If the headline looks familiar, chances are you read a similar story last year.
At the 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, Lara Tennant defeated Australia’s Sue Wooster 3 and 2 to capture the title at Orchard Island Golf and Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla.
Tennant, of Portand, Ore., won by the same margin on Thursday at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to claim consecutive titles and win the first-ever rematch in U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur history.
“It feels — at this point I’m still in shock,” Tennant said after the match, noting her swing wasn’t as crisp as last year. “I do think the second time may be a little harder than the first because you understand how fun it is to win a USGA Championship, how the year ahead is very exciting as a result.”
U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur: Scoring
Tennant, whose father caddied for her for the second consecutive year, went on to praise her opponent, who only thought she could return to the final match if the “stars aligned.”
“Sue is a tough competitor and a fabulous golfer,” said Tennant. “Last year I honestly apologized to Sue for beating her because I really — at this point in the game when you’ve played ten rounds in eight days you’re both exhausted, you both worked hard, you both played well. I wish both of us could have won. I wish the same for this year. I really had to not be distracted and just focus on my game. You don’t get many opportunities to be in the finals of the USGA Championship. When you do get there, you have to put your best foot forward and hope for the best.”
The last time there was a rematch in any USGA championship was 2013 and 2014 when Julia Potter-Bobb and Margaret Starosto battled at back-to-back U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur championships.
The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala., will host the 2020 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. After another runner-up finish, Wooster receives a three-year exemption for the event, while Tennant earned another 10-year exemption and possession of the championship trophy for one more year. Both finalists are also exempt into the 2020 U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
