Florida’s Higgins Leads 37th Women’s Southern Amateur after 36-Holes

Briefly: Florida’s Gigi Higgins fired a second round even-par 72 to take the 36-hole lead in the Championship Division at the 37th Women’s Southern Amateur. North Carolina native Patty Moore leads the Tournament Division by three strokes after shooting the low round of 6-over 78 on Tuesday.

Full Leaderboard

Leaders: Gigi Higgins leads the Championship Division by a single stroke heading into the final round. Higgins, who began Tuesday’s round six shots back from the lead, got off to a rocky start with three bogeys on her front nine. She made the turn at 3-over and added an additional bogey on the par 4 tenth hole when her round took a dramatic shift after a birdie on the par-5 twelfth hole. Higgins blistered the back nine with a 3-under 33 after rolling in three back-to-back birdies to get back to even. Patty Moore bested her first-round score with the Tournament Division low round of 78 to take the lead by three strokes. Starting on the back nine, she played a consistent round combining one birdie and three bogeys to make the turn at 2-over 38. On the other side, Moore combined her birdie on the par 4 fifth hole with one double bogey and two bogeys.

In Contention: In the Championship Division, Kelley Nittoli of Texas sits just one back from the lead after matching Higgins’ even-par round of 72. Two shots back from the lead is Tennessee’s Erica Chappell who carded a 3-over 75 for a tournament total of 153. Defending Champion Kathy Hartwiger of Alabama and Laura Coble of Georgia trail the lead by three strokes, making for a thrilling final round tomorrow at Woodside Country Club. In the Tournament Division, Sherri Vogel of South Carolina sits three back from the lead after carding a 10-over 82, matching the first-round low score. First round leader, Bonnie Fry of Maryland is five back strokes from the lead after shooting a 14-over 82 for a tournament total of 168.

Golf Course: The Women’s Southern Senior Amateur has returned to Woodside Country Club, located in Aiken, South Carolina for the second time, first in 2007 and again in 2022. Woodside originally opened in 1987 with 18 holes designed by Rees Jones. The club completed an expansion in the spring of 1991, bringing the Woodside Member an additional 18 holes built by Bob Cupp, where this competition is being contested.

Weather: Temperatures began this morning again in the high 40s but with the sun showing itself early during the round, playing conditions improved tremendously for the second round. The temperature in the second half of the round reached the high 60s with winds around 9mph.

Tournament Format: Entry to the WSGA Senior Championship is open to amateur golfers who have reached their 50th birthday by October 3, have a USGA handicap index of no more than 23.5, and are members of the WSGA through a WSGA member golf club or a women’s golf organization located within the 15 Southern states and the District of Columbia. Scheduled for 54-holes of stroke play, the WSGA Senior Amateur will feature two sets of tees to separate the Championship Division and Tournament Division. The Championship Division will play from 5,700 yards while the Tournament Division will play from 5,300 yards. After 36-holes, both Divisions will be divided into flights of round.

Women’s Southern Golf Association: The first WSGA Senior Amateur was held in 1986 and won by Nita McMaster from Florida. Now in its 37th year, the event continues to attract some of the southern state’s most elite female amateur golfers. Southern states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Next Up: The final round of the Women’s Southern Senior is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun on Wednesday, October 5th. To see the pairings for the final round, click here. To see all the scores from Woodside Country Club – Cupp Course, click here.

For more information on the Women’s Southern Senior Amateur, click here.