On Saturday, Oct. 3, 134 golfers will begin play in the 29th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Squire Creek Country Club, a 6,061-yard, par-72 layout designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2002. Each competitor will play 36 holes of stroke play (18 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday), with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play beginning on Monday. The 18-hole championship match is scheduled for Thursday. Here are some notable groupings and starting times for the stroke-play rounds (all times CDT):
Saturday, 9:30 a.m., Hole No. 10; Sunday, 2 p.m., Hole No. 1: Margaret Shirley, Roswell, Ga.; Carmen Titus, Kansas City, Mo.; Sarah Davison, Choudrant, La.
Shirley, 29, begins defense of her title she claimed last fall at Harbour Trees Golf Club in suburban Indianapolis. The executive director of Atlanta Junior Golf will be playing in her third USGA championship of the year – she competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in August at Portland (Ore.) Golf Club and was a member of the victorious Georgia team in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship in early September at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Davison, 35, will have a distinct home-course advantage as she is a member of Squire Creek and has registered two holes-in-one on the course. Titus, 28, is a dental hygienist making her third Women’s Mid-Amateur appearance.
Saturday, 9 a.m., Hole No. 10; Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Hole No. 1: Julia Potter, Granger, Ind.; Morgan Jackson, Seminole, Fla.; Julie Massa, Holt, Mich.
Two years ago, Potter, 27, became the first female left-handed USGA champion when she edged Margaret Shirley in 19 holes at Biltmore Forest Country Club in Asheville, N.C. The marketing director for the Indiana Golf Office lost to Shirley in last year’s final, marking only the third rematch of the previous year’s finalists in USGA championship history. Massa, 52, is no stranger to USGA events. This will be her 12th appearance and eighth in the Women’s Mid-Amateur. Jackson, 25, is making her first Women’s Mid-Amateur appearance. The 2012 Jacksonville (Fla.) University graduate lettered in 17 varsity sports in high school, including four her senior year (golf, basketball, soccer and track).
Saturday, 8:30 a.m., Hole No. 1; Sunday, 1 p.m., Hole No. 10: Meghan Stasi, Oakland Park, Fla.; Susan West, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Deborah Anderson, La Quinta, Calif.
Stasi, 37, is seeking a record fifth U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur title and her first since 2012. The 2000 Tulane University graduate was a Division I college coach at the University of Mississippi from 2000-07 and now owns a restaurant with her husband, Danny. Anderson, 64, is a certified financial planner who is competing in her eighth Women’s Mid-Amateur. She lost in the semifinals of the 2006 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. West, 51, was a quarterfinalist in last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. She is a retired CEO of the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission.
Saturday, 8:10 a.m., Hole No. 10; Sunday, 12:40 p.m., Hole No. 1: Martha Leach, Hebron, Ky.; Patricia Cornett, Mill Valley, Calif., Jessica Marksbury, Calimesa, Calif.
Leach, 53, won the 2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, beating Laura Coble at Golden Hills Golf & Turf Club in Ocala, Fla. Leach comes from a golf family. Her sister, Hollis Stacy, is a six-time USGA champion and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Cornett, 61, was the runner-up in the inaugural U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in 1987 and captained the 2012 USA Curtis Cup Team at The Nairn Golf Club in Scotland. Marksbury, 30, is competing in her first USGA championship. The 2007 Columbia University graduate is an associate editor for Golf.com and has served the USGA as a video reporter at various championships, including the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and 2015 Walker Cup Match.
Saturday, 1:40 p.m., Hole No. 1; Sunday, 9:10 a.m., Hole No. 10: Robin Burke, Houston, Texas; Tama Caldabaugh, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Casey Ward, Canada
Burke, 53, was the runner-up in the 1997 U.S. Women’s Amateur and has been chosen by the USGA to captain the 2016 USA Curtis Cup Team. She has competed in nearly 40 USGA championships, including three U.S. Women’s Opens, and is the wife of 1956 Masters and PGA champion Jack Burke Jr. Caldabaugh, 51, is making her fourth U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur appearance and is an ovarian cancer survivor, having overcome the disease two years ago following chemotherapy. Ward, 25, is making her first USGA championship appearance and recently obtained her master’s degree in biomechanics from Cal State-Fullerton, with her primary focus on golf biomechanics. She also served as a volunteer assistant coach at CSF under head coach Pearl Sinn-Bonanni, a three-time USGA champion.
David Shefter is a senior staff writer for the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.