It could have been argued that the game owed one to both finalists in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, notwithstanding golf’s inclination to disregard its debts. Dawn Woodard’s was paid in full on Thursday by virtue of her first victory in her 35th start in USGA events.
Woodard, 51, from Greenville, S.C., defeated Australian Sue Wooster, 63, on the 20th hole of the match, the par-5 17th at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va. It was the first time that Woodard had made it to a championship match.
“Someone needs to pinch me,” Woodard said. “It’s pretty special. Just the grind, the grit. A lot of times not getting frustrated. It was a hard golf course, Really just knowing if I keep giving myself opportunities, I still have a chance. More than anything, I think it’s just the never giving up this week.”
Wooster, meanwhile, was playing in the championship match of the Senior Women’s Amateur for the fourth time, and for the fourth time came away without a victory. In this match, she never trailed until she lost the second extra hole and the match. She was 2 up through 10 holes, 1 up through 15 and tied at 16.
“I was just so grateful to have made another final,” Wooster said. “I said to myself, win or lose, so be it. It kind of wasn’t like that when I lost. I was very emotional. I’ve been emotional all of my four losses. I guess you have so much pressure. The pressure is just so intense that there’s just this big buildup and then you just release it. You’re delighted if you win and the opposite if you lose, but I’ll get over it quickly.”
Woodard won with a par, when Wooster bogeyed the second extra hole.
Woodard, with this victory, is exempt into the next two U.S. Senior Women’s Opens. Both players earned exemptions into the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur next month.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
