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FINAL ROUND SCORES AND CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
WAYNESBORO –– Ridgeway's Fran Hensley calmly converted a two-putt par from 25 feet on the first extra hole, the par-5 18th to win the 13th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Women's Stroke Play Championship, which concluded today at Waynesboro Country Club (5,422 yards, par 37-36—73).
Hensley posted a final round 6-over-par 79 and outlasted Portsmouth Cindy Morris (76) and Alexandria’s Shelley Savage (79) after all three competitors finished at 8-over 154. Three others – Sherry Bowman of Manassas, Richmond’s Boodie McGurn and Salem’s Sara Cole – each closed with 75 and finished a stroke off the pace.
 On the first extra hole, faced with an uphill lie on her 145-yard third shot, Hensley played for a slight draw and picked out a small target, in this case a tree branch in the distance, to start her shot. Hensley executed the right-to-left approach just as she planned and the ball and was the only competitor of the three to find the putting surface. Savage bunkered her third shot, while Morris came up short in the thick rough on the right side 20 yards short of the green. After Hensley cozied her slippery birdie putt to 2 feet for an eventual par, both Savage and Morris narrowly missed their par attempts.
Hensley claimed her second VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke title, having also triumphed in 2001. At 66, Hensley quips that she’s a “mature senior citizen,” but it’s clear that she still knows full well how to win.
“I will just say that I played as hard as I possibly could and tried to stay mentally in the game,” said Hensley, a VSGA member at Forest Park Country Club in Martinsville. “It’s very special given the stage of maturity I find myself in. You have to work through that and I am certainly not the only one who has aches and pains. You have to tell yourself, ‘I feel good,’ and keep going.”
Hensley, who plays at a refreshingly quick pace, meticulously navigated her way around a layout that features smallish, well-protected putting surfaces along with tangly rough, ultimately rewarding strategy over power. After starting the inward half with a bogey, double-bogey, Hensley played the final seven holes in one under par. She knocked home a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-4 13th hole, made nerve-ratting 3 footers for par at the next two holes to gain a share of the lead and drained a 7-footer uphill par-saver at the par-4 16th to stay tied for the top spot.
Over the closing seven holes, Hensley played all the winning shots, hitting every fairway and missing only one green. A retired principal, Hensley has learned that some of the same attributes required to manage the dynamics of a school are needed on the golf course.
“You have to have patience in golf. When you work with children, you have to have patience,” Hensley said. “You have to stay mentally in the game – all the time.”
Savage was two over for the championship after eight holes, but found the rough on three straight occasions from Nos. 9-11 and played that three-hole stretch in four over par. Morris played Nos. 12-18 in even par, but could only lament missed birdie opportunities throughout the round.
“I probably putted for birdie from 12 feet or less on seven or eight holes, they just wouldn’t go in,” Morris said.
Other flight winners were: Roanoke’s Valeta Pittman in flight two, Broadway’s Marijo Wood in flight three and Charlotte McComas of Oak Hill in flight four.
WAYNESBORO –– Results from the final round of the 13th VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship at Waynesboro Country Club (5,422 yards, par 37-36—73) on Thursday, June 3.
FIRST FLIGHT
* – Fran Hensley (Ridgeway), 75-79—154 (overall champion)
Cindy Morris (Portsmouth), 78-76—154 (first flight winner)
Shelley Savage (Alexandria), 75-79—154 (first flight runner-up)
Sherry Bowman (Manassas), 80-75—155
Boodie McGurn (Richmond), 80-75—155
Sara Cole (Salem), 80-75—155 (flight winner – net – with a net score of 145)
Arline Hoffman (Alexandria), 82-75—157
Dot Bolling (Salem), 78-80—158 (flight runner-up – net – with a net score of 148)
Mimi Hoffman (Springfield), 76-91—167
Jackie Baxter (Virginia Beach), 81-81—163
Peggy Woodard (Virginia Beach), 83-81—164
Susan Podolsky (Alexandria), 85-80—165
Linda DiVall (Alexandria), 83-82—165
Lindsay Wortham (Richmond), 81-85—166
Virginia Wells (Williamsburg), 84-84—168
Nora Klein (Leesburg), 89-91—180
* – denotes won the championship with a par on the first extra hole, the par-5 18th hole.
SECOND FLIGHT
Valeta Pittman (Roanoke), 81-79—160 (second flight winner)
Barbara Blosser (Williamsburg), 82-84—166 (second flight runner-up)
Marilyn Bussey (Roanoke), 91-86—177 (flight winner – net – with a net score of 151)
Anne Gordon Greever (Richmond), 88-89—177 (flight runner – net – with a net score of 155)
Diana Strickler (Charlottesville), 91-87—178
Jo Ann Combs (Barhamsville), 93-87—180
Murph Williams (Harrisonburg), 90-90—180
Susan Munoz (Leesburg), 89-93—182
Kit Davis (Salem), 90-94—184
Janet Cochrane (Cloverdale), 96-91—187
Betty Carneal (Williamsburg), 92-95—187
Isabelle Bunch (Irvington), 92-97—189
Cindy Salyer (Floyd), 94-96—190
THIRD FLIGHT
Marijo Wood (Broadway), 84-91—175 (third flight winner)
Wanda Flora (Roanoke), 97-87—184 (third flight runner-up)
Linda Lumsden (South Boston), 94-93—187 (flight runner-up – net – with a net score of 157)
Audrey Watson (Staunton), 97-94—191 (flight winner – net – with a net score of 157)
Bernie Light (Aldie), 99-93—192
Julie Light (Roanoke), 97-95—192
Wanda Blackwell (Floyd), 98-95—193
Jackie Turner (Virginia Beach), 101-93—194
Sally Smallwood (Herndon), 95-99—194
Mollie Sellers (Harrisonburg), 91-104—195
Juanita Petrone (Dublin), 102-95—197
Deborah McCune (McLean), 100-99—199
Linda Westfall (Nellysford), 97-102—199
Sarah Robertson (Nellysford), 98-103—201
Fran Wray (Staunton), 111-108—219
FOURTH FLIGHT
Charlotte McComas (Oak Hill), 99-99—198 (fourth flight winner)
Barbara Fleming (Virginia Beach), 100-99—199 (fourth flight runner-up)
Leeann Carolla (Herndon), 102-102—204 (flight winner – net – with a net score of 154)
Mary Blair (Alexandria), 104-101—205
Cheryl Crellin (Ashburn), 104-102—206 (flight runner-up – net – with a net score of 154)
Charlene Clancy (Sterling), 104-109—213
Neysa Simmers (Fishersville), 113-103—216
Ann Hoffer (McLean), 108-110—218
Marilee Johnson (Arlington), 108-110—218
Betty McDonough (Staunton), 110-116—226
Judy Bear (Herndon), 117-117—234
Janice Esser (Reston), 113-126—239
Betty Lucente (Waynesboro), 121-128—249
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