The players from Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy, who had never competed together as a two-person team, rallied from a four-stroke deficit going into Sunday’s final round to win the 12th annual CGA Women’s Dunham Chapman Championship at the River Course at Keystone.
“It’s amazing,” Young said. “I’ve won a few smaller things, but not a state event. … I’m ready to pass out.”
Added Lyle: “It’s surprising really, but it feels great. I think we were both very surprised to win.
“I haven’t played in tournaments with Sandra before, but we’re on the same golf team for our club. This was the first one that I said, ‘Hey, do you want to play?’ We weren’t even sure we could play together. It worked out pretty well.”
In fact, Lyle and Young had overtaken first-round leaders Denise Cohen of Kissing Camels and Ron Irons of Eisenhower after just nine holes on Sunday, though the title hung in the balance until the end.
Lyle and Young finished with a 4-over-par 75 in round 2 in the Chapman stroke play format in which each golfer hits a tee shot, then plays her partner’s ball for the second shot. After that, a scoring ball is chosen, and that ball is played alternately into the hole. (The champions are pictured, with Young at left and Lyle at right, flanking Marty Hall, partner of tournament namesake Jo Ann Dunham.)
They finished with a two-day total of 11-over-par 153, one stroke better than Cohen and Irons, whose downfall was a triple bogey on the 16th hole en route to an 80 on Sunday.
Ending up third was Colorado Golf Hall of Famer and two-time Dunham Chapman champion Christie Austin of Cherry Hills and partner Kathy West of Castle Pines, who checked in at 157.
Cohen and Irons had regained the lead on the back nine Sunday, but a 40-foot birdie by Lyle on the par-3 15th evened things up. “That made a big difference. It was pivotal,” Young said of Lyle’s long birdie. And the two went up for good on No. 16 when they made bogey and Cohen and Irons their triple.
“I had never played this event before, but we thought we might be a good fit,” said Young, 58. “(Lyle) hits a very long ball and the short game is my area. It’s great when your partner can put you 100 yards out so maybe I can score. It was a good combination.”
Lyle, a 52-year-old who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 20 years in the Air Force, credits Young for draining not-so-simple par putts throughout the round that kept their rally going.
“I’ve played in a few (CGA/CWGA championships), but normally I don’t do very well,” Lyle said. “I play much better with a partner who can keep my head in the game. Sandy did a great job of doing that because I’m a little bit crazy.
“This is my first state-level (title) in my life. This was basically my last golfing of the season and so it’s a pretty good way to go out.”
Lyle has been competing seriously in golf for just the last few years, and Young didn’t take up the game at all until she was 38.
“I had thought golf was a stupid sport,” Young said. “One of my husband’s friends wanted his wife to take lessons, so just to get her to quit bugging me, I said, ‘OK, I’ll take lessons with you.’ I fell in love immediately.”
She’s gone on to win a worldwide tournament for military spouses and dependents in 2010, and she’s qualified for at least four USGA championships — a Women’s Publinks, Mid-Am and a couple of Senior Ams.
The championship flight was one of eight flights of competition at the Dunham Chapman. Among the other winners on Sunday was CGA co-president Juliet Miner of Bear Dance, who teamed with Peggy Puckett of Wellshire to prevail in the second flight.
The Dunham Chapman was renamed prior to the 2017 championship as a tribute to Jo Ann Dunham, a longtime CWGA volunteer whose brainchild was the Chapman, which was first contested in 2007. Dunham passed away on Sept. 28, 2016, just shy of her 77th birthday.
For the gross and net scores for all eight flights competing in the 64-team Dunham Chapman Championship, CLICK HERE.
