She continued to grind through the front nine, and despite bogeys on holes 4, 5, and 8, she played strong from then on, with birdies on holes 9, 12, 14 and 16, putting a comfortable cushion between her and the field. Dickinson ultimately finished the championship at 11-over-par 230, good enough for a seven stroke victory over Kent and Rue. Kent started the day nine strokes off the pace but could not muster enough of a charge as she finished with a final 5-over par 78 and a three-day, championship total of 18-over-par 237. Rue, who played in the final group with Dickinson, earned her second straight runner-up finish in the Washington State Women’s Amateur with a final round 7-over-par 80 to finish tied with Kent.
Dickinson went to the University of Washington on a full-ride golf scholarship, where she played four years on the women’s golf team. After spending most of her childhood in Norway, she moved to Mukilteo to attend Kamiak High School for her senior year. “It was a difficult thing to do (to move here),” she said. “But I wanted to get exposure to golf coaches and to get recruited. And it was worth it. My experience at Washington was great.”
After graduating from Washington in the spring of 2011, Dickinson spent her time working on her game, and will play in the LPGA’s Qualifying School in Daytona Beach, Fla. this fall, with dreams of turning professional. Prior to this championship, she spent a month in Bend, Ore. working with her swing coach, Joey Pickavance, head pro at Pronghorn. Dickinson joins other Washington alums who have won the Washington State Women’s Amateur, including Kelli Kamimura (2001), who is now the head coach of the women’s golf team at Washington State, and current LPGA Tour player Paige Mackenzie (2002). (Watch the full interview of Dickinson here.)
In the Senior Women’s Championship, Alkins became the championship’s fourth multiple winner by posting a solid 2-over-par 76 in the final round and a three day total of 12-over-par 234 to take the title by four shots over second-place finisher Alison Murdoch of Victoria, B.C. The final group of the day consisted of three past champions, Alkins (2009), Murdoch (2010) and Ginny Burkey (2011) of Fircrest, Wash. Alkins started the final round in third place, two shots behind Burkey and one shot behind Murdoch. It was Alkins’ steady play that would win the day, posting birdies on holes 4, 7, and 13, and managing to stay out of trouble along the way.
Murdoch stayed within striking distance throughout the front nine and even pulled within a stroke of the lead with a birdie on the par-4 8th but ultimately could not keep up with Alkins’ consistent pace. She settled for a final round score of 7-over-par 81, a three day total of 16-over-par 238, and a solo second finish.
In yesterday’s second round, Alkins incurred a one-stroke penalty when her ball moved after she had addressed it on the green. Her fellow competitors that day each claimed they never saw the ball move, but Alkins called the penalty on herself. “Today, I took extra effort in making sure I marked my ball on the green,” said Alkins. “I left the mark there even while I was getting ready to putt, not removing the mark until I was sure I was ready to go. It (yesterday’s penalty) really made me think about what I was doing.” As a result, Alkins, who was the first-round leader, finished the final round much stronger than the first two rounds, in which she had struggled on the back nine. “I drove the ball okay today, but, really, it was my putting that made the difference.” Earlier this year, Alkins won the WSGA Senior Champion of Champions at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. “I’ve had a good year so far, but I’ve been lucky,” she said with a laugh. (Watch the full interview of Alkins here.)
Alkins joins Ann Swanson (2000, ’01), Sue Ursino (2003, ’04, ’05) and Lisa Smego (2006, ’07) as at least a two-time champion of the Washington State Senior Women’s Amateur.
The Washington State Women’s Amateur and Senior Women’s Amateur Championships are conducted concurrently, each consisting of 54 holes of individual stroke play. For more information on these championships, go to www.thewsga.org. Next up on the WSGA championship docket is the Washington State Parent-Child Championship, to be held at Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club in Federal Way, Wash. on July 20.
Rainier Golf and Country Club is the second oldest private golf club in Seattle, founded on March 11, 1919. Work on the first nine began almost immediately and member play commenced in the summer of 1920. By 1924, the second nine was ready for play as well. Over the years, the golf course has been gradually lengthened and several greens have been improved, and with its narrow fairways and reputation for fast greens it remains to this day as one of the most demanding tests of golf in the Northwest.
Since 1922, the WSGA has been conducting the state’s amateur golf championships. Today, it is one of the largest amateur golf associations in the United States. Serving over 80,000 members, 600 member golf clubs and 270 golf courses throughout the state of Washington and Northern Idaho, the WSGA works to continually expand the game of golf to people of all backgrounds.
The WSGA is a 501(c)(4) non-profit, amateur golf association governed by men and women volunteers. The 25-person WSGA Board of Directors employs a full-time staff of 14 individuals. WSGA members pay an annual membership fee, through their golf club, to belong to the Association. The WSGA also serves as a statewide representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game.
