Garety won a hard fought match over Campbell for the Michigan Women’s Senior Amateur title as both players battled over 18 holes during the Championship round. Joan Garety of Ada, Michigan, enjoyed the competitiveness of this year?s tournament. She claimed that patience was the key after being 2 down at one point during the final match and still being able to pull off a 1 up victory. Garety is preparing for more competitions this summer, in particular the State Amateur tournament that will be held at her home course, Egypt Valley, July 10-14.
The 6th Michigan Women?s Senior Amateur tournament, which concluded today, June 7th, was held at the challenging, old-style Gaylord Country Club. This 4-day event, sponsored by the Buick Open, started this past Monday with an opening round of stroke-play. The medalist after Monday?s competition was Maureen Whitehead who shot a 79. Trailing close behind Whitehead were Claudia Cenko and Joan Garety, both posting 80s, as well as Susan Campbell and Maria Malone, both posting 81s.
After Monday?s play, the tournament format shifted from stroke-play to match-play. The first round of match-play was held on Tuesday with all winners closing out their opponents by small margins. Wednesday?s play kicked off with Quarter-Finals for the Championship Flight held in the morning and Semi-Finals played in the afternoon. In the Quarters, Whitehead defeated Garber 5-4, Campbell beat Malone 1-up, Garety took Molesky 7-6, and Cenko won over Horning 5-4. In the evening, the two Semi-Final matches were played. Maureen Whitehead, the number one seed after Monday?s stroke play, faced Susan Campbell. Campbell won this match 3-2. Meanwhile, Joan Garety and Claudia Cenko met in the other Semi-Final match with Garety winning 5-4.
Thursday?s final competition featured Campbell and Garety battling a tight match for the championship title. All square on the 17th tee, Garety birdied to go 1 up on Campbell, placing Campbell in a must win position on the 18th hole. Garety closed out the match when she matched pars with Campbell on the final hole, making Garety the undisputed champion. In addition, Angela Cook and Grace Harrison were recognized as flight champions for Flights A and B, respectively.
