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 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.