DAVIES WINS FIRST SR WOMEN’S OPEN BY 10

  DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Patrick Flavin at the Illinois State Amateur and Alexandra Farnsworth at this weeks Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open at Mistwood Golf Club.

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MISTWOOD GOLF CLUB home of this weeks Illinois Women’s Open is located Renwick Road in Romeoville. Call (815)-254-3333 or online see Mistwoodgc.com.

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy., on Facebook or Linkedin. On the 18th green at the Chicago Golf Club home of the U.S. Sr. Women’s Open

It’s in the books, history has been made, and it was one for the ageless.

What special week it was at the Chicago Golf Club, and it all concluded early Sunday afternoon, with little drama as Laura Davies won the first U.S.Sr. Women’s Open by 10 shots over Juli Inkster.

trish Johnson who won the first senior women’s major the LPGA Sr. Women’s Championship at the French Lick Resort in July of 2017, was third. The only other player under par for the championship was Danielle Ammacapne who took fourth after entering the week with little or not expectations.

Laura Davies holds the U.S. Sr. Women’s Open trophy after her win on Sunday.

Davies and johnson were tied heading into round 3 on Saturday, with Inkster right behind, Liselotte Neumann, Helen Alfredson, and Ammacapne were right there as well, it seemed like the weekend would be a shootout. But in the end it was Davies who did all the shooting, when she carded the women’s competitive course record at the Chicago Golf Club with a 7 under par 66, that left everyone in her dust.

The shot or in this case putt, felt around the entire course and all through Wheaton, was Davies 75 footer for eagle on the par 5, 12th hole. The roar was the loudest of the week. The putt broke a foot one way, and then three feet the other way before rolling into the cup. Davies summed up the putt as “good fun.”

The Chicago Golf Club early in the week

When round three was over Inkster was five shots back, and admitted she would need to play some perfect golf to beat Davies on Sunday. While Davies said with a five shot lead she “would not sleep well that night.” With Johnson and Ammacapne now only within shouting distance, and Johnson admitting she did not have her “A-Game” all week, and Ammacapne saying she was tired, the heat was affecting her and she was making tied swings. It was obvious by Sunday it was a two player duel.

Inkster needed a perfect start on Sunday and didn’t get it. For the second straight day the final group waited repeatedly on slow from the group in front of them. Multiple media people and veteran observers, said that Barb Mucha who apparently was warned four times over two days by USGA officials was causing the delays from that group.

Inkster ready to go for the green in two shots on the par 5 second hole, rushed her second shot after a long wait, and proceeded to top her shot and make bogey, while Davies made birdie and opened the lead to seven shots. Inkster still frustrated made bogey on the third hole and quickly trailed by eight shots.

USGA.org

Inkster to her credit rallied with birdies on holes 8 & 9, to cut the lead back to 6 shots. then Davies with her one bad tee shot on Sunday at the Par 3, 10th hole, had to make a testy nine foot par saver, or the lead would have been back to five shots.

Davies later called that par save the turning point of the round, and now with her lead at 6 with 8 holes to play things seemed safe, and Davies said at that point she felt as if she had “one hand on the trophy.”

When Inkster made double bogey on the par 3, 13th hole, after a pulled drive and a muffed chip, the lead was back to eight shots and with five holes to play it was over.

the galleries around the players on the final holes and then the 18th hole grew a good size, in spite of rising heat/ Tee times were moved up for the second straight day to avoid potential bad weather.

The championship moves on to the Pine Needles Resort and Golf Club in Southern Pines North Carolina for 2019, running from May 16-19. See USGA.org for details and ticket information.

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About Rory Spears

Rory spent over 8 years growing up working at Rob Roy Golf Club in Prospect Hts.IL, then two years at Chevy Chase in Wheeling. He has covered golf in Chicago since 1986. Rory was one of the initial members of WSCR all-sports radio Chicago and covered golf there for 5 seasons, before moving on to work for ESPN/Sportsticker and ESPN Radio. In addition to hosting Golfers on Golf Radio on WCPT AM820 Chicago, he writes for both the Chicago District (CDGA) Magazine, and formerly Chicagoland Golf. Rory has played over 525 courses in 39 states, and rates golf courses. He does golf course management and communications consulting, within the golf industry.