Hershey, Pa. – Taffy Brower, 67, of Boynton Beach, Fla., fired an even-par 74 on Sunday on the second day of stroke-play qualifying to take the early clubhouse lead for medalist honors at the weather-delayed 2012 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at the par-74, 6,220-yard Hershey Country Club.
Brower’s round was the best in the morning wave and gave her a 36-hole total of 153. Brower shot a first-round 79.
First-round leader Lisa Schlesinger, who carded a 4-under-par 70, was among those 66 golfers with an afternoon starting time.
Play was suspended on Saturday due to darkness with half of the 132-player field still on the course. The championship was delayed for 2 hours, 30 minutes due to heavy rain and lightning. The first-round of stroke play concluded at 10:25 a.m. EDT on Sunday.
The USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play,with the low 64 scorers qualifying for match play, which consists of six rounds starting on Monday. The 18-hole championship match is scheduled to be played on Thursday at 8:30 a.m..
The USGA Senior Women’s Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Brower, who has reached the Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinals three times, made five birdies, including a 27-foot putt on the par-4 18th, to match five bogeys on the card. Her score was two better than any player among the morning groups.
I love the greens in the North, said Brower, who credits recent play in Upstate New York with acclimating her to this style of course. It’s fun to play the contours and use your creative side. It’s very difficult to come from Florida and just jump onto northern golf courses. They are so very different.
Just like Brower, Noreen Mohler, 58, of Bethlehem, Pa., and Brenda Pictor, 57, of Marietta, Ga., had to complete their first round of stroke play early Sunday before immediately heading out for the second round. Each player finished at 7-over 155. Mohler, who eagled the par-5 13th during her shortened opening round, posted scores of 76 and 79. Pictor, who reached the round of 16 at last year’s Senior Women’s Amateur, had rounds of 78 and 77.
The course is playing long, said Mohler, the former USA Curtis Cup captain who has made match play the last six years. The rough is thick. If you hit just off the fairway, you have a pretty nasty lie to deal with. There were some tough [hole] placements.