Stouffer Rolls on in Senior Women's Am, Will Face Wooster in Final

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Shelly Stouffer has been the best player in the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur since the beginning of the second round of stroke play. So it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that she won another two matches on Wednesday and earned a spot opposite Sue Wooster in the final. 

On Saturday, Stouffer did not get off to a good start. She shot a 9-over-par 81 in the first round and was in danger of not even being in the top 64 after 36 holes -- and not making it to match play. But she came back Sunday with a 68. That was five strokes better than the next best single-round score out of 264 that were played at Anchorage Golf Course over the weekend. 

Her 36-hole aggregate of 149 made her the No. 2 seed when match play began on Monday, and in the five matches she's played since then, she is exactly even par for exactly 72 holes.

The 52-year-old Canadian was 3 under for her two matches on Wednesday. In her morning Round-of-16 match, she was 2 under while defeating the 2017 Senior Am champ Judith Kyrinis, the No. 10 seed, 3&2. She was 1 under in her afternoon quarterfinal against No. 27 Kathy Hartwiger, whom she beat 4&3. 

It was Hartwiger who eliminated Lynn Thompson in the quarters, after Thompson knocked off three-time defending champion Lara Tennant in the best match of the tournament so far, 2&1 on Tuesday afternoon in the Round of 16. Both Thompson and Tennant were 2 under in that one. (Tennant won two holes by two shots each, which is why they had the same medal score.)

Wooster, a 60-year-old from Australia, is a former No. 1 in the World Senior Women's Am rankings. She won the Western Australian Senior Amateur earlier this year, along with the Cobram Barooga Senior and the European Seniors Championship. Twice before, she's made it to the final in this tournament, but she lost to Tennant both times, in 2018 and '19.

The No. 9 seed this week, Wooster was even par for 47 holes in her first three matches. Then on Wednesday morning, she faced Terri Frohnmayer, the No. 32 seed and the player who upset top-seeded Lynne Cowan 1 up Tuesday morning in the Round of 32. Wooster was 2 over for 17 holes against Frohnmayer, and dismissed her 2&1. In the afternoon, Wooster got off to a shaky start against No. 37 Christie Blasi. After the first five holes, Wooster was 4 over -- and 3 down. But she won the next four holes in a row (No. 6 through No. 9) and played the sixth through the 16th in even par on her way to a 3&2 victory.  

Stouffer and Wooster are scheduled to tee off at 8:30 a.m., Alaska Daylight Time, which is one hour behind Pacific Daylight.

This, by the way, is the first time the USGA has held one of its tournaments in Alaska. 


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