Higgins, Tennant share medalist honors at U.S. Senior Women's Am
9/11/2021 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for U.S. Senior Women's Amateur, The Omni Homestead Resort
Field trimmed to 64 as match play commences on Sunday
Two-time defending champion Lara Tennant of Eugene, Ore. and Gigi Higgins of Cape Coral, Fla. shared medalist honors in the 59th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship being played at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala.
The two golfers finished 36-holes of stroke play at 1-under 143, while seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port of St. Louis finished two back at 145. Tennant and Higgins were the only two players in the field to finish under par during stroke play.
Tennant went out in even par on Saturday, picked up birdies on holes 10 and 11 and made a bogey on the 14th for a second round 71. After opening the tournament with four bogeys on her first six holes on Friday, Tennant has played the last 30 holes on the Dogwood Course at 5-under par.
It's also the second time Tennant earned medalist honors at the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur after doing so on her home course, Waverly Country Club in 2017. She lost in the Round of 64 that year but hasn't lost since, winning 12 matches and en route to championships in 2018 and '19. She will enter match play as the No. 1 seed.
“I didn’t have medalist on my mind at any moment,” said Tennant. “I’m just happy to get to know the course a little bit better. It’s a matter of figuring out the greens and even the wind a little bit, which seemed to change from yesterday.”
Higgins, the 2016 Florida State Golf Association Senior Player of the Year, made a strong move up the leaderboard into prime seeding position for match play. The 58-yer-old made the turn at 1-under par and birdied four of her first five holes on her incoming nine to get to 5-under on the day. She gave two shots back with bogeys on 15 and 18.
“My goal was just to make the cut, keep moving on,” said Higgins. “I knew I had made a few birdies, but I wasn’t paying attention; I was just playing the ball.”
Port, who is looking for her fourth U.S. Senior Women's Amateur title, has made just three birdies in 36 holes but has not made many mistakes, either. The St. Louis resident grinded out an even par round of 72 on Saturday to finish the stroke play portion of the tournament at 145 (+1) and will enter match play as the No. 3 seed.
Susan Cohn, 58, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., is the No. 4 seed after rounds of 71-75. First-round leader Kathy Hartwiger, of Birmingham, Ala., the 2002 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, followed her 3-under 69 with a 6-over 78 on Saturday for the No. 5 seed, while Amy Ellertson, of Free Union, Va., (70-77) also shot 3-over 147 for the No. 6 seed.
Five players completed 36 holes at 19-over 163 and played off for the final three spots in the match-play bracket. Two players – Angie Whitley Coleman (No. 62 seed) and Jennifer Hoyt (No. 63 seed) – parred the first playoff hole (the par-3 17th) to make it into the bracket, leaving three players for one spot. They will complete the second playoff hole, the par-4 18th, on Sunday at 7:30 a.m.
The Round of 64 begins on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. CDT. There will be two rounds each on Monday and Tuesday, ending with the 18-hole championship match on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. CDT.
The USGA contributed to this report
The two golfers finished 36-holes of stroke play at 1-under 143, while seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port of St. Louis finished two back at 145. Tennant and Higgins were the only two players in the field to finish under par during stroke play.
Tennant went out in even par on Saturday, picked up birdies on holes 10 and 11 and made a bogey on the 14th for a second round 71. After opening the tournament with four bogeys on her first six holes on Friday, Tennant has played the last 30 holes on the Dogwood Course at 5-under par.
It's also the second time Tennant earned medalist honors at the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur after doing so on her home course, Waverly Country Club in 2017. She lost in the Round of 64 that year but hasn't lost since, winning 12 matches and en route to championships in 2018 and '19. She will enter match play as the No. 1 seed.
“I didn’t have medalist on my mind at any moment,” said Tennant. “I’m just happy to get to know the course a little bit better. It’s a matter of figuring out the greens and even the wind a little bit, which seemed to change from yesterday.”
Higgins, the 2016 Florida State Golf Association Senior Player of the Year, made a strong move up the leaderboard into prime seeding position for match play. The 58-yer-old made the turn at 1-under par and birdied four of her first five holes on her incoming nine to get to 5-under on the day. She gave two shots back with bogeys on 15 and 18.
“My goal was just to make the cut, keep moving on,” said Higgins. “I knew I had made a few birdies, but I wasn’t paying attention; I was just playing the ball.”
Port, who is looking for her fourth U.S. Senior Women's Amateur title, has made just three birdies in 36 holes but has not made many mistakes, either. The St. Louis resident grinded out an even par round of 72 on Saturday to finish the stroke play portion of the tournament at 145 (+1) and will enter match play as the No. 3 seed.
Susan Cohn, 58, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., is the No. 4 seed after rounds of 71-75. First-round leader Kathy Hartwiger, of Birmingham, Ala., the 2002 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, followed her 3-under 69 with a 6-over 78 on Saturday for the No. 5 seed, while Amy Ellertson, of Free Union, Va., (70-77) also shot 3-over 147 for the No. 6 seed.
Five players completed 36 holes at 19-over 163 and played off for the final three spots in the match-play bracket. Two players – Angie Whitley Coleman (No. 62 seed) and Jennifer Hoyt (No. 63 seed) – parred the first playoff hole (the par-3 17th) to make it into the bracket, leaving three players for one spot. They will complete the second playoff hole, the par-4 18th, on Sunday at 7:30 a.m.
What's NextMajor @CurtisCup influence at this week's #USSeniorWomensAm!
— USGA (@USGA) September 11, 2021
Captains Ellen Port (2014), Carol Semple Thompson (2006, 2008), Sarah Ingram (2020, 2021), Pat Cornett (2012) and Martha Lang (1996), along with Brenda Kuehn, who have combined to compete in 22 #CurtisCup Matches.
The Round of 64 begins on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. CDT. There will be two rounds each on Monday and Tuesday, ending with the 18-hole championship match on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. CDT.
The USGA contributed to this report
About the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur
The USGA Senior Women's Amateur is open to female golfers with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 14.4, who will have reached their 50th birthday on or before the first day of the championship. It is one of 14 national championships conducted annual...
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners
Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio
Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.