HARVARD, Massachusetts – Pam Kuong (Charles River Country Club) stood out amidst a competitive field during the first day of competition at the Massachusetts Women’s Senior Amateur Championship on Monday, navigating the terrain at Shaker Hills Country Club to end the round in solo first place.
The two-time Women’s Senior Amateur champion, who also made a run in match play at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur earlier this month, finished with a 1-stroke advantage heading into the final round on Tuesday.
In the early afternoon, Garland Kemper (Long Meadow Golf Club) took home the Division 2 title and Judy Corson (Sagamore Springs Golf Club) was the Legends Division 2 winner.
The championship returned for the first time since 2020. It is contested over 36 holes of stroke play in Division 1 and over 18 holes in Division 2. Legends winners and low-net winners are also recognized.
Kuong ended with a final score of 3-over 75 after edging out the rest of the field with a birdie on the 355-yard, par-5 18th hole. Kuong carded three total birdies throughout the afternoon, propelling her into first place despite facing a difficult, 5-hole stretch after she made the turn.
Kuong is poised to contend for her third consecutive and third overall Women’s Senior Amateur title tomorrow. The Wellesley Hills native won the 2019 and 2020 championships and was also named the 2020 and 2021 Mass Golf Women’s Senior Player of the Year.
Natalie Galligan (Pocasset Golf Club), Cheryl Krueger (Orchards Golf Club) and Kristen Henderson (Bedrock Golf Club) finished just behind Kuong with a 4-over 76. Galligan, the 2018 Women’s Senior Amateur Champion, said that a strong start and a recovery on the back nine allowed her to put herself in favorable position heading into Tuesday.
“Well the front nine, I felt that I put the ball in good positions, which is key on this course,” Galligan said. “It’s very much of a placement golf course, so I think that was what I did well in the front. Unfortunately on the back nine, I got in a little bit of trouble in the trees, but I recovered well, no worse than a bogey, so that always makes me feel good. I hit the ball pretty well and it’s just knowing the golf course and knowing where to hit it is the key.”
Galligan describes many of her career wins — including a title at the 1990 Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship — as come-from-behind victories. Heading into the final round in second place as the “underdog,” she feels she’s in an ideal spot to contend for a title.
“I love it,” she said. “I’m just happy to be in contention. I haven’t been in contention in a tournament a long time, so I think that’d be a lot of fun.”
Henderson moved herself into second position with a strong end to her round. After bogeying holes 12 and 14, she made par on 15 and 16 and birdied the final two holes. Krueger also made a late move to travel up the leaderboard with a key birdie on hole 15.
Mary Gale (Bedrock Golf Club) finished Day 1 with a 7-stroke advantage in the Legends Division 1 competition, shooting an 85.
Denise Rondeau (LPGA Amateurs Boston) leads the net competition with a 2-under 70, while Gayle Gaudreau (Shining Rock Golf Club) finished at 1-under.
Kemper carded a 92 for the Division 2 win after finishing several key holes at par to maintain her spot atop the leaderboard. Back-to-back pars on holes 11 and 12 after a challenging stretch on the two holes prior gave her an edge heading to the end of her round, which was enough to set her apart from the rest of the field.
Kemper finished four strokes ahead of Corson and Marylynne Silva (Rockport Golf Club). Corson and Silva tied for second with a 96 each. Corson made a late push up the standings by making par on her final three holes, the lowest total mark of the top five finishers on holes 16-18.
Donna McArthur (Juniper Hill Golf Course) and Anne Fleming (Duxbury Yacht Club) tied for fourth with 98s. A birdie on the par-3 13th hole put Fleming in contention for the top spot, while McArthur shot 1-over on the final three holes to round out the top five.
Corson also carded the lowest net score in Division 2 with a 1-under 71. Kemper and Elizabeth Wilson (William J Devine Golf Course) were one stroke back with net scores of even-par 72.
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