Shannon Johnson Earns Medalist Honors at U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur

Shannon Johnson earned medalist honors for the second time in three years in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, shooting a 1-under-par 71 on Sunday, September 23 good for a 36-hole total of 1-under 143 and the No. 1 seed for match play.

ST. LOUIS, Missouri – Shannon Johnson, of Norton, Mass who plays out of Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton) earned medalist honors for the second time in three years in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, shooting a 1-under-par 71 on Sunday, good for a 36-hole total of 1-under 143 and the No. 1 seed for match play, which begins on Monday at Norwood Hills Country Club.

Johnson, the reigning Women’s Mass Amateur and New England Amateur champion, was two strokes clear of Meghan Stasi, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a four-time champion of this event, and Erin Bradford, of Georgetown, Ky., who finished at 1-over 145. The 40-year-old Stasi, whose most recent U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur title was in 2012, followed up an opening round 69 with a 76 to earn the No. 3 seed in the 64-player bracket, while Bradford, 34, shot 75-70 for the No. 2 seed.

Johnson shared co-medalist honors with Julia Potter-Bobb in 2016 at The Kahkwa Club, in Erie, Pa., then lost in the championship match to Potter-Bobb. Johnson was also a semifinalist in this championship last year at Champions Golf Club in Houston. The 35-year-old has four victories this summer, including the Massachusetts Women’s Amateur and the New England Women’s Amateur.

Potter-Bobb, 30, of Indianapolis, Ind., who also won this championship in 2013, shot 2-under 70 to share the low round of the day on Sunday with Bradford and 2015 champion Lauren Greenlief, 28, of Ashburn, Va. Greenlief finished three strokes back of Johnson, earning the No. 4 seed, and Potter-Bobb finished four strokes back, along with Paige McCullough, 32, of Stillwater, Minn.

Defending champion Kelsey Chugg, 27, of Salt Lake City, Utah, shot a second straight 3-over 75, which tied her for 10th with six other players, including 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Corey Weworski, 56, of Carlsbad, Calif., and 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Judith Kyrinis, 54, of Canada.

Ellen Port, 57, of St. Louis, Mo., who has four victories in this championship among her seven USGA titles, shot 79-76 to earn the No. 32 seed for match play. She has qualified for match play 19 times in 23 starts in this championship, with victories in 1995, 1996, 2000 and 2011.

QUOTABLE:
Erin Bradford, who qualified for match play for the first time in this championship, earning the No. 3 seed:
“My putting could have been a lot better yesterday, and I improved on that today. I kept putting myself in great positions on the greens. I hit the fairways better than I did yesterday, and that’s so important out here. That made a huge difference going into the greens.”

Shannon Johnson, who earned medalist honors with a round of 71 on Sunday that included five birdies:
“It was good to see the ball go in the hole today. The key for me is just coming out and swinging away, not getting tentative. If I get tentative, I’m going to bring the rough into play. I just need to get up and hit it like I know I can.”

Two-time champion Julia Potter-Bobb, who rebounded from an opening 77 to shoot 2-under 70 on Sunday:
“I’m going to try and pull from this round tomorrow; I really hit some solid shots. I have some things I can still get better at. But knowing I can play well out here gives me confidence going into match play.”

The best women amateurs in the country over age 25 are teeing it up this week in match play at the 2018 USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Norwood Hills CC in St. Louis.

When: Sept. 23 – 27, 2018
What: 32nd U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship
Where: Norwood Hills Country Club, St. Louis, Mo.
Par and Yardage: Par 72 – 6,031 yards

NOTABLE:

• Judith Kyrinis, of Canada, the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion and the No. 15 seed, led a contingent of seven international players to make match play, three of them from Canada. Other nations represented by one player each are Italy, Mexico, Singapore and Vietnam.
• For the second straight day, only one player birdied the par-4 ninth hole, which played as the toughest hole by far in stroke play at a 4.93 stroke average, with 118 bogeys to 87 pars and 57 scores of double bogey or worse. Jen Holland of Guilford, Conn., birdied the hole on Sunday, while Clare Connolly of Chevy Chase, Md., birdied it on Saturday.
• The 450-yard, par-5 18th hole played as the easiest hole in stroke play, the only hole with an under-par average, at 4.95 strokes. Five players eagled the hole and it also yielded 59 birdies over the two days.
• Eight of the 11 USGA champions in the 132-player field reached match play. Only 2009 Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Martha Leach, 2010 Senior Women’s Amateur champion Mina Hardin and 2007 Senior Women’s Amateur champion Anna Schultz fell outside the 36-hole cutline.

