Tara Fleming wins Women's Senior title; Kathy McGrorry claims Super-Senior Crown
Tara Fleming of New Jersey National carded rounds of 77 and 80 for a two-day total of 15-over-par 157 to win the 50th NJSGA Women’s Senior Amateur Championship at the par-71, 5,389-yard Beacon Hill Country Club in Atlantic Highlands.
Fleming, who has twice won the NJSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship (2017, 2015), claimed victory in decisive fashion, finishing 11 strokes better than runner-up Sue Dahabsu of Colts Neck and 12 shots better than Donna Young of Springdale. Fran Gacos of Copper Hill and Sue DeKalb of Bella Vista tied for fourth at 172.
Kathy McGrorry of Jumping Brook shot 88-95-183 to win the Super-Senior title by two shots over Mary Fenton of Lakewood. Jane Egan of Women’s Golf Association of New Jersey claimed the low net competition with a 148.
“It’s great to win this. I’m always thankful to the New Jersey State Golf Association for hosting wonderful events,” said Fleming, 52, who lives in Jersey City. “These are events I always look forward to each year.
“Now, I’m happy to say I’ve won both the NJSGA Mid-Amateur and Senior championships.”
Fleming carded just one birdie over the two days, battling wind and other courses conditions.
“I’m just not putting well - it’s not about the speed of the greens or the breaks on them,” said Fleming, who works for CNA as a vice president in the marketing and distribution division.
Fleming, a native of Canada, played four years on the LPGA Tour. In 1993, she had a 10th place finish in the event at Corning, N.Y., and a 17th-place finish in Lansing, Mich.
“The thing I’m most proud of in my amateur career was winning the U.S. State Team Championship for New Jersey in 2014 with Alice Chen and Cindy Ha. The other thing was reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in 2017,” said Fleming, who reached the third round of that event this summer.
Fleming is looking forward to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball qualifier on Sept. 30 at Suffield C.C. in Connecticut where she will partner with Ina Kim-Schaad of New York. Kim-Schaad on Thursday won the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in Arizona.
McGrorry, a former special education teacher in Lakewood who lives in Neptune, formerly served on the NJSGA Women’s Committee and helped conduct the Women’s Senior Amateur Championship.
“It’s terrific. It’s an honor to have my name on a trophy, especially a NJSGA trophy,” said McGrorry, 69.
