Past champions once again found themselves on a collision course at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, with Tuesday’s matches at Portland Golf Club leaving just three previous winners standing in the 64th edition of the championship.
The morning opened with a battle between two titans as three-time champions Ellen Port, of St. Louis, Mo., and Lara Tennant, of Portland, Ore., squared off in the Round of 32.
Early in the match, Tennant, the hometown favorite, appeared in control, leading 3 up with four holes to play. Facing a late deficit, Port fought back with pars on Nos. 15 and 16 to cut her opponent’s lead to 1. Moments later, the Missourian had a birdie putt on the 18th to extend the match, but it came inches short, keeping Tennant’s quest for a USGA championship in her hometown alive.
The Portland native faced another past champion in the Round of 16, defeating 2017 champion Judith Kyrinis, of Canada, 3 and 2. After a tightly contested match that was tied through 12 holes, Tennant pulled away with birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to win and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021, when she won the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala.
“It’s really difficult to compete against two of your best friends,” said Tennant. “Both [Ellen and Judith] are great champions, and either match could have gone either way. I’m just happy to be the one who won today, but any other day could have been a different story.”
Joining Tennant in the quarterfinals is 2024 champion Nadene Gole, of Australia.
After surviving a 20-hole battle against Canadian Tina Papatolis in the Round of 32, Gole faced another formidable opponent in 2023 champion Sarah Gallagher, of Canton, Ga., in the Round of 16.
In one of the most heavily contested matches of the day, Gole struck first, winning Nos. 5 and 6 to go 2 up. The match then turned into a back-and-forth battle, with just one tie over the next seven holes. Despite her opponent’s relentless pressure, Gole eventually extended her lead to 3 up with a birdie on the par-5 15th.
Trailing Gole by three holes, Gallagher refused to back down, answering with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to cut the deficit to one. Despite the pressure, Gole maintained her poise, delivering the finishing touch with a birdie on the 18th to seal a 2-up victory.
“Most of the time, on the 18th, if you get a par, you know, you’re sitting well,” Gole said. “I know that sounds pretty bad, but it’s a tough one.”
While many faces in the quarterfinals are familiar, a new addition to the final eight is first-year competitor Anjeanette Brown, of Phoenix, Ariz.
Brown, who is playing in her first USGA championship since the 1997 U.S. Amateur Public Links, proved herself to be a championship threat when she defeated reigning champion Dawn Woodard of Greenville, S.C., 1 up, in the Round of 32.
After winning the first hole with a par, Brown never trailed throughout the entirety of the match, finishing her upset of the reigning champion with three birdies throughout the course of the 18-hole match.
“I really just had to stay focused and stay calm,” said Brown about beating the defending champion. “That’s just what I did all day. I just kept breathing.”
Following her Round of 32 win over Woodard, Brown clinched a spot in the quarterfinals with a 1-up win over California native Eunice Cho in the Round of 16.
Again, Brown controlled the match from the jump, taking a 4-up advantage through five holes with a birdie on the 489-yard, par-5 fifth. Cho responded with birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 to cut Brown’s lead in half, then won Nos. 9 and 11 to tie the match, erasing Brown’s four-hole advantage with four unanswered wins.
Brown regained her advantage with a win on No. 12 before Cho, a recent winner at the Southern California Golf Association Senior Women’s Amateur, tied the match on hole 16 with a clutch par. Moments later, Brown would deliver the dagger, winning the 130-yard, par-3 No. 17 with a birdie before sealing a victory on the final hole.
WHAT’S NEXT
Match play will continue with the quarterfinals beginning on Wednesday at 7:45 a.m. P.T. and conclude with Thursday morning’s 18-hole championship match. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to attend.