WHAT’S NEXT

The 7-for-6 playoff for the final match-play spots will take place at 7 a.m. CT at Norwood Hills Country Club’s 14th hole. If necessary, the playoff will continue on Nos. 17 and 18. The Round of 64 begins at 8:30 a.m, from the first tee. Match play continues through Thursday’s 18-hole championship match.

St. Louis, Mo. – Results from Sunday September 23 second round of stroke play at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, played at 6,005-yard par-72 Norwood Hills Country Club.

Shannon Johnson, Norton, Mass. 72-71–143
Erin Bradford, Georgetown, Ky. 75-70–145
Meghan Stasi, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 69-76–145
Lauren Greenlief, Ashburn, Va. 76-70–146
Paige McCullough, Stillwater, Minn. 75-72–147
Julia Potter-Bobb, Indianapolis, Ind. 77-70–147
Katie Miller, Jeannette, Pa. 75-74–149
Clare Connolly, Chevy Chase, Md. 76-73–149
Courtney McKim, Raleigh, N.C. 75-74–149
Marissa Mar, San Francisco, Calif. 76-74–150
Kelsey Chugg, Salt Lake City, Utah 75-75–150
Dawn Woodard, Greenville, S.C. 77-73–150
Eleanor Tucker, Savannah, Ga. 73-77–150
Corey Weworski, Carlsbad, Calif. 75-75–150
Judith Kyrinis, Canada 74-76–150
Megan Buck, Peoria, Ariz. 73-77–150
Jordan Craig-Nyiri, Connellsville, Pa. 79-72–151
Tara Joy-Connelly, North Palm Beach, Fla. 74-77–151
Ashley Freeman, Houston, Texas 77-74–151
Kelly Wilson, El Dorado Hills, Calif. 76-76–152
Michelle Butler, Columbia, Mo. 78-75–153
Kelli Pry, Coatesville, Pa. 73-80–153
Kim Benedict, Bonita Springs, Fla. 75-78–153
Andrea Miller, Keswick, Va. 78-75–153
Margaret Starosto, Woodstock, Ga. 77-76–153
Sarah Davison, Choudrant, La. 75-78–153
Tracy Welch, Winchester, Mass. 78-76–154
Ann Miles, Dublin, Ohio 74-80–154
Marilyn Hardy, Magnolia, Texas 79-75–154
Kay Daniel, Covington, La. 77-77–154
Christina Proteau, Canada 74-80–154
Ellen Port, St. Louis, Mo. 79-76–155
Truc Ly, Vietnam 77-78–155
Julia Hodgson, Canada 78-77–155
Arielle Swan, Seaside, Calif. 82-73–155
Kayla Barnes, Bellevue, Neb. 81-74–155
Caroline Ellington, Raleigh, N.C. 75-80–155
Jen Holland, Guilford, Conn. 76-80–156
Katie Kirk, Winterville, N.C. 77-79–156
Camry Tardy, Arlington, Texas 77-79–156
Giuliana Colavito, Italy 80-76–156
Amanda Jacobs, Portland, Ore. 75-81–156
Lauren Judson, Atlanta, Ga. 82-75–157
Olivia Herrick, Roseville, Minn. 77-80–157
Julie Streng, Greensboro, N.C. 80-77–157
Michelle Jarman, Wilmington, N.C. 82-76–158
Emily Rapp, Greenville, S.C. 80-78—158
Cathleen Wong, Singapore 81-77–158
Lea Venable, Greenville, S.C. 83-75–158
Carmen Titus, Greenwood, Mo. 76-82–158
Julie Carmichael, Indianapolis, Ind. 79-79–158
Heather Wall, Sunrise, Fla. 78-80–158
Ana Alicia Malagon, Mexico 79-79–158
Hui Chong Dofflemyer, Belvidere, Ill. 79-79–158
Samantha Perrotta, Bordentown, N.J. 80-78–158
Gina Bamberger, Murrieta, Calif. 83-75–158
Patricia Ehrhart, Honolulu, Hawaii 78-80–158

