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COVERAGE: Lindley Wins U.S. Senior Women’s Open In Record Fashion

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4 months ago

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Photo credit: Chris Pohl/Pittsburgh Golf Now

FOX CHAPEL, Pa. — For the last two years, Leta Lindley has been a runner up at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, but throughout her time at home she utilized Post-It Notes as reminders to herself to finish her story.

‘You can do this.’

‘Why not you?’

‘Dare to dream.’

These affirmations were initially spread across her mirror, but made the trip to Pittsburgh and were posted front and center on her calendar this week.

For three years she envisioned herself lifting the U.S. Senior Women’s Open trophy. She did it for real Sunday at Fox Chapel Golf Club, triumphing by two shots over runner-up Kaori Yamamoto.

“I’ve been dreaming about this day for so long, three years now (since) I turned 50, and I’ve imagined myself hoisting this trophy and winning this championship, and I dared to dream big,” Lindley explained. “It’s just so satisfying to stand here now as your champion.”

Lindley’s triumph was a true family affair as her husband Matt Plagmann was on the bag for his “one start a year” and college-aged son Cole, who started playing gofl three months ago, was with his mother as well.

“Coming into today, Sunday, five shots back and to win by two is incredible,” Cole weighed in. “The whole day I could not contain my excitement. It was the coolest day of my life.”

Lindley also spoke on the phone with her daughter Reese who could not make it for the event and the call left her in tears.

While the win itself was “the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae” as far as her playing career goes, it was clear just how much having family present helped Lindley prevail.

“(Cole is) such a great kid,” she deduced. “Both my kids are so great. He picked up golf. He’s just kicking himself that he didn’t pick it up sooner. It’s fun to see him enjoy the game, and I think now he has a greater appreciation for not only what I do but what his father does.

“Kind of the running joke in the house was that daddy just carries the bag, which is just so not true. He literally is the right half of me. He knows exactly what to say to me to bring out the best in me on the golf course and off the golf course. He really is a secret weapon and my 15th club in the bag. So, I share this with him, and all the hard work — we did this together.”

Lindley’s round of 64 is the lowest ever in the six-year history of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, besting the previous record of 66 set earlier in the week. She also hit all 18 greens, 12 of 14 fairways and her 1.61 putts per hole were a fourth-round best.

“I don’t know that anybody would have thought to write that kind of story for me,” offered Lindley. “I’ve always been an underdog player, sneaky, under the radar. I have dared to dream so much bigger this season than I did when I was playing on the LPGA Tour. That’s a pretty amazing feat, and I’m proud. I knew if I played like I was capable of that I would possibly hold this trophy one day.”

Following the triumph, Lindley explained how after leaving the LPGA Tour in 2012, she thought she was done with golf, but it was teaching which brought her back.

Lindley started Sunday five shots back of Kaori Yamamoto, who led in each of the first three rounds but struggled to read green speeds in the final round, repeatedly leaving putts short.

Lindley took this opportunity to birdie four of the first six holes, to claim a one-shot lead as Yamamoto played the same stretch at plus-2. Lindley would add another circle on the eighth hole for good measure.

Yamamoto then had to experience a new role within the tournament as a chaser. She would be able to match the birdie on eight and then stuck her approach shot on the par-3 11th hole, tying for the lead.

It was Yamamoto’s flinches on 13 and 14 which, when coupled with Lindley’s emphatic birdie on 14, that placed the latter firmly in control.

Lindley admitted that she did not focus much on the leaderboard, rather opting to play within herself and continue to hunt flagsticks.

She figured out her standing on the eighth hole when analyst Kay Cockerill first appeared for the Peacock broadcast.

Even so, through her husband Matt’s direction, she avoided the scoreboard and focused within herself taking “deep yoga breaths” down the fairways to keep herself calm.

Cole was not as calm, at times pacing a hole’s greens in hopes that his mother would bury another putt.

“Every shot I’m praying that God helps her out and gets her through the shots,” Cole reflected at the moment. “He came through today and it was just awesome being able to see all of these birdie putts drop today.”

Yamamoto would birdie her final two holes, finishing her even par round and did so with a smile on her face, enjoying the experience, even though she was unable to secure the trophy.

Her caddie this week was Daniel Biondo, a local caddie who is associated with Fox Chapel Golf Club. When the two would converse, Biondo would use Google translate, to ensure that both were on the same page.

“I have gained a lot of confidence this week,” Yamamoto revealed. “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, the mini-tours, but with the experience that I had here, I feel a little more confident that I can make– I haven’t been making putts, so I’m a little more confident about that and more positive about going into the tournaments.”

