Championship website | Scoring | Preview | Record book: Senior | Super Senior
Dates: Monday, August 25 - Friday, August 29
Format: One round of stroke-play qualifying for the championship flights in each division. The top 16 will advance in the Senior Women's Amateur, the top eight in the Super Senior Women's Amateur. The round of 16 (senior) and quarterfinals (super senior) are on Tuesday, the quarterfinals (senior) and semifinals (super senior) are on Wednesday. The semifinals (senior) and final (super senior) are on Thursday, and the 18-hole senior final is on Friday.
Host site: The Omni Homestead Resort (Old Course)
Day 5: Shifflett outlasts Gardner to win second straight Senior Women's Am title
(Joan Gardner embraces Kristin Shifflett after Shifflett's 19-hole win on Friday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
HOT SPRINGS -- The shift was swift and remarkable Friday. One minute, Joan Gardner was headed to the 17th tee in the final match at the 68th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Women's Amateur Championship with a chance to close out defending champion Kristin Shifflett. Not more than 30 minutes later, Shifflett took her only lead of the match on the 19th hole -- the par-5 1st at The Omni Homestead Resort's Old Course -- with a conceded birdie that gave her back-to-back titles and left Gardner stunned.
"You think you've been humbled by golf enough," Gardner said. "But yep, it's still out there."
Both players expected a tight match, and that scenario materialized immediately, as the players tied the first six holes. Gardner finally got a leg up by winning with a par on No. 7, and she pushed the lead to 2-up when Shifflett had to take unplayable ball relief on No. 10. The pendulum swung in both directions as the match continued. Shifflett drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 12th to cut into the lead. Both players made improbable pars on 13, and Shifflett struggled with her short game on the short par-4 14th, putting Gardner 2 up once again.
Shifflett quickly refocused and won the par-5 15th with a birdie, setting up a wild finishing stretch.
"Match play, it's really easy to put a bad hole behind you, so that's the mentality I try to maintain," Shifflett said. "It's just moving on. I really like 15. It's a fun hole. Whatever's done is done. You can't do anything about it, you just move on to the next hole."
On the par-3 16th, Shifflett was short and in a greenside bunker. She was unable to get up and down for par, giving Gardner a 2-up lead and leaving her on the cusp of victory.
But Gardner hit an uncharacteristically poor drive on 17, failing to clear the rough and reach the fairway. Her second shot went long and left and settled in a red penalty area. With Shifflett on the green and in two-putt par range, Gardner needed a miracle flop and couldn't produce it, her ball sailing long into a bunker. She conceded the hole and the match went to the par-3 18th.
"All week I'd hit beautiful drives on 17, and I guess I was just assuming I'd do it again," Gardner said. "I said, 'OK, I love this drive.' And then I was lucky I made contact with it. I think I just looked up. I was expecting to hit a good drive, because that's been a good hole for me all week. It was hard to scramble back from that one."
Shifflett was up first and hit her tee shot to the center of the green. Gardner's went long and left and settled in rough just off the green. She skulled her chip across the green and into a bunker and couldn't get out on the first attempt. Lying four with Shifflett in two-putt range, Gardner conceded again, sending the match back to the par-5 1st, where Shifflett's length off the tee would provide a serious advantage, as she routinely out-drove Gardner by 80 yards or more.
"Just having won two holes, I felt like I had a little bit of momentum," Shifflett said. "We've all played these holes so many times this week that you know how to play them. I just wanted to it a good tee shot and put myself in good position and play from there."
Despite that, Gardner did have a chance to match and send the match to a 20th hole -- the par-3 2nd. But her birdie putt from off the green came up just short, ending the match and giving Shifflett back-to-back titles.
"It's amazing," she said. "This was really special today, to have won it for the second time. Partway through the round, I probably wasn't expecting it to turn out this way, but it's just amazing. Joan was a fantastic competitor and we had a really fun match today. It was going to be unfortunate for it to have to go one way or another."
Both players will return to The Homestead in two weeks for the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur, but neither will soon forget the wild finish at The Old Course.
Day 4: Hoffman wins Super Senior Women's Am; Gardner-Shifflett final set in Senior Women's Am
(Mimi Hoffman celebrates after nailing the winning birdie putt on the first extra hole on Thursday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
HOT SPRINGS -- Mimi Hoffman beat Becky Hawkins in 19 holes to claim the title in the 7th Virginia State Golf Association Super Senior Women's Amateur Championship on Thursday at The Omni Homestead Resort's Old Course. The 68th VSGA Senior Women's Amateur will conclude Friday morning, with the top two seeds in the bracket -- medalist Joan Gardner and defending champion Kristen Shifflett -- advancing to the title match via semifinal victories on Thursday morning.
