Renton, Wash. – At the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur qualifier held today at Fairwood Golf and Country Club, Denise Kieffer of University Place, Wash. and Leilani Norman of Eugene, Ore. shared medalist honors and Marcia Fisher of Canby, Ore. finished in third place, as the three players qualified to compete in the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, which will be held at Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pa. from September 8-13.
The three players were among 12 who competed in this qualifier, held in warm and sunny conditions. Kieffer and Norman both shot a 10-over par 81 on the par-71 layout, while Fisher shot an 84.
Kieffer was the 2010 WSGA Women’s Champion of Champions. For Fisher, this marks the 17th USGA national championship she has qualified for. She is a member of the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame.
First alternate from this qualifier is Ginny Burkey of Fircrest, Wash., who shot an 85. Burkey won the 2011 WSGA Senior Women’s Amateur. Second alternate is Debbie Friede of Washougal, Wash., who shot an 86.
Opened in 1968 with the original nine holes designed by Northwest architect Bill Teufel, Fairwood Golf and Country Club is an 18-hole championship layout that has been the site of numerous state and regional golf championships.
This year marks the 51st USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. This championship was competed as stroke play from 1962-1996, and has been played as match play since 1997. The championship proper consists of 36 holes of stroke play qualifying, held on September 8-9, to determine the 64 players who will then compete in single elimination match play to determine the champion. Last year, Terri Frohnmayer of Salem, Ore. won the championship in her first appearance, defeating defending champion Mina Hardin of Fort Worth, Texas 2 and 1 in the final match. Frohnmayer will be returning this year to defend her title.
Entries for the 2012 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship were open to players who have reached their 50th birthday by Saturday, September 8, 2012, and who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4. Entries into this championship closed on July 25.
The USGA Senior Women’s Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association (USGA), 10 of which are strictly for amateurs. The Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) is the local representative of the USGA and conducts this qualifier for the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.
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 501c4 non-profit amateur golf association governed by volunteers. The 25-person WSGA board of directors employs a full-time staff of 14 inpiduals. The WSGA serves as a statewide representative of the USGA and works closely with other allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game.
For more information about the 14 amateur championships conducted by the WSGA each year, visit www.thewsga.org.
USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifier
Fairwood Golf and Country Club – Renton, Wash.
5,825 yards – Par 71