Ontario, N.Y. – For a tournament that was defined by stellar play from defending champions, last year’s winners Teresa Cleland and Sandra Wood didn’t disappoint in the final round as they rolled to become back-to-back champions in the Senior and Super-Senior fields, respectively.
Cleland notched the Brookwoods Country Club course record for the women with a scintillating 1-under (71) en route to a 12-shot victory at 1-over (145) for the tournament. According to Brookwoods CC Head Professional Jim Hungerford, Debbie Lawrence previously held the course record with a 73 from the old red tees, which are synonymous with the present-day green tees at roughly 5,500 yards.
“That’s always been a goal of mine,” says Cleland. “I’ve always thought it would be pretty cool to break someone’s course record. I’m going to go grab a scorecard from the pro shop. This is really exciting.”
Cleland’s impressive performance nearly toppled a few other notable records. She came within one shot of tying the State Senior Championship’s low 36-hole total which was recorded by Kim Kaul (144) two years ago. Her two-day total of 145 leaves her tied for second with two-time senior champion Maggie Kril. Cleland’s personal best round is a 69, which she has posted twice in her career in local district competition.
After capturing her first state title last year at Thendara GC, Cleland became the fourth player of the decade to repeat as Senior Women’s champion as she joins Maggie Kril (2005-06), Kathy Hunt (2004-05), and Lancy Smith (2001-02), who accomplished the feat since 2000.
Many of the repeat champions at the Senior Women’s have won more than two titles; out of the 58 winners dating back to 1953, only 16 winners have won the event just once. Cleland is the 13th repeat champion in the history of the event. Although the statistics don’t lie, Cleland contends winning consecutively can be an arduous task. “I think even mentally its harder,” says Cleland, “because there are higher expectations to defend or expectations to play well from others. It is a sense of accomplishment from the mental side of it.”
The event may have been anti-climactic in the sense that few players were within contention of Cleland down the stretch. However, Cleland’s round was not short on excitement as she played the final 14 holes at 3-under following consecutive bogeys on Nos. 3-4.
Cleland’s stranglehold of a lead, which stood at four shots entering the final round, only came within reach through the first four holes. “I generally prefer to be a little behind because then you can go for it – you’re not holding back. You don’t want to ever protect a lead. My mindset today was don’t protect it, just play Brookwoods the best you can.”
Kim Kaul, who won the 2008 Senior Championship at Holiday Valley, trailed Cleland by two shots after she started with four straight pars to Cleland’s two pars and two bogeys. In addition to competing against each other on the golf course, Cleland and Kaul were college basketball rivals as they played for Niagara and Canisius, respectively.
“I would be lying if I said it wasn’t in mind,” says Cleland, on Kim Kaul closing within two shots of the lead following her bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4. “But if Kim’s having a good day, there’s nothing I can do. And if Kim’s having a bad day, there’s nothing I can do. I can only worry about T and I just wanted to pick out my targets and hit my spots.”
“I knew Kim would be tough and Jan [LaVigne] is tough,” says Cleland. “I’ve played with them a number of times over the years. I knew that four shots was nothing. Out here, you dump one of your drives in the trees and make an 8, you’re gone.”
Cleland ran away with the title after the par-4 fifth when she hit a brilliant approach from 120 yards to three feet. Her eventual birdie produced a two-shot swing since Kaul sailed her approach from 105 yards over the green and chipped down the steep slope before a two-putt bogey.
The 51 year-old Syracuse resident Cleland showcased accurate drives and phenomenal iron play over the last 14 holes that included 11 pars and three birdies. “I felt like today I had good speed on the greens and I kept the ball in play,” says Cleland.
On the back nine, Cleland hit her third shot on the par-5 13th to two feet below the hole for a tap-in birdie. Following three more pars, Cleland hit a pitching wedge from 95 yards on the par-4 17th to within a foot of the front-positioned hole location for another tap-in birdie. “By my yardage, I thought I could take a 9 [iron] and go right at it,” says Cleland. “But instead, I decided to back up on the club to land it in front of the green and have it skip up. It was my plan. I said take less club and don’t hit the green with the pin being up. Hit that fringe and it released right up there.”
Cleland was one of a select few to reach the top-tier of the 18th green in two shots. She left her 20-foot birdie attempt on the left edge of the cup and tapped in for par in front of a gallery of spectators huddled around the green.
Next week, Cleland will be competing in the North/South Women’s Senior Amateur at the prestigious Pinehurst golf course. While in North Carolina, Cleland looks to qualify at Whispering Pines for this year’s US Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Her road trip will conclude with a qualifier in Pennsylvania where she hopes to make another appearance in the US Women’s Senior Amateur. Cleland advanced to the round of 16 in match play before losing to the eventual champion Sherry Herman in last year’s US Senior Amateur.
In the Super-Senior division, Ithaca’s Sandra Wood cruised to a nine-shot victory to become the second repeat champion in the division’s short four-year history. The 70 year-old Wood not only surged to a title defense performance with a 75 on the final day, she finished runner-up in the overall championship with a 36-hole total of 157.
“This is so wonderful because last year I didn’t even know what I was playing for or what the trophies were for,” says Wood. “This year I knew and I knew that I would have to play very good to defend.”
Despite winning by a sizeable margin, Wood thought it can be more difficult winning the second time and defending a trophy in state competition. “I think it’s a little scarier to defend because if you didn’t do well than people will think that you sneaked in last year.”
Before the event, Wood set an attainable goal of striving to break 80 each day. However, she really wanted to throw in a 76 one day. After an opening round performance of 82, Wood overcame a rocky start to one-up her personal goal. “This is certainly my best performance as a super-senior,” says Wood.
Similar to Cleland, Wood experienced trouble from the first four holes and was quickly 3-over-par after that stretch. However, she resiliently bounced back and traded three birdies with three bogeys over the rest of the round to finish the final 14 holes at even-par.
Wood, who improved by seven shots from her first round, believed her ball striking accuracy led to such a consistent round. “I hit my driver so much better today,” says Wood. “I was hitting it squarely on the face and right down the middle.” Wood only missed two fairways on the day, and the ones she missed were in the first cut of rough. “I can handle only missing two fairways.”
“I had some wonderful putting too though,” says Wood. “I birdied Nos. 10 and 17 with fairly long putts. When you have a couple birdies that makes your round so much nicer.”
“I do want to say how well-run the tournament is and how nice it was for all the volunteers to be here,” says Wood. “And then, I’d have to thank my husband who was here both days and reads my putts and chips for me and keeps me steady.”
“As I told you, my goal was to break 80 both days and today was a lot of icing on the cake.”
By Kevin Solan
NYSGA Communications Intern
Overall Results
Senior Women’s Photo Gallery
