Around the Green

Marilyn Hardy Leads 33rd Women’s Senior Stroke Play

Arlington — Magnolia’s Marilyn Hardy shot a 4-over 76 in Wednesday’s second round to take the lead at the Women’s Senior Stroke Play. Hardy, the 2011 champion of this event, will look to claim her second title on Thursday at Shady Valley Country Club. She sits two ahead of San Antonio’s Kelley Nittoli who sits at 9-over for the championship.

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Leaders: In Wednesday’s second round, Hardy rolled in two birdies on her even-par front nine before going 4-over on the back. She sits at 7-over for the championship. Nittoli, who sits two shots back, played steady golf on Wednesday outside of a triple-bogey on the par-4 fourteenth hole at Shady Valley.

Nittoli has come close before in this event finishing runner-up in 2020 and in a tie for fourth last year. She spoke about what it would mean to win on Thursday.

“I would love to win it because I’ve been runner-up a couple times before,” said Nittoli. “It would be great to be the Senior champion, for sure.”

Austin’s Anna Morales, last years’ runner-up, occupies the third spot at 13-over for the championship behind a 9-over 81 in the second round. Sugar Land’s Cindy Gilkeson sits in fourth at 14-over for the championship after a 11-over 83. Rounding out the top five is Heath’s Anna Schultz at 15-over.

Flights Division Update: In the Flights Division, Athens’ Lori Daniels held onto her round one lead by shooting a second round 12-over 84. She leads Plano’s Sara Nelson and Georgetown’s Joanna Davis by three shots heading into the final round. Dallas’ Jan Rapp shot her second consecutive 12-over 84 to put herself in fourth. The Flights Division has been divided into three flights based on 36-hole scores for Thursday’s final round.

Founders Cup: The Woodlands Country Club took home this year’s Founders Cup. The Founders Cup is awarded to the club with the two lowest combined net scores from Round 1. Representing The Woodlands Country Club was Margaret Bosman and Lorraine Werner. The club posted a net score of even-par for Round 1.     

Course: Shady Valley Country Club is a privately owned club in Arlington that was founded in 1959 by golf enthusiast Howard Wilemon, Jr. The par-71 course is fun and challenging as it features a tight layout and stays true to its name with many trees. This is the first TGA event Shady Valley has hosted.

Tournament Info: The Women’s Senior Stroke Play is in its 33rd year on the schedule and is the second to last event for the women on the 2022 TGA schedule. Mina Hardin captured the victory last year at Ridgewood Country Club. The championship is a 54-hole stroke play competition. The 16 players with the lowest handicap indexes at the Women’s Senior Stroke Play will be required to play from the Championship Tees (approx. 5500-5700 yards). All other players may select which tees they wish to play from – the Championship Tees or the Flights Tees (approx. 5100-5300 yards). Upon completion of Round 2, the field will be broken into flights based on 36-hole scores.

POY Points Race: Player of the Year points will be awarded to the top ten finishers of the championship division for the Senior Player of the Year race. The champion will earn 500 points towards the honor followed by 450 for runner-up, 400 for third, 350 for fourth and 300 for fifth.

What’s Next: The final round will tee off from Shady Valley at 9:00 AM on Thursday morning. After this, one more event remains on the TGA’s schedule for the women in 2022. The Women’s Texas Pinehurst will take place on Nov. 7-8 at Indian Creek Golf Club in Carrollton.

About the TGA: The Texas Golf Association was established in 1906 with a mission to promote the playing and advancement of the royal and ancient game of golf in Texas. The association is one of the most respected in the country with an ongoing commitment to its members, contestants, volunteers and all who strive to preserve the great traditions of the game.

For More information about the Women’s Senior Stroke Play, click here. To see all the scores from Shady Valley Country Club, click here.