Senior Amateur

Senior Amateurs delicately poised as halfway cut made

The R&A

12 Jul 23

3 mins

No Australian has ever won the R&A Women’s Senior Amateur. Sue Wooster and Nadene Gole, the two leading senior women on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, are hoping to change that over the next 36 holes at Woodhall Spa.

Wooster, ranked 395th, holds a one-shot lead over Gole, the highest ranked women senior at 244th. New Zealander Brent Paterson and Sweden’s Mattias Pernheden are also hoping to record firsts for their respective countries. No Kiwi or Swedish names are etched on the R&A Men’s Amateur Trophy. Reigning Australian Senior Amateur champion Wooster returned a 2-over-par 74 around the Bracken Course to go with her opening level par 73 on the Hotchkin. She sits on 147 to Gole’s 148. England’s Jackie Foster is the closest home player. She is on 149.

Wooster holds on in the wind

“I’m glad that’s over,” Wooster said. “That was a very tough golf course.” Strong winds meant the Bracken was playing probably two/three shots harder than the par of 72. So hard that Wooster failed to make a birdie. “I can’t remember the last time that happened. I had a lot of chances, maybe six good chances, but I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole. “Today’s was a case of just grind out it out. I’m happy with my two days. I’ve played solid golf and just wish more putts had dropped.”

Aussie pair set-up tee time

Wooster and Gole will play the third round together. “How cool is it for two Aussies to be in the lead. We’ve played a lot of golf together and we’re good friends.” Gole has recorded back-to-back 74s. She began her second round with nine straight pars over the Bracken. She double bogeyed the 18th when she clattered her third shot into a tree 65 yards short of the green. “The course played long,” Gole said. “I played 17 really good golf holes and then just had that blip on the last. I knew when I played my practice round the golf course was going to be a test of patience, and it was.” Gole is a reinstated amateur after spending seven years on the Ladies European Tour. She won the 1996 Danish Ladies Open, but returned to Australia in 1997. She gave up the professional game to raise a family with husband Sam. She regained her amateur status in 2016 but only started taking senior amateur golf seriously a few years ago when they changed the senior amateur limit from 55 to 50. She’s made the best of her reinstated amateur status. She has three wins this year including the New Zealand Amateur Championship, which she won in March.

Nadene Gole - Australia

“The course played long. I played 17 really good golf holes and then just had that blip on the last. I knew when I played my practice round the golf course was going to be a test of patience, and it was.”

Paterson came up with a unique way to ward off the putting woes that hampered him in the opening round. He took his putter to bed with him. It worked. The 62-year-old made six birdies in a second round of 69, 3-under-par, over the Bracken Course to sit with Pernheden at the top of the leaderboard on 3-under 142. They’re a shot ahead of the field. “I shot 73 yesterday hitting 15 greens and making 36 putts,” Royal Auckland and Grange Golf member Paterson said. “I told a mate back home and he told me to take my putter to bed last night. I hit 16 greens today and made six birdies. Not sure I’ll be able to do that tonight because Mrs Patterson is coming to stay, and I don’t think she’ll appreciate my putter lying between us.” Paterson is making his championship debut after receiving advice from 2017 champion Bryan Hughes. Paterson is enjoying a good year. In February he won his fourth straight, and sixth overall, New Zealand Senior Amateur champion. However, his initial impression of Woodhall Spa was something of a culture shock. “I’m not used to this sort of golf, especially this sort of grass. The greens seems quite sticky to me and with a lot more grain, but I’m getting used to them.”

Debutants leading the way

Pernheden is also making his championship debut. The 2022 Swedish Senior Amateur champion added a 1-over 73 on the Bracken to his opening 69 over the Hotchkin to get to 3-under. “I’m very satisfied because I didn’t play too well before this,” the 57-year-old Gothenburg native said. “I’ve been putting well and that always helps. My goal was just to play 72 holes and see what happens. I’m looking forward to the next two days.” Pernheden is no stranger to winning big amateur championships. Aside from his national title last year, he won the 2019 European Senior Men’s Amateur. Canada’s Miles McConnell shot 67 on the Hotchkin, a best round of the week, to move to 2-under-par, one off the lead in a tie for third with Ireland’s Declan O’Neill.

Americans lurking on the leaderboard

Three recent American champions are in the hunt. Gene Elliott, winner of the 2021 championship at Ganton, is two shots off the lead on 1-under. Defending champion Mike McCoy and 2019 winner Craig Davis are a further shot behind.

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