7th VSGA Super Senior Women's Amateur
Mimi Hoffman read the potential winning 15-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole against Becky Hawkins as going right. Her caddie, Kay Tyler, felt otherwise. Hoffman trusted her caddie's instinct, and it paid off. Hoffman's putt rolled true on the par-5 1st hole on Thursday, and when it dropped, she gave a huge fist pump, another title at The Homestead secured.
"My putter was working great yesterday, and today it wasn't quite as hot, until I needed it on the first extra hole," Hoffman said. "And then it got hot. So I was happy about that."
Hoffman, a five-time winner of the VSGA Senior Women's Amateur here and winner of the VSGA Women's Amateur at the nearby Cascades Course, topped Boonsboro CC's Hawkins in 19 holes in an up-and-down championship match. Hoffman hit an excellent approach shot on 17 to 5 feet and sunk the birdie to take a 1-up lead, then promptly opened the door for Hawkins on the par-3 18th by hitting into a greenside bunker right of the hole. Hawkins' tee shot strayed to the left just past the fringe, but Hoffman needed two shots to get out of the bunker. Hawkins left no doubt about extra holes, two-putting from off the green for par to extend the match.
On No. 1, Hawkins left her wedge approach short, allowing for Hoffman's dramatic win.
"My game hasn't been so good this year, so to finally have my driver working, and you saw the shots to the green today were really good -- I've been practicing those at home -- I was pleased," Hoffman said. "That's what you need on a short course. It's driver and some sort of wedge on most of the holes. But you have to put the wedges close."
Hoffman, 69, was making her first appearance in the Super Senior Women's Amateur. Hawkins, 71, made her first appearance in the title match after a strong week that included victories over three-time Senior Women's Amateur winner Shelley Savage and stroke-play qualifying medalist Janet Wigglesworth.
"I had a wonderful week, no complaints," Hawkins said. "To play in the final against someone who has won it many times, I'm pleased. I can't have any complaints."
68th VSGA Senior Women's Amateur
Fawn Lake CC's Kristin Shifflett and Mount Vernon CC's Joan Gardner will both compete in the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur at The Homestead's Cascades Course in two weeks. They'll have a dress rehearsal for that competition on the Old Course on Friday. Shifflett made her breakthrough in this event with a convincing 4-and-3 win over Andrea Miller in the championship match. Along the way, she topped Gardner 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals.
They're very different players. At 70, first-time finalist Gardner knows she won't be able to hit it off the tee like Shifflett, 52. Instead, she'll hope to use her usual recipe for success -- accuracy off the tee and a strong lag-putting game -- to compete. Shifflett's improved short game has been a big reason why she's made two straight appearances in the final match. It sets up for a compelling final on Friday.
"We've gotten to know each other, playing in practice rounds and prepping for this," Gardner said. "She has a fantastic game. I know how far she can hit it. I'm hoping to play my game. Hopefully it will be a really good match. I'm really looking forward to it."
Added Shifflett: "I know Joan well. I'm going to prepare for a really good match. She's a fantastic player, and you can never count her out of any hole. She's an awesome putter and it seems like her game is really firing. I'm excited. I think we're going to have a really fun match."
Gardner ousted three-time champion Boodie McGurn 2 up in the first semifinal match, finally taking control of a tight match late. Gardner had some uncharacteristic struggles with her putter, leaving many putts shorter than she normally does. She finally discovered the touch on the par-5 15th, rolling in a perfect putt for birdie to tie the match. A birdie on 17 and a par on 18 secured victory for Gardner.
"Finally, the last couple of holes, I got the ball to the hole, and it made a huge difference," Gardner said.
Shifflett defeated Homestead member Pam Reed 4 and 3 in the other semifinal, winning the first hole and taking a 4-up lead by the 10th before winning on the 15th hole. She had to navigate Reed's local knowledge -- she said she plays a lot of golf at both the Homestead's courses -- and maybe even picked up a tip or two in the win.
"She always hit the right spots," Shifflett said. "She knew how to read the greens. She knew what clubs to hit. She did a fantastic job of taking advantage of her course knowledge. And there were times I was watching for cues from her on what to do, especially on the greens."
Day 3: Semifinals set at SWA; Hawkins-Hoffman final set at SSWA
(Sunny Small hams it up for the camera during her match with Boodie McGurn on Wednesday. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
By Chris Lang
HOT SPRINGS -- The 68th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Women's Amateur Championship reached the semifinal stage after four quarterfinal matches on Wednesday at the Omni Homestead Resort's Old Course. Medalist Joan Gardner, three-time winner Boodie McGurn, and defending champion Kristen Shifflett all survived in matches that went the distance, while Homestead member Pam Reed cruised to victory in the final quarterfinal. In the 7th VSGA Super Senior Women's Amateur, Boonsboro Country Club's Becky Hawkins continued her strong play, advancing to Thursday's championship match against super senior newcomer Mimi Hoffman. Read more about both championships below.
