Leta Lindley finished runner-up at the 2022 and 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open championships, falling by one stroke to Jill McGill two years ago at NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, and by one stroke again last year to England’s Trish Johnson at Waverly Country Club in Portand, Ore.
She wasn’t going to be denied Sunday at Fox Chapel Golf Club. Despite trailing third-round leader Kaori Yamamoto by five strokes heading into the final round, Lindley, a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., resident, roared into the lead on the front nine and extended her advantage down the home stretch for a two-stroke victory at 9-under-par.
It is her first United States Golf Association championship victory. “I can hardly believe it,” Lindley told NBC Sports shortly after receiving the first-place trophy on the 18th green. “I’ve been dreaming about this since before I turned 50 and thinking about winning this championship and coming close the last two years.
I spent the last year sitting on my couch looking at the place I wanted to put this trophy. I’ve had sticky notes on my mirror saying that I could do this and I could achieve this. I’ve been dreaming of this day for so long.
I can hardly believe it’s here.” Playing Sunday with three-time U.S.
Women’s Open champion and 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open titlist Annika Sorenstam in the second-to-last pairing, Lindley made her move to the front on the strength of five birdies in her first nine holes.
Yamamoto, who golfed Sunday with fellow countrywoman Mikino Kubo, bogeyed Nos. 5 and 6 to fall behind Lindley before parring No. 8 to move back within one stroke of the lead.
While Yamamoto bogeyed Nos. 13 and 14, Lindley birdied No. 14.
Lindley then birdied No. 15 with a 20-foot putt to give her a comfortable four-stroke lead with three holes to play. She parred the final three holes to close the day with a 7-under 64.
“This championship means a lot to all of us,” Lindley said. “To think about the women who came over from Japan just to qualify and these great competitors, Annika and Juli (Inkster) and so many more, to win walking the fairways with Annika today, my former (college) teammate and roommate, means so much. This is just extra special.
” Yamamoto, a Japan native playing her first U.S. Senior Women’s Open tournament, shot even-par Sunday to finish 7-under.
She recovered from the bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14 that all but put her out of title contention to finish strong with birdies on Nos. 17 and 18.
“I have gained a lot of confidence this week,” Yamamoto said. “I am currently playing in mini tours in Japan with the young players and also the senior tour, what we call the Legends Tour in Japan. I haven’t been playing well on the younger tour, but with the experience that I had here, I feel a little more confident that I can make (putts) I haven’t been making.
So I am a little more confident about that and more positive about going into the tournaments.” Japan’s Nobuko Kizawa, who was in the third-to-last pairing with former U.S.
Open Women’s champion Juli Inkster, started Sunday at even-par but parlayed a bogey and four birdies into a 3-under final round to take third overall. Sorenstam was 1-over through her first nine holes Sunday to fall back to 1-under. But she gained a stroke back with a scintillating 60-foot putt for birdie from 12 feet off the green on No.
12 that electrified the gallery. Sorenstam went on to shoot an even-par 71 Sunday to finish fourth overall at 2-under. “Sad that the championship is over, but I’d like to congratulate Leta on an amazing performance today,” said Sorenstam, who posted the birdie on No.
12 along with eight pars on her back nine. “I had front-row seats, as you know. She played incredible, especially around the front, and then just kept the momentum going.
It was a beautiful showing. I’m super happy for her. “I’m disappointed in myself, but having said that, she played extremely well today.
It just wasn’t enough. I missed some short putts out there, which is always disappointing, but I tried to fight until the end. It was one of those days that didn’t really go my way.
” Mikino Kubo, in second place after three rounds, shot 1-over Sunday and placed fifth at 1-under, one stroke ahead of Inkster (even) in sixth. The top 50 scores and ties from the first two rounds made it to the weekend. That included Fox Chapel graduate Michele (Michanowicz) Thompson.
Playing with her son, Jordan, by her side as her caddie, Thompson finished tied for 54th at 23-over. She was 11-over on Sunday. “I just couldn’t let myself play,” she said of Sunday’s final round.
“I was nervous. I was waiting for things to relax and have it just happen. It came a little bit, and then it went.
” But Thompson said it was a great experience representing the area on a course as challenging and as picturesque as Fox Chapel Golf Club. Next year’s U.S.
Senior Women’s Open will be Aug. 21-24 at San Diego Country Club. The top 20 and ties will earn exemptions to next year’s championship.
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