Stouffer Is Dominant in U.S. Senior Women's Am Conquest

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- It wasn't exactly a promising start that Shelly Stouffer got off to last Saturday in the 60th U.S. Senior Women's Amateur. She made five bogeys, two doubles and no birdies at Anchorage Golf Course while shooting a 9-over-par 81. But she came back the next day with a 68 -- the best score by five strokes during the 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying -- and the resulting 36-hole qualifying score of 149 made her the No. 2 seed for match play. For the rest of the tournament she was an irresistable force, and there were no immovable objects that she encountered in any of her six matches.

In the final on Thursday, Stouffer birdied the first hole (319 yards, par 4) against the No. 9 seed, Sue Wooster, and by the time she made the turn she was 2 under and 5 up on the way to a 4&3 victory.

The 52-year-old Canadian never saw the 17th tee in any match. Along the way, she beat the 2017 champion, Judith Kyrinis, 3&2 in the quarterfinals. Wooster also owned impressive credentials in this tournament. She had finished second twice before, having lost both times to three-time champion Lara Tennant, first in the 2018 final and then again in 2019.

Stouffer needed a mere 88 holes in the six rounds of match play. Only two previous champions, Ellen Port (85 holes in 2012) and Carol Semple Thompson (87 in 2001), played fewer. (Port was the No. 12 seed this year. She lost 3&1 to the No. 21 seed, Sally Krueger, in the Round of 32. Thompson, who will be 74 years old in October, also played in the tournament, but failed to advance to match play.)

Wooster is a former No. 1 in the Women's Senior Amateur Rankings, and the 60-year-old Australian came into the Women's Senior Am having won three times this year. But she won only one hole on Thursday, and that wasn't until the 14th. After winning No. 1 with a birdie, Stouffer went 2 up by winning No. 5 (396 yards, par 4) with a par. She won the par-5 sixth with a par, and capped off the front nine by winning the par-3 eighth with a par and the 424-yard, par-5 ninth with a birdie to go 5 up.

The 10th through 13th holes were all halved, before Wooster won the 14th with a par. At the 15th, a 324-yard par 4, she missed an 8-foot putt for birdie, and Stouffer made a 3-footer for par to close her out.  

"I'm so proud of myself for making three finals in four years (there was no Senior Women's Am in 2020, because of the Covid 19 pandemic)," Wooster said. "I'm not going to give up on winning this trophy one day. It didn't happen today, but things happen in funny ways. i think my day will come."

Stouffer is a reinstated amateur. She was a professional for 14 years (1997 to 2011), during which time she played in six majors. This was her fourth USGA championship. She lost in the semifinals of the Senior Women's Am last year.

"Pretty amazing," she said after receiving the trophy, "probably the highest win of my career. I won the Canandian Senior last year, which got me into this (last year), and I came in third, you know; so I did one better this year." 

She is the fourth Canadian to win the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur. Marlene Streit won it three times (1985, '94, 2003), Gayle Borthwick twice (1996, '98) and Kyrinis once (2017).


U.S. Senior Women's Amateur

At Anchorage Golf Course

Par 72, 5,684 yards

Anchorage, Alaska

Stroke play (the top 64 advanced to match play)

1. Lynne Cowan                        74-73--147

2. Shelly Stouffer                       81-68--149

T3. Lara Tennant                       74-76--150

T3. Sherry Wright                      75-75--150

T3. Kay Daniel                           76-74--150

T6. Corey Weworski                  75-76--151

T6. Martha Leach                       77-74--151

T6. Suzi Spotleson                     78-73--151

9. Sue Wooster                          74-78--152

64. Leigh Klasse                       84-79--163

Did not advance

Andrea Kellar-Luther               80-86--166

Brenda Williams                      86-84--170

Betsy Aldrich                           92-85--177


Match play

Round of 64

(1) Cowan def. (64) Klasse

(2) Stouffer def. (63) Lisa Poritz 5&3

(3) Tennant def. Mary Budke 4&2

(4) Wright def. (61) Ulrika Migliaccio 2 up

(5) Daniel def. (60) Marie Terese Torti 2&1


Round of 32

(32) Terri Frohnmayer def. (1) Cowan 1 up

(2) Stouffer def. (34) Lee Burton 5&4

(3) Tennant def. (30) Marilyn Hardy 4&2

(4) Wright def. (29) Tracy Welch 2&1

(37) Christie Blasi def. (5) Kay Daniel 19 holes

(27) Kathy Hartwiger def. (6) Corey Weworski 4&3

(7) Martha Leach def. (39) Sarah Ingram 1 up

(8) Suzi Spotleson def. (25) Shelly Haywood 3&1

(9) Sue Wooster def. (24) Amy Kennedy 3&1

(10) Judith Kyrinis def. (42) Andrea Miller 4&3

(21) Sally Krueger def. (12) Ellen Port 3&1


Round of 16

(32) Frohnmayer def. (17) Brenda Kuehn 2&1

(2) Stouffer def. (47) Molly Steffes 8&6

(51) Lynn Thompson def. (3) Tennant 2&1

(4) Wright def. (20) Terrill Samuel 2&1

(37) Blasi def. (21) Krueger 21 holes

(27) Hartwiger def. Julie Harrison 4&3

(10) Kyrinis def,. (7) Leach 19 holes 

(9) Sue Wooster def. (8) Suzi Spotleson 5&4


Quarterfinals

(9) Wooster def. (32) Frohnmayer 2&1

(37) Blasi def. (4) Wright 1 up

(2) Stouffer def. (10) Kyrinis 3&2

(27) Hartwiger def. (51) Thompson 3&2


Semifinals 

(9) Wooster def. (37) Blais 3&2

(2) Stouffer def. (27) Hartwiger 3&2


Final

(2) Stouffer def. (9) Wooster  4&3