68th VSGA Senior Women's Amateur
It was simple math that prompted three-time winner Boodie McGurn to return to the senior division after several years of competing as a super senior.
"Sixteen slots versus eight, simple math," she said. "I haven't played that well this year, so I thought I might have a hard time shooting 75 to get into the super senior. That came to be true. I like match play, and I know I get better with each match."
Three days later, and she has an opportunity to become a four-time Senior Women's Amateur winner. McGurn topped Sunny Small 1 up and will face medalist Joan Gardner in Thursday's semifinals. Gardner lost the first three holes of her match against Peggy Freeman but steadily chipped away, took a lead with a par on 17 (after Freeman had hit her tee shot on the par-3 16th to inside of a foot), and closed out the 2-up win with a deft two-putt from distance on 18.
"I'm just comfortable with long putts," Gardner said. "I guess once I get what I want to do in my head, I stay committed to it. I think hitting it that close had to affected Peggy a little bit on hers. My putter came through and helped me out."
McGurn and Gardner have been on opposite sides during the annual VSGA Women's State Team Matches, McGurn representing The Country Club of Virginia, Gardner representing Mount Vernon Country Club. They've rarely met in a singles match, though.
Shifflett trailed 2-down against senior newcomer Allison Cherry in their quarterfinal match before winning No. 14 with a birdie. She won 16 and 17 to go 1-up and rolled in a nervy 3-foot par putt on 18 to win the match 1-up.
"I just tried to continue looking forward and keep my head down and continue to try to hit good shots and hope that she would stumble a little bit," Shifflett said. "She played fantastic today. She really put a lot of pressure on and didn't miss much. So it was tough. I just tried to be as steady as I could and take advantage of a couple of opportunities when I had them."
Shifflett will meet Homestead member Reed, who lost the first hole of her match against Renee Lyles but quickly turned the match around and took a 3-up lead after six holes. She rolled in some long putts, including one for birdie on 14, and closed out the match with a par on 15.
7th VSGA Super Senior Women's Amateur
Experience will be on the side of Belle Haven Country Club's Mimi Hoffman in Thursday's championship match. Hoffman has been in this position plenty of times before, having won the Senior Women's Amateur at the Old Course five times. Now 69, Hoffman is making her first foray into the super senior ranks. She'll face Becky Hawkins in the championship match. Hawkins hasn't been in this position before, and she acknowledged that making it to the final is "big."
Hoffman certainly isn't downplaying her opponent, no matter the gap in championship match experience.
"The competition in the super senior is really tough," Hoffman said. "There are a lot of good players, and you could tell by the qualifying scores. ... I have been in the final before, but each year it's different. I'm playing differently. I'm playing different opponents. Becky is playing great. I think she shot a couple of rounds in the 60s. So it's going to be a tough match. It'll be fun, though."
Hoffman reached the final by ending Mount Vernon CC's Shawn McCullough's three-year run in the super senior final, winning 3 and 2. She rolled in a long par on on No. 13 to go 3-up against McCullough and closed the match when the players tied the next three holes.
"I love this course, you know that. I just happened to put it all together today," Hoffman said. "It was a great match. Shawn played great. It's always fun to play a friend. ... I just came into today thinking hit fairways, hit greens, and putt well. I putted really well today. That was the difference."
Hawkins, who rolled to a 7-and-6 victory in the quarterfinals on Tuesday over another multi-time Senior Women's Am winner (Shelley Savage), used a hot putter to eliminate stroke-play qualifying medalist Janet Wigglesworth of Spotswood CC. Hawkins took a 3-up lead through 10 holes and used birdies on 14 and 15 to secure the match.
"I'm just in a good spot right now, things are just working," Hawkins said. "My swing is working, my putting is far better than it was a month ago. I'm just in a good space, and I'm going to enjoy it."
Day 2: Top two seeds cruise in Senior Women's Amateur; Medalist Wigglesworth advances in Super Senior
(Defending Senior Women's Amateur champion Kristin Shifflett reads a putt during Monday's stroke-play round. Credit: Brynlee Burrill/VSGA)
HOT SPRINGS -- Medalist Joan Gardner and defending champion Kristin Shifflett posted comfortable victories in the round of 16 at the 68th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Women's Amateur Championship on Tuesday at The Omni Homestead Resort's Old Course.
