Stasi Wins Fourth U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur


Meghan Stasi made history on Thursday at the 26th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. The 34-year-old from Oakland Park, Fla., joined Ellen Port as the only four-time champions of the Women's Mid-Amateur with a 6-and-5 victory over Liz Waynick, 52, of Scottsdale, Ariz., on the 6,062-yard, par-72 Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio.

Stasi, who also claimed the title in 2006, '07 and two years ago, became the 16th golfer to win the same USGA championship at least four times. Last month, Nathan Smith joined that elite group when the 34-year-old from Pittsburgh claimed the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Conway Farms Golf Club in suburban Chicago.

Other notables to achieve the feat include Ben Hogan (U.S. Open), Jack Nicklaus (U.S. Open), Bob Jones (U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur), Mickey Wright (U.S. Women's Open), Carol Semple Thompson (USGA Senior Women's Amateur) and JoAnne Gunderson Carner (U.S. Women's Amateur). The record for the most titles in the same championship is six by Glenna Collett Vare (U.S. Women's Amateur).

Port, the 2012 USGA Senior Women's Amateur champion, claimed her fourth Women's Mid-Am last year. She lost in the third round of this year's championship. "Never in my life did I think I would be here right now," said Stasi.

"So I'm so appreciative to everybody . . . It's a very long week for all involved, and you really just have to stay mentally and physically prepared. A few matches were very grueling, but I just stayed on top of my game and hoped for the best."

The U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, for female golfers 25 and older, is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs. The competition began last weekend with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying, with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play that began on Monday and concluded with Thursday's 18-hole final.

An overcast and humid morning greeted the finalists, but the match didn't heat up until Stasi rolled in a 10-footer on the par-4 ninth, the first of four consecutive birdies on the card (two conceded), to take a 2-up lead at the turn. Stasi's expression of relief when the putt fell over the lip indicated the frustration she was having on the greens to that point. She had won the par-3 third with a par, but the other seven holes on the outward nine were halved, including a pair of bogey-6s on the par-5 seventh.

"It was definitely slow with the putter," said Stasi of her early struggles. "I was fortunate to hit the ball where I wanted to. I was actually over-reading a bunch. I had many opportunities on the front to make a couple and didn't. It was a long front nine, but made some great [putts] on the back nine."

Stasi, a member of the victorious 2008 USA Curtis Cup Team, wound up winning five consecutive holes to close out the match. A nine-foot birdie at the 10th hole put her 3 up, and back-to-back concessions for birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 pushed the margin to 5 up. She punctuated the victory with a winning bogey-6 at the par-5 13th hole. Stasi had similarly closed out her semifinal victory over Laura Coble of Augusta, Ga., on Wednesday by winning six consecutive holes (Nos. 8-13).

Waynick, who was nursing a blister on the inside of her left foot that developed during Wednesday's quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, was consistently out-driven by the long-hitting Stasi, who enjoyed as much as a 100-yard advantage. On some holes, Waynick was hitting fairway metals into greens compared to short-irons for her opponent. But Waynick didn't use the blister or Stasi's power as an excuse.

"I'm not a long hitter," said Waynick, who lost to Nancy Lopez in the third round of the 1976 U.S. Women's Amateur. "I just didn't play well today. All of us who play golf, we have good days and we have bad days. And I played great all week. She's just a great champion. If I could blame [my loss] on [the blister], I would be lying."

But Waynick did struggle with her putter, especially getting the right speed. She made several pars on the first nine to stay in the match before Stasi took control. "I felt like some alien invaded my body when I was putting," said Waynick, a former director of golf at Pumpkin Ridge in suburban Portland, Ore., and former head pro at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz., two venues which have hosted USGA championships. "My putts were just horrible."

Two days earlier, Stasi was on the verge of being eliminated when she trailed Lynne Cowan by five holes with six to play in a second-round match. A remarkable rally - one of the best in the championship's history - propelled Stasi to victory in 21 holes. The No. 2 seed from stroke-play qualifying was taken to the 18th hole by local favorite Kelley Nattoli (2-up win) in the third round, and on Wednesday morning she was challenged by a feisty Andrea Kraus (2 and 1) before beating 2009 runner-up Coble in the semifinals.

Stasi was asked if she was destined to hold the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Trophy again after pulling out that improbable victory. "I still had four matches to go," said Stasi. "I felt great after that match. [But] I had to get ready to play again. I'll obviously think about that round later today. I haven't been able to think about that round and what I did because I just had to stay focused all week. Just something came over me and I just continued to play well."

The above report is courtesy of the USGA. For more information, visit www.usga.org.