When Karen Garcia completed her 1-up victory over Pamela Kuong in the final match of the 2015 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship, it said a lot about the champion that the runner-up was nearly as happy for her as she would have been for herself. Here are 18 facts and questions to allow all of us to get to know the 2015 champion a little better.
Hometown: Cool, California
Age: 53
Occupation: High school guidance counselor
Age started playing golf: 21 years old
Lowest competitive 18-hole score: 70
Favorite club: Driver
Favorite course: Pacific Dunes at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Favorite golfer: Annika Sorenstam
Dream golf destination: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland
Favorite activity other than golf: Walking our two Scottish Terriers and two Siberian Huskies with my husband, Ruben
Song you like to sing: “Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias and “Save the Last Dance For Me” by Sam Cooke
How being a former college softball player benefits you as a golfer: I’m not afraid to swing at the ball and try to hit it far. I think that transferred well to golf and gives me an advantage because sometimes I hit the ball longer than others.
Golf is important to me because ... I love getting to play with a variety of people in a variety of settings. It doesn’t matter how good or talented you are, everyone gets to play. I love that.
Favorite hole at Hillwood Country Club this week: The par-4 13th hole because I could drive over the bunkers and have a wedge into the green.
Celebratory meal: A good steak dinner with grilled vegetables.
Best part of visiting Nashville: The friendly people and the beautiful countryside.
Highlight of championship week: Giving myself a chance to fight back and win some matches. I went down early in my first match and fought back. I never felt like I was the leader of the pack. How many times in life do we have opportunities to push ourselves to excel?
Best part of being a champion: There are so many people along the way who have helped me. I think the best part of being a champion is they have all been a part of that.
