 18th to fall out of a tie with Douthit. Ryan had birdied the par-4 17th to become co-leader, but gave the shot back on the 18th.
Last year, Douthit and Ryan had teamed together to win the 2016 PNGA Women’s Super Senior Team title.
