Turbide wins Senior Women’s Amateur in playoff; Skwarski takes Super Senior; Sasaki on top in Women’s Am; Papatolis has big lead in Mid-Am

Sandra Turbide of Maple Ridge, B.C. won the 20th Washington State Senior Women’s Amateur by outlasting Karen Johnson of Auburn, Wash. in a playoff. Turbide won the playoff with a par on the second hole. This is the second year in a row in this championship that Johnson has lost in a playoff.

Linda Skwarski of Fall City, Wash. won the 6th Washington State Super Senior Women’s Amateur.

Championship Links:

• Senior & Super Senior – Final Results | Photos
• Amateur & Mid-Amateur – Results | Pairings | Photos

Turbide and Johnson had finished the two-day championship tied at the top at 14-over par. Turbide had started today’s second round two shots behind Johnson, but quickly made up the deficit.

“It’s great to play golf again,” Turbide said after the championship. “I’ve been out of the game for the past year and a half because of back surgery, so just being here and playing was great, and winning is a bonus.”

Of her playoff with Johnson, Turbide said, “First of all I love playoffs. They’re very exciting. I probably played my best two holes of the whole event in the playoff. Fairways and greens, and a putt.

Click here to watch Turbide’s post-round interview.

Skwarski shot 77 in yesterday’s first round of the Super Senior Women’s Amateur, and started today’s final round two shots behind first-round leader Robin Lee Monroe of Canada, but Skwarski put together a solid round of 80 today pulled away for two-shot margin victory over Monroe and Karen Madison of Spokane Valley, Wash., who tied for second. Madison had won this title in 2016.

“It’s an honor to have won,” Skwarski said afterward. “I’ve never been in this position before, in a championship this big, so this is very special.” Of her two rounds at Sudden Valley, Skwarski said, “I was fortunate in that this course seemed to fit my eye perfectly. I shot the two best scores I’ve shot in a long time. I’m more shocked (about the win) than anyone else here.”

Click here to watch to Skwarski’s post-round interview.

Rino Sasaki, a sophomore on the University of Washington women’s golf team, played steady in today’s second round of the Washington State Women’s Amateur, and holds a three-shot lead over Suzie Tran of Poulsbo, Wash.

Tran, 13, had started the day with a two-shot lead over Sasaki, but Tran stumbled on the back nine in today’s second round, carding five bogeys for a 77. Sasaki’s solid even-par put her atop the leaderboard heading into tomorrow’s final round.

Defending champion Olivia Benzin of Tacoma, Wash. is in third place, five shots behind Sasaki.

Tina Papatolis, of Issaquah, Wash., extended her lead in the Women’s Mid-Amateur championship, shooting a 76 to go with her first-round 78. She holds a commanding 8-shot lead over two- time defending champion Victoria Fallgren of Spokane, Wash.

All four championships are being held concurrently this week at Sudden Valley Golf and Country Club in Bellingham, Wash. and are being conducted by the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA). The Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur championships are contested over 54 holes of stroke play on June 25-27, while the Senior and Super Senior championships consist of 36 holes of stroke play on June 25-26.

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