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By Chris Lang
HOT SPRINGS — Just as she suspected, Mary Cabriele had to sweat until the very end to defeat battle-tested Mimi Hoffman 1 up in the final match of the 60th VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at The Omni Homestead Resort’s Old Course.
Afterward, she got a chance to cool off, with a boost from Natalie Easterly, who sprayed a smiling Cabriele with a bottle of water near the 18th green, the same reception the winner of the LPGA’s Kingsmill Championship gets after claiming the title.
The moment was appropriate, because to Cabriele, the victory felt momentous. She had rallied from an early deficit and held on for dear life to defeat a four-time VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur champion. Afterward, she was still waiting for the victory to sink in.
“This is huge,” said Cabriele, a member at the Country Club of Fairfax. “And I really respect it. Does that make sense?”
Cabriele joined the list of players to win both the VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play and the Senior Women’s Amateur titles. Hoffman is on that list as well. Beating a seasoned player who is seven years her elder and has been to six championship matches in this event was a really big deal for Cabriele.
“She’s a true champion,” Cabriele said. “To be able to beat someone like Mimi, it makes me feel like I’ve made it.”
The match turned quickly in Cabriele’s favor after an uneven start. Hoffman (Belle Haven CC) won two of the first three holes, but Cabriele won No. 4 with a par, the start of a four-hole streak that flipped the match to 2 up in Cabriele’s favor. Cabriele capped the run by sticking a pitching wedge to within two feet for a tap-in birdie on No. 7.
“She played very steady today,” Hoffman said. “She got up and down a lot and putted well. And my driver failed me on the back.”
Hoffman had trailed many a match heading into the closing stretch at the Old Course but rallied because of her ability to take advantage of three par 5s in four holes, starting with No. 12. Two down through 11, Hoffman never made the anticipated charge. She pulled within one by making a solid two-putt par from the fringe on the short par-4 14th, but the players halved each of the par 5s during that stretch.
On the par-3 16th, Hoffman’s tee shot strayed right into the rough, while Cabriele hit the green about 15 feet short of the hole. Hoffman’s pitch went well past the hole, and she was unable to save par. Cabriele made par to go dormie. Hoffman wasn’t done, though. On 17, she hit a 60 degree wedge approach to eight feet for a birdie opportunity. Though she missed the putt, Cabriele wasn’t able to close out the match, missing her par putt, sending the match to 18.
On the final hole, Hoffman hit first. She found herself between clubs and hit her tee shot fat, leaving it well short of the green. Cabriele hit hers to within 15 feet, and though Hoffman hit a great chip for a conceded par, Cabriele was able to two putt to halve the hole and close the match.
“I just rocked a 7 iron,” said Cabriele, who credited CC of Fairfax pro Matt Gallagher with several swing changes that came into play this week. “I wanted to keep it behind the hole, and I did that.”
Both players will participate in next month’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. Cabriele will head to Oregon brimming with confidence after a strong week of play at The Homestead. Hoffman’s confidence stems from how her surgically repaired back held up during the long week of play.
“I couldn’t be happier to be playing well again,” Hoffman said. “Right after my surgery, I didn’t know if I’d ever play again. I’m ecstatic. I played seven days in a row now, and I feel great.”
Chris Lang is the editor of Virginia Golfer magazine and the VSGA’s manager, digital media.