When Lindley’s final putt dropped, Cole ran to hug his mother once play was completed, the tears and emotion remaining on his face for several minutes after.

“For our family this is one of the coolest things ever,” he reflected. “We’ve been talking about this forever. I’ve been talking about this since we came out here that this was going to be her tournament, and she was going to be the one to win it. We fully believed it until the end.”

Nobuko Kizawa birdied the final hole, securing a third-place finish and an exemption into next year’s event at San Diego Country Club.

Canadian Terrill Samuel surprised herself by finishing as the low amateur tying for 19th place at plus-8, also securing an exemption into next year’s event, an experience she considers right towards the top among her highlights.

“I’m very proud of that,” she said. “It’s so much fun to come here and play with pros. They treat you so well. I had great pairings this week, and they were just awesome to me. That made it easier to play. I was very lucky with my draw.”

Lindley’s victory earned her an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open which will be held at Erin Hills.

She joked that starting Monday she will have to work on her speed training but for now, she is all smiles about a win which featured lengthy rain delays, course-condition changes and having to adjust to both a longer course and changing green speeds.

“It was challenging, Mother Nature was not kind,” Lindley concluded. “There were a lot of mud balls, and I could only control what I could control. It is what it is, and I just tried to do the best.

“Everybody was encountering the same trials out there. I just think that instead of getting upset about it, you just have to embrace it and just try your best. Getting upset isn’t going to make you play any better.”

SORENSTAM SHOWS LOCAL SUPPORT; POSTS TOP FIVE FINISH

While a Sunday charge was not to be for Annika Sorenstam, she did secure a top-five finish, which has been the same all five U.S. Senior Women’s Opens she teed it up in.

Sorenstam’s gallery was the largest on the course, though everyone had a front-row seat to Lindley’s historical round as the Swede struggled to get it going on the front side, finishing the opening nine with a birdie, to post a one-over mark.

“I’m disappointed in myself, but having said that, (Lindley) played extremely well today,” Sorenstam assessed. “It just wasn’t enough, and 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.”

The ninth hole birdie was one that she interacted with the crowd by gesturing to the heavens that the putt dropped. Her 12th hole birdie from about 60 feet out had more pomp and circumstance as the ball willed itself into the cup. That ball was later switched out, signed and given to a young girl.

“I never give up,” smiled Sorenstam. “I keep trying. As long as I have holes to play, I know there’s always a chance, but I needed a lot more than that. Obviously, that was fun, fun for the crowd, and a little excitement for a little bit, but I left a few out there. Just never really close, unfortunately.”

While Sorenstam did not come out on top, her outfit drew some support from the Pittsburgh gallery as her yellow skirt was a shoutout to the local sports scene, something acknowledged by her husband/caddie Mike McGee.

“It’s totally a Steelers outfit,” Sorenstam admitted. “Yeah, my husband and our son are die-hard fans, and I think we’re in the Steelers area, aren’t we? So why not? It didn’t pay off, but they’ve got a good team and want to support them.”

2024 U.S. Senior Women’s Open Final Leaderboard (top 20 and ties exempt for next year)

  1. Leta Lindley -9

  2. Kaori Yamamoto -7

  3. Nobuko Kizawa -3

  4. Annika Sorenstam -2

  5. Mikino Kubo -1

  6. Juli Inkster E

T7. Christa Johnson +2

T7. Junko Omote +2

T9. Stefania Croce +4

T9. Corina Kelepouris +4

T9. Maggie Will +4

  1. Pat Hurst +5

T13. Moira Dunn-Bohls +6

T13. Trish Johnson +6

T13. Liselotte Neumann +6

T13. Yuko Saito +6

T17. Brandie Burton +7

T17. Lisa Grimes +7

T19. Maria McBride +8

T19. Catrin Nilsmark +8

T19. Michele Redman +8

T19. Suzy Green Roebuck +8

T19. Terrill Samuel (low amateur) +8

19TH HOLE

Sherry Andonian went out as a single to start Sunday’s play, but in order to have a complete pairing a familiar name in Katie Miller Gee was approached by USGA’s Courtney Myhrum serve have her first time ever as a marker. Miller Gee won the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s Mid-Amateur Championship in three consecutive years and had competed in 18 total USGA championships.

Her husband Devin is the head golf pro at Oakmont Country Club and was a marker for the 2016 U.S. Open when it was contested at the course.

“It’s an honor and I definitely want to thank her and the USGA for having me because it’s quite the task,” Miller Gee stated. “It’s a treat to play this golf course in a U.S. Open.

“It was a great experience for the day, and I think a really unique aspect of U.S. Open golf that not that many people who even know a lot about the game realize could happen in a particular event.”

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