WALLINGFORD, Pa. – National championship experience between Kimberly Palko of and Penrose “Rosie” O’Donnell is short. In U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifying Monday, their competitive resumes didn’t matter. The pair carded rounds of 5-over-par 76 to earned co-medalist honors at The Springhaven Club (par 71, 5,563 yards).
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“I’m thrilled,” Palko, who celebrates her 52nd birthday today, said. “I just wanted to qualify. My goal was just to be in the top six.”
“I was coming out here to just keep my head down and try to play solid golf,” O’Donnell, also 52, said. “I’m really over the moon about qualifying. It’s not necessarily what I expected.”
Allison Long of Coatesville, Pa. (77), Debbie Johnson of Shelton, Conn. (79) and Sarah Phillips-Durst of Pinehurst, N.C. (79) advanced in regulation. Maricel Gorczynski of Branchburg, N.J. advanced via a three-for-one playoff for the final qualifying position.
The cutline stopped at 80.
The 64th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur will take place Sept. 26 – Oct. 1 at Portland Golf Club in Portland, Ore.
Palko, of Alexandria, Va., who made her first USGA-championship appearance in last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Am, has been chasing the feeling ever since
“[Last year’s championship] was different than anything else I’ve ever experienced,” Palko said. “It’s just a whole other level of golf. You see all the players, and you see the way the USGA has everything set up. They do a fantastic job.”
The Springhaven qualifier fit into Palko’s schedule the best. An affinity for Philadelphia-area golf also played a role. Palko spent five years as a member of the Philadelphia Cricket Club before moving to the Washington D.C. area for work. The outcome of her trip made for the perfect birthday present Monday.
She opened her front nine with 3-over-par 38. She bettered her score in relation to par on the back nine by one. She sweetened her round with a birdie on each nine.
On No. 8 (par 5, 496 yards) she stopped a 60-degree from 55 yards to six feet. On No. 10 (par 4, 338 yards) she hit a utility wedge from 90 yards to four feet.
“I just went out there trying to stay patient,” Palko said. “I knew with the rough and with the sand traps and some of the undulating greens that it was just going to take patience. I had a couple numbers that were higher than I wanted, but I just refocused and tried to hit the next fairway.”
Palko’s game is trending in a positive direction. She has two Women’s District of Columbia Golf Association (WDCGA) victories under her belt this year. The first came in a one-day event at River Creek Club. The other came in the WDCGA Senior Championship at Kenwood Golf & Country Club.
Palko said her recent golf focus is on keeping it all together. She plans to work on her sand shots and hitting her longer clubs ahead of the Championship proper.
Monday’s performance marked O’Donnell’s first time making it through USGA qualifying. The Yarmouth, Maine resident played in last year’s GAP-administered qualifier at Tavistock Country Club. There, she shot 93 and finished in a tie for last place.
She brought a far more refined game Monday. Her sister, Mimi McAndrew, is partly to thank.
“My sister just qualified for the (U.S. Women’s) Mid.-Am., and she is such an inspiration to me.” O’Donnell said. “She’s been teaching me a lot about stroke-play events.”
Playing each round shot-by-shot and not letting a bad hole ruin the round have been recent areas of education between the sisters.
O’Donnell also gave special credit to her caddie Ellen Breighner whom O’Donnell met for the first time Monday. Breighner is a Gulph Mills Golf Club caddie. O’Donnell’s husband’s college roommate, a Gulph Mills member, connected the two.
“Today, my putts were rolling in,” O’Donnell said. “Ellen was giving me lines that were phenomenal. I just followed her instructions.”
The Pine Tree Stater selected the Springhaven qualifier for a specific reason.
“It’s late in the summer, and I love all the warming up that I can get in,” O’Donnell said. “In Maine, our summer starts late.”
Whether it was the timing of this year’s qualifier, or simply a good day on the Ida-Dixon designed layout. O’Donnell had the right strategy.
She characterized her birdie on No. 18 (par 4, 350 yards) as a pivotal hole on her scorecard. She conquered Springhaven’s closer by canning a 5-footer after a 7-iron approach from 130 yards.
Putting, chipping and long-game practice will become O’Donnell’s focus as she preps for the Championship proper.
Long, a Honeybrook Golf Club member, qualified for her 11th USGA championship Monday. Her bogey-free front nine earned her the invitation.
“The three other times I qualified [for the U.S. Senior Women’s Am] I was in my 50s,” Long, 64, said. “I really didn’t think I was going to be able to do it again, so I’m super psyched.”
She said an exacting putting performance was an integral part of her round.
GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 130,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
| Qualifiers | |
| Name, City, State | Score |
| Kimberly Palko, Alexandria, Va. | 76 |
| Penrose O’Donnell, Yarmouth, Maine | 76 |
| Allison Long, Coatesville, Pa. | 77 |
| Debbie Johnson, Shelton, Conn. | 79 |
| Sarah Phillips-Durst, Pinehurst, N.C. | 79 |
| Maricel Gorczynski, Branchburg, N.J. | 80 |
| Alternates (in order) | |
| Angie Whitley Coleman, Wilmington, Del. | 80 |
| Karen Siegel, Maple Glen, Pa. | 80 |
| Failed to qualify | |
| Aidong Ma, Bridgewater, N.J. | 82 |
| Binney Wietlisbach, Wayne, Pa. | 82 |
| Lisa Day, Coatesville, Pa. | 82 |
| Judy Cuttone, Bernardsville, N.J. | 82 |
| Mariana Mindlin, Argentina | 83 |
| Stephenie Harris, Furlong, Pa. | 83 |
| Donna Young, Ewing, N.J. | 84 |
| Cheryl Hart, Bridgewater, N.J. | 85 |
| Monica Pedano, Wayne, Pa. | 85 |
| Lisa Short, Atlanta, Ga. | 85 |
| Alicia A Kapheim, Pennington, N.J. | 88 |
| Colleen Edelman, Ho Ho Kus, N.J. | 88 |
| Clara Koh, New York, N.Y. | 89 |
| Sandy Abbott, Doylestown, Pa. | 91 |
| Jung Priolo, Ambler, Pa. | 92 |
| Linda Erkert-Bullock, Milford, N.J. | 95 |