Here are the gross and net champions in the various flights:
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
Gross: Louise Lyle/Sandra Young, Eisenhower GC 78-75–153
Net: Denise Cohen, Kissing Camels/Ron Irons, Eisenhower GC 66-72–138
FIRST FLIGHT
Gross: Debi Kline/Margaret Breakey, Kissing Camels 77-76–153
Net: Betty Bullington, CC of Colorado/Valerie Hunter, Eisenhower GC 73-70–143
SECOND FLIGHT
Gross: Juliet Miner, Bear Dance/Peggy Puckett, Wellshire 82-83–165
Net: Juliet Miner, Bear Dance/Peggy Puckett, Wellshire 67-68–135
THIRD FLIGHT
Gross: Karen Leuschel, Riverdale/Connie Brodt, Fox Hill 80-86–166
Net: Karen Leuschel, Riverdale/Connie Brodt, Fox Hill 63-69–132
FOURTH FLIGHT
Gross: Val Talus, Colorado Springs CC/Mary Watt, Club at Flying Horse 78-88–166
Net: Val Talus, Colorado Springs CC/Mary Watt, Club at Flying Horse 60-70–130
FIFTH FLIGHT
Gross: Barbara Ingledue/Connie Garcia, Fox Hill 84-88–172
Net: Barbara Ingledue/Connie Garcia, Fox Hill 64-68–132
SIXTH FLIGHT
Gross: (tie) Jill Nickerson/Lynn Larson 91-87–178; Tammy Tinsley/Sandra Miller, Blackstone/Black Bear 93-85–178
Net: Linda Masters/Bonnie Brewer, Blackstone/Black Bear 68-65–133
SEVENTH FLIGHT
Gross: Laura Fischer, Willis Case/Cher Tufly 99-89–188
Net: Margie Doss, Aurora Hills/Rose Rismanchi, Meadow Hills 69-66–135
Last year at the CGA Women’s Dunham Chapman Championship, the team of Denise Cohen of Kissing Camels and Ron Irons of Eisenhower Golf Club shot a first-round 83 en route to a third-place finish at Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks.
On Saturday in the same event — but at the River Course at Keystone Ranch — Cohen and Irons posted a gross score nine strokes better to grab a four-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the 12th Dunham Chapman.
The pair played their final five holes in 2 under par on Saturday and finished the day with four birdies and seven bogeys.
The Chapman Stroke Play format calls for two-person teams, with each golfer hitting tee shots, then playing her partner’s ball for the second shot. After that, a scoring ball is chosen, and that ball is played alternately into the hole.
Two teams share second place at 78 in the gross competition heading into Sunday’s final round: former CGA Match Play champion Laurie Steenrod of Saddle Rock Golf Course and partner Bev Hoffenberg of Columbine Country Club, and Sandra Young and Louise Lyle of Eisenhower Golf Club. Steenrod has twice won the Dunham Chapman with current Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Christie Austin, who with Kathy West holds fourth place at 79 after Saturday.
The Dunham Chapman was renamed prior to the 2017 championship as a tribute to Jo Ann Dunham, a longtime CWGA volunteer whose brainchild was the Chapman, which was first contested in 2007. Dunham passed away on Sept. 28, 2016, just shy of her 77th birthday.
For the gross and net scores for all eight flights competing in the 64-team Dunham Chapman Championship, CLICK HERE.
]]>All in all, it was a memorable performance for Janet Moore on Thursday in U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur qualifying at The Club at Cordillera’s Valley Course in Edwards.
Let’s count the ways:
— The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer (left) from Centennial shot a 4-under-par 32 on her front nine, a score so good she can’t remember when she last had a nine-hole total as low.
— She not only earned medalist honors at the Colorado-based U.S. Senior Women’s Am qualifying for the second straight year, but this time her even-par 72 was the best score by a whopping six strokes.
— With Thursday’s showing, Moore has gone 3-for-3 in her qualifying attempts for the Senior Women’s Amateur. Moreover, after having earned a spot last week in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, she’s now qualified for an impressive 22 individual-event USGA championships between the U.S. Women’s Am, U.S. Senior Women’s Am and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Am.
“I really wasn’t planning on playing that well (Thursday). It just kind of happened — and it was really fun,” said Moore, a five-time CWGA Stroke Play champion.
A year after shooting 80 in very windy conditions to finish first in the Cordillera qualifier, Moore scored considerably better on Thursday. In posting her front-nine 32, she needed just 11 putts. With a 4-over 40 on the back nine, she ended up with four birdies and four bogeys on the day.
“I can’t complain with even (par) ever,” Moore said. “I’ll always take even.”
The performance capped a very impressive last week for Moore, 52, and her husband, fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore. On Aug. 18, Janet Moore landed a spot in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur for the 16th time. And on Tuesday, Kent Moore won the CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play, the seventh different individual CGA championship that he’s claimed over the last 43 years. Then Janet ran away with medalist honors on Thursday.
