Portland’s Tennant wins USGA Senior Women’s tourney

Lara Tennant (Portland, Ore.) defeated Sue Wooster of Australia 3&2 to win the 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla.

The result marked Tennant’s first USGA win, and the second win by an OGA member in a national championship this season. In May, Ellen Secor (Portland, Ore.) won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship alongside playing partner Katrina Prendergast.

Tennant, 51, completed an unbelievable run to the title beginning with a top-10 finish during stroke play qualifying over the weekend. The No. 10 seed in match play, she maneuvered her way through the bracket, defeating 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Corey Weworski in the quarterfinals and 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up Terrill Samuel in the semifinals.

In the championship match, Tennant never trailed against Wooster, the No. 5 seed. She jumped out to a 1-up lead with a birdie on the first hole, extending her lead to 4-up after 14 holes. A bogey on the par-3 15th hole dropped her lead to 3-up, but the two players halved No. 16, finalizing Tennant’s 3&2 win. In just two appearances at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, Tennant continues to add to her remarkable achievements. Last year, Tennant earned co-medalist honors during stroke play qualifying, as the event was held at her home course of Waverley Country Club in Portland.