Hartwiger Leads U.S. Senior Women's Am; Peterson Tied for 16th

USGA

POINT CLEAR, Ala. -- Adele Peterson's scorecard was a variety pack on Friday when she finished her first round in the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur.

The 2020 Minnesota Senior Women's Amateur champion started with a birdie at the 10th hole on the Dogwood Course at The Lakewood Club, and she birdied two of her last three holes. In between, she had two more birdies, seven bogeys and a double. She made only five pars.

All of which added up to a 4-over-par 76, and that has her tied for 16th place going into Saturday's final round of stroke-play qualiying.

The top 64 from stroke play will go into the match-play portion of the tournament on Sunday.

Fifty-five-year-old Kathy Hartwiger, a 10-time Alabama State Am winner, birdied four of her first seven holes on her way to a 69, and she leads the 132-player field by a stroke. Amy Ellertson is second with a 70. Susan Cohn and Sandra Turbide are another stroke back, tied for third at 71. Lara Tenant, is the defending champion, having won this tournament in 2018 and '19 (there was no Sr. Women's Am last year). She's tied for fifth at 72, along with Corey Weworski.

Peterson, 58, is a former All-American at Tulsa who played who played on the LPGA Tour, beginning in 1986. Her best finish out there was a tie for 15th at the 1991 U.S. Women's Open. 

After birdying her first hole Friday, she put her engine into reverse for a while, with a double bogey at the par-5 12th followed by three consecutive bogeys at the par-3 13th and the par-4 14th and 15th holes. She birdied the other par 5 on the back nine, the 456-yard 16th. But she bogeyed another par 5, the 475-yard first hole, and the 327-yard, par-4 second. 

She bounced back with a birdie at the par-3 third, but bogeyed the fourth and sixth holes, which put her at 6 over through 15 holes. Peterson brought it back to 4 over with birdies at the short par-4 seventh (304 yards) and the 358-yard, par-4 ninth.

It looks as though it will take a score of about 162 to qualify for match play.

That means Brenda Williams, a winner of more than 10 Minnesota state titles -- not to mention 30 second-place finishes -- will need something like a 78, after shooting 84 on Friday. 

She didn't make any birdies at Dogwood, and neither did Betsy Aldrich, the 2020 MGA Sr. Women's Player of the Year. She shot 89.   

U.S. Senior Women's Amateur

At The Lakewood Club -- Dogwood Course

Par 72, 5,719 yards

Point Clear, Ala. 

First-round results (the top 64 after 36 holes of qualifying will advance to match play)

1. Kathy Hartwiger                  69

2. Amy Ellertson                     70

T3. Susan Cohn                     71

T3. Sandra Turbide                71

T5. Lara Tennant                   72

T5. Corey Weworski              72

T16. Adele Peterson            76

T87. Brenda Williams          84

T121. Betsy Aldrich             89