“I was very pleased with my round today,” said Moore, who was in the first group off in Thursday’s qualifier. “I was a little nervous coming back here because it was so tough last year with the winds and the greens were fast and pretty firm. This year, we had a few holes in the wind, but nothing like last year. It was a different golf course this year.”
On Thursday, Janet Moore earned one of 10 available berths into the U.S. Senior Women’s Am, which will be held Sept. 17-22 at Wellesley (Mass.) Country Club.
Joining her in advancing from the 39-player field were part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy (78), who made it to the quarterfinals of the 2013 U.S. Senior Women’s Am; Katherine Moore-Lilly of Minneapolis (79), Kathy Malpass of Evergreen (80), Deb Hughes of Denver (80), Sandra Young of Monument (80), Bev Hoffenberg of Littleton (81), Jen Holland of Branford, Conn. (81), Jo Rasmussen of Westport, Conn. (83) and Susan Hartwell of Arvada (83). Rasmussen and Hartwell prevailed in a four-golfer playoff to earn the final two national spots, with Rasmussen qualifying on the first extra hole and Hartwell on the third.
(One group of qualifiers is pictured above, from left: Hoffenberg, Hughes, Moore, Hardy, Young, Moore-Lilly and Malpass. The other three are pictured at left, from left: Rasmussen, Hartwell and Holland.)
With her qualifying performances the last two weeks, Moore figures to have a very busy middle of September on the golf course at USGA championships. The national Women’s Mid-Am is scheduled for Sept. 10-15 in Erie, Pa., and the Senior Women’s Am starts on Sept. 27 in Massachusetts.
“I feel very grateful I’ve qualified for both and I’m excited to play in both,” Moore said. “I’ve been working on some swing changes for a while, and they’re starting to come together.”
U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifying
At Par-72 Club at Cordillera’s Valley Course in Edwards
ADVANCE TO U.S. SENIOR WOMEN’S AM
Janet Moore, Centennial, Colo. 32-40–72
Marilyn Hardy, Houston, Texas 39-39–78
Katherine Moore-Lilly, Minneapolis, Minn. 40-39–79
Deborah Hughes, Denver, Colo. 37-43–80
Kathy Malpass, Evergreen, Colo. 39-41–80
Sandra Young, Monument, Colo. 40-40–80
Beverly Hoffenberg, Littleton, Colo. 39-42–81
Jen Holland, Branford, Conn. 42-39–81
Jo Rasmussen, Westport, Conn. 40-43–83
Susan Hartwell, Arvada, Colo. 40-43–83
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Barbara Paonessa, New Rochelle, N.Y. 39-44–83
Debra Woolf, Fort Worth, Texas 41-42–83
FAILED TO QUALIFY
Cindy Gilkeson, Sugarland, Texas 42-42–84
Leslie Diane Henry, Carrollton, Texas 38-46–84
Rosemary McKeown, Las Cruces, N.M. 43-41–84
Kathleen Johnson, Broomfield, Colo. 45-40–85
Carol Turnage, Anna, Texas 42-43–85
Nancy Beck, Dallas, Texas 42-44–86
Diane Henry, Kerrville, Texas 44-42–86
Liz Kennedy, Grand Junction, Colo. 43-43–86
Julie Robichaux, Kingwood, Texas 40-47–87
Alicia Bolam, Windsor, Colo. 46-44–90
Debra Bolke, Aurora, Colo. 44-46–90
Karen Hale, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 45-47–92
Charlotte Barley, Springfield, Ore. 41-52–93
Mary Doyen, Denver, Colo. 47-47–94
Kay Geitner, Centennial, Colo. 45-49–94
Mimi Petke, Mission Viejo, Calif. 46-48–94
Susie Schell, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 45-49–94
Wendy Atkinson, Westminster, Colo. 47-48–95
Julie Coleman, Grand Junction, Colo. 45-50–95
Juliet Miner, Castle Rock, Colo. 46-49–95
Lynne Janis, Denver, Colo. 47-50–97
Jean Miller, Arvada, Colo. 50-47–97
Vicki Porter, Denver, Colo. 42-55–97
Patty Smogor, Centennial, Colo. 51-47–98
Pat Oconnor, Fort Collins, Colo. 58-45–103
Patricia Neuenhoff, Chappaqua, N.Y. WD
Suzanne Sturz, Pleasantville, N.Y. WD