ST. LOUIS, MO. – Pairings for Monday’s first round of match play at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, played at 6,031-yard, par-72 Norwood Hills Country Club.
9:33 a.m. – Shannon Johnson, Norton, Mass. vs. To Be Determined

8:30 a.m. – Ellen Port, St. Louis, Mo. vs. Truc Ly, Vietnam

8:39 a.m. – Megan Buck, Peoria, Ariz. vs. Lea Venable, Greenville, S.C.

8:48 a.m. – Jordan Craig-Nyiri, Connellsville, Pa. vs. Cathleen Wong, Singapore

8:57 a.m. – Clare Connolly, Chevy Chase, Md. vs. Patricia Ehrhart, Honolulu, Hawaii

9:06 a.m. – Margaret Starosto, Woodstock, Ga. vs. Camry Tardy, Arlington, Texas

9:15 a.m. – Courtney McKim, Raleigh, N.C. vs. Gina Bamberger, Murrieta, Calif.

9:24 a.m. – Andrea Miller, Keswick, Va. vs. Giuliana Colavito, Italy

9:42 a.m. – Lauren Greenlief, Ashburn, Va. vs. To Be Determined

9:51 a.m. – Marilyn Hardy, Magnolia, Texas vs. Kayla Barnes, Bellevue, Neb.

10 a.m. – Eleanor Tucker, Savannah, Ga. vs. Heather Wall, Sunrise, Fla.

10:09 a.m. – Kelly Wilson, El Dorado Hills, Calif. vs. Julie Streng, Greensboro, N.C.

10:18 a.m. – Paige McCullough, Stillwater, Minn. vs. To Be Determined

10:27 a.m. – Ann Miles, Dublin, Ohio vs. Caroline Ellington, Raleigh, N.C.

10:36 a.m. – Dawn Woodard, Greenville, S.C. vs. Ana Alicia Malagon, Mexico

10:45 a.m. – Michelle Butler, Columbia, Mo. vs. Olivia Herrick, Roseville, Minn.

10:54 a.m. – Erin Bradford, Georgetown, Ky. vs. To Be Determined

11:03 a.m. – Christina Proteau, Canada vs. Julia Hodgson, Canada

11:12 a.m. – Judith Kyrinis, Canada vs. Carmen Titus, Greenwood, Mo.

11:21 a.m. – Tara Joy-Connelly, North Palm Beach, Fla. vs. Emily Rapp, Greenville, S.C.

11:30 a.m. – Katie Miller, Jeannette, Pa. vs. Gretchen Johnson, Portland, Ore.

11:39 a.m. – Sarah Davison, Choudrant, La. vs. Katie Kirk, Winterville, N.C.

11:48 a.m. – Marissa Mar, San Francisco, Calif. vs. Samantha Perrotta, Bordentown, N.J.

11:57 a.m. – Kim Benedict, Bonita Springs, Fla. vs. Amanda Jacobs, Portland, Ore.

12:06 p.m. – Meghan Stasi, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. vs. To Be Determined

12:15 p.m. – Kay Daniel, Covington, La. vs. Arielle Swan, Seaside, Calif.

12:24 p.m. – Corey Weworski, Carlsbad, Calif. vs. Julie Carmichael, Indianapolis, Ind.

12:33 p.m. – Ashley Freeman, Houston, Texas vs. Michelle Jarman, Wilmington, N.C.

12:42 p.m. – Julia Potter-Bobb, Indianapolis, Ind. vs. To Be Determined

12:51 p.m. – Tracy Welch, Winchester, Mass. vs. Jen Holland, Guilford, Conn.

1 p.m. – Kelsey Chugg, Salt Lake City, Utah vs. Hui Chong Dofflemyer, Belvidere, Ill.

1:09 p.m. – Kelli Pry, Coatesville, Pa. vs. Lauren Judson, Atlanta, Ga.

Leave a Reply

avatar
  Subscribe  
Notify of