Craven wins Washington Senior Women’s Amateur; Madison wins Super Senior in playoff


Renton, Wash. – Susan Craven of Snohomish shot rounds of 76-76 to win the 22nd Washington Senior Women’s Amateur, while Karen Madison of Spokane Valley won the 8th Super Senior Women’s Amateur in a playoff.

In other play, Adithi Anand of Redmond and Kennedy Knox of Normandy Park are tied atop the 28th Washington Women’s Amateur, and Jacqueline Bendrick of Mercer Island extended her lead in the 12th Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Championship links:

Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur

Senior & Super Senior Women’s Amateur

The four championships are being held concurrently by Washington Golf (WA Golf) at the par-71 Fairwood Golf and Country Club in Renton, Wash. The Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur championships are being contested over 54 holes of stroke play on June 15-17, while the Senior and Super Senior championships consist of 36 holes of stroke play on June 15-16.

Susan Craven
Susan Craven

Craven had a slim one-shot lead over Kim Titus of Fox Island going into today’s final round of the Senior Women’s Amateur. She had built her lead to five shots after the front nine, and coasted in to the clubhouse on the back nine for the win.

“It feels pretty darn good,” Craven said, holding the trophy after the win. “I was able to get off the tee pretty well this week, and that helped set up everything else, and then just working each shot at a time.”

This is Craven’s first individual championship title. Previously, Craven had qualified for the 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, and won (with partner Buddy Peltier) the 2019 Washington Mixed Chapman.

Gretchen Klein
Gretchen Klein

Gretchen Klein of Hoquiam won the net division of the Senior Women’s Amateur.

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

Karen Madison
Karen Madison

In the Super Senior, Madison and Kris Adams of Lake Tapps were tied at the top after 36 holes of competition, both being 10-over par. Adams couldn’t convert a 5-footer on the first playoff hole, and Madison took advantage of it by draining a 4-foot par putt on the second playoff hole to take the title.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so excited to be able to beat Kris Adams because she’s such a great player,” Madison said after the round. “I thought I’d lost it on the first (playoff) hole, and so I just feel very lucky to have won.”

This is the second title for Madison, having previously won this championship in 2016. In 2015, Madison won the PNGA Super Senior Women’s Amateur, and was named that year’s WA Golf Senior Women’s Player of the Year.

Kris Adams
Kris Adams

Adams won the net competition for the Super Seniors.

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

In the Women’s Amateur, Anand had the round of the championship so far, shooting a 5-under-par 66 to vault to the top of the leaderboard. She and Knox, the first-round leader, are tied at the top at even par.

Anand had a spotless bogey-free round, sprinkling five birdies over her scorecard on the tree-lined layout. “My long game was really good,” said Anand “I wasn’t making all of my putts, but I just had a lot of close putts.”

She is a freshman on the University of Washington women’s golf team. She won the 2018 WJGA State Championship, and helped Redmond High School win the WIAA 4A State team title.

Knox shot her second consecutive even-par 71. She is continuing her summer of good playing. Two weeks ago she qualified for the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur, and has recently committed to play for the women’s team at the University of Washington.

In the Women’s Mid-Amateur, Bendrick followed up yesterday’s 1-under-par 70 with a 1-over 72 in today’s second round. She will carry an eight-shot lead over defending champion Victoria Fallgren of Spokane, who sits in second place, into tomorrow’s final round.

The final round of the Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur championships will be held tomorrow, Thursday.