Gardner ousted No. 16 seed Kay Stout 6 and 5, while No. 2 seed Shifflett recorded a 6-and-4 win over Katie Cox. Gardner will face No. 9 seed Peggy Freeman -- a semifinalist last year -- in the quarterfinals at 12:10 p.m. on Wednesday. Shifflett faces senior newcomer Allison Cherry at 12:24. Freeman (Stonehenge G&CC) knocked off Cindy Hollingshead (Hermitage CC) 2 and 1 in a battle of Richmond-area players. Cherry eliminated No. 7 seed Gigi Smith from the championship flight with a 2-up win.
Three-time winner Boodie McGurn showed she still has plenty of game left, advancing to the quarters with a 4-and-2 win over Kolette Hoyle. She'll face No. 12 seed Sunny Small (The Piedmont Club), who advanced via a 1-up win over Maggie DeBoard.
The final quarterfinal will feature Homestead member Pam Reed, who beat Cyndi Carlson 2 and 1, and Renee Lyles, who advanced by beating past finalist Kay Tyler 1 up. Of the players left in the championship flight, only McGurn and Shifflett have won titles.
In the Super Senior Women's Amateur, Wigglesworth backed up her medalist round by taking out Susan Lantzy 3 and 1 in the quarterfinals. She'll meet Becky Hawkins (Boonsboro CC) in the 8:54 a.m. semifinal on Wednesday. Wigglesworth (Spotswood CC) won the final four holes in her match with Lantzy to advance.
The other semifinal features five-time Senior Women's Am champion Mimi Hoffman (Belle Haven CC) and Mount Vernon's Shawn McCullough, who has advanced to the last three championship matches, winning in 2022. Hoffman is making her Super Senior Women's Am debut. To get through, she had to oust the VSGA's all-time winningest female golfer, Dot Bolling of Hidden Valley CC. Trailing 1-down through 14, Hoffman won the next three holes to secure her victory.
McCullough survived a tough battle with The Country Club of Virginia's Lindsay Wortham, winning in 19 holes. McCullough trailed 1 down heading to 18 but won the par-3 hole with a par to extend the match. She won No. 1 with a par as well to close it out. The McCullough-Hoffman semifinal is set to start at 9:01 a.m.
Day 1: Gardner, Wigglesworth earn qualifying medalist honors
(Joan Gardner posted the best round of the day in the Senior Women's Amateur. Credit: Brynlee Burrill/VSGA)
HOT SPRINGS -- Mount Vernon Country Club's Joan Gardner posted a 3-over-par round of 75 on Monday at The Omni Homestead Resort's Old Course to earn medalist honors at the 68th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Women's Amateur Championship. In the 7th VSGA Super Senior Women's Amateur Championship, played concurrently at the Old Course, Spotswood Country Club's Janet Wigglesworth returned a 2-over 74 to earn medalist honors by a stroke over Hidden Valley CC's Dot Bolling.
Gardner's strong play came a day after receiving the news that she had earned a spot in the field as an alternate at the upcoming U.S. Senior Women's Amateur, to be held in two weeks at the Homestead's Cascades Course. Kristin Shifflett, the defending tournament champion, also qualified for the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur. Shifflett carded a 5-over 77 to tie for second with Bide-A-Wee Golf Course's Cyndi Carlson.
Gardner will open match play on Tuesday against No. 16 seed Kay Stout of Piankatank River GC, who won a playoff with Spotswood CC's Lisa Mulford to earn the final match play spot.
After a rocky start, Gardner settled in down the stretch to earn her spot atop the leaderboard. She turned at 4-over after a bogey on the par-3 9th, and she made another bogey on No. 10. But she played the rest of her round at 2-under, finishing with six pars and birdies on Nos. 14 and 18.
Others to advance to championship flight match play included three-time champion Boodie McGurn (CC of Virginia), who shot 82 and tied for ninth. Also tied for ninth was past finalist Kay Tyler (Belle Haven CC) and The Piedmont Club's Sunny Small, who tied for second in last year's VSGA Senior Women's Stroke Play Championship.
In the Super Senior Women's Amateur, Wigglesworth made four birdies to counter four bogeys and a double bogey for her 74. After the double on No. 6, she played the rest of her round at 2-under. Bolling, who is seeking her fourth Super Senior Women's Am title, made three birdies to counter four bogeys and a double. Mount Vernon CC's Shawn McCullough, who won in 2022 and has advanced to the last three finals, finished third at 4-over 76.
Wigglesworth will face Susan Lantzy (LPGA Amateur GA - DC Metro) in Tuesday's quarterfinals. Others to advance included Shelley Savage (Army Navy CC), Lindsay Wortham (CCV), Becky Hawkins (Boonsboro CC), and Mimi Hoffman (Belle Haven CC). Hoffman, a five-time Senior Women's Am champ, is competing in the Super Senior Women's Am for the first time.