Tennant marches into quarterfinals at U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur
Two-time defending champion Lara Tennant, of Portland, Ore., defeated Kelley Nittoli of San Antonio, Tex., 2 and 1, in this afternoon’s Round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals at the 59th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, being held this week at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala.
In this morning’s Round of 32 match, Tennant, the No. 1 seed, went extra holes in defeating Judith Kyrinis of Canada. Tennant had been two holes down to Kyrinis after 10 holes, but came back to tie the match, and then made a par on the 19th hole to win the match.
Tennant won this championship in 2018 and 2019, and is trying for three in a row (it was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19). Only two other players have won at least three consecutive titles – Carolyn Cudone, who won five in a row (1968-1972), and Carol Semple Thompson, who won four in a row (1999-2002).
Tennant was named the PNGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She also won the British Senior Women’s Amateur in 2019. Earlier this year Tennant competed in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open and the U.S. Women’s Amateur, being exempted into these championships by virtue of her titles in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.
In this morning’s Round of 32, Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C. defeated Rosie Cook of Bend, Ore., 4 and 3. Stouffer’s Round of 16 match against Patricia Ehrhart of Birmingham, Ala. was postponed due to darkness. Stouffer leads this match 1-up through 15 holes. The match will resume early Tuesday morning, with Stouffer trying to make it to the quarterfinals.
Stouffer was exempted into this championship by winning the Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur last week. She won the 2012 PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Cook is the reigning PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur champion.
