News

ONTARIO, NY -- The 71st NYS Women’s Senior and 17th NYS Women’s Super Senior Amateur Championships will be contested at Ontario Golf Club, August 20-21, 2024. 

93 players - 46 in the Senior (50+) and 47 in the Super Senior (65+) - will play 36 holes of individual stroke play over the two days in a shotgun format.

Related: Pairings / Scoring / Photos / Program / 2023 Recap / Past Winners

CHAMPIONSHIP QUICK FACTS

Dates: August 20-21, 2023

Host Site: Ontario Golf Club, Ontario, N.Y.

2023 Champions:

Ingrid Narken of Thendara Golf Course took home the 70th Senior Amateur at the Whiteface Club. Narken turned in rounds of 75 and 73 to finish six over par, two clear of the field. 

Karen Feldman of Columbia Golf & Country Club went 82-76 (+16) to take the 16th Super Senior by one stroke. 

Divisions:

71st Women’s Senior Amateur Championship (50+)

17th Women’s Super Senior Amateur Championship (65+) 

Format: 36 holes of individual stroke play, played over two days.

Eligibility: This tournament is open to female amateur golfers who are active NYSGA members that possess an up-to-date USGA Handicap Index. Golfers in the senior field must be over the age of 50 as of August 20, 2024, while those in the super senior field must be over 65.

Age Groups: In addition to competing in the divisions above, players will also compete in the following age groups: 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75+ 

PAR & YARDAGE

Senior: (50-64) 5,369 yards, Par 72

OUT: 2,679 yards / IN: 2,690 yards

Super Senior: (65+) 5,016 yards, Par 72

OUT: 2,467 yards / IN: 2,549 yards

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

THE FIELD 

Past NYS Senior Champions in the field

Ingrid Narken, 61, of Thendara Golf Course will look to defend her title from last year’s tournament at the Whiteface Club. Narken turned in a 75-73 tournament to prevail by two strokes.  She also claimed the 2023 NYS Women's Senior Four-Ball title with partner Sandra Jackson. Narken finished T11 at the 2021 tournament at Pinehaven Country Club. 

Kim Kaul, 66, of East Aurora Country Club is a six-time NYS champion and a three-time winner of the Women’s Senior Amateur (2008, 2015, 2018). Kaul won the Women’s Senior Four-Ball for a second time with Janice Lavigne (also won in 2021) earlier this year and finished fifth at the 2024 Women’s Mid-Amateur at Skaneateles Country Club. Kaul finished T5 in last year’s Women’s Senior and T6 in last year’s Women’s Mid Amateur. Kaul is a 2012 inductee of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. 

Mary Sicard, 62, of Queensbury Country Club has won three NYS Women’s Senior Amateurs. Most recently winning at Bristol Harbour GC in 2019, Sicard also took the 2017 and 2016 tournaments at Corning Country Club and The Whiteface Club respectively. Sicard has finished top 10 in each of the last three Women’s Senior Championships. 

Tammy Blyth, 64, of Monroe Golf Club secured the 2018 Women’s Senior Championship at Thendara Golf Club. Blyth turned in a pair of 78s (+10) and prevailed over Kim Kaul and Susan Kahler with a par on the second playoff hole. Blyth finished T3 at last year's tournament at Whiteface, where she fired an opening 71 - the only even par round of the championship. 

Carina Watkins, 63, of Drumlins Golf Club took the 2011 Women’s Senior with a 75-76 tournament at Clifton Springs Country Club. Watkins recently finished co-runner up alongside her husband John at the NYS Mixed Team Championships at Stafford Country Club. She concluded last year’s Women’s Senior in T9. 

Teresa Cleland, 65, of Bellevue Country Club won back-to-back Women’s Senior Amateurs in 2009 and 2010. Cleland has also won three Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships and has seven NYS titles total. Cleland finished ninth earlier this season at the Women’s Mid-Amateur championship and finished top five at each of the last two Women’s Senior Amateurs. 

Janice Lavigne, 68, of Ravenwood Golf Club was the 2007 champion at The Whiteface Club. Lavigne also has two Senior Four-Ball championships to her name, including this year’s tournament at Leatherstocking Golf Course and in 2022 at Stafford Country Club. 

Maggie Kril, 70, of Durand Eastman Golf Club won back-to-back Women’s Senior Championships in 2005 and 2006. Kril is also a five-time Women’s Golf Association of Western New York Champion, winning last in 2019 at her home club of Durand Eastman.

Past NYS Super Senior Champions in the field

Karen Feldman, 67, of Columbia Golf & Country Club is the defending champion, having won last year’s Super Senior title at the Whiteface Club & Resort. Feldman finished T3 in the Women’s Super Senior in 2022 and finished runner-up with her partner Mary Jo Kelly at this year’s Women’s Senior Four-Ball at Leatherstocking Golf Club. Feldman qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Troon Country Club last year, and was nominated and selected to join the NYSGA's Executive Committee in 2024.

Other NYS State Champions in the Senior field

Pennie Carlo, 59, of Kanon Valley Country Club won the 2019 Women’s Amateur Four-Ball alongside Lauren Cupp. Carlo has also represented New York State at three U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs. 

Sandra Jackson, 65, of the Whippoorwill Club took the Women’s Senior Four-Ball title with Ingrid Narkin in 2023. Jackson finished T9 in last year’s Senior Women’s Amateur and fifth in 2018. 

Patricia Mayne, 62, of Western Turnpike Golf Course, won her first state title in 2021 at the Senior Women’s Four-Ball championship with teammate Karen Feldman. She finished T5 in the 2019 championship and T6 in 2015 and 2021. She’s earned other top ten finishes in the past as well, placing T-8 in 2023, T-5 in 2014 and T-6 in 2013.

Other Players to Watch in the Senior Field

Christy Malo, 52, of Park Country Club finished T4 at the 2022 tournament at RaNic Golf Club. Malo had a sixth place finish at the 2019 Women’s Mid-Amateur and was also the BDGA Women’s Individual runner-up in 2020. Malo finished eighth at the Women’s Mid-Amateur at Skaneateles earlier this year. 

Carolyn Mancini, 62, of Binghamton Country Club is the reigning runner-up in the field, having gone 76-74 (+8) to finish two strokes behind Ingrid Narken at The Whiteface Club. Mancini was also the co-runner up in both the 2022 tournament at RaNic and the 2019 tournament at Bristol Harbor. Earlier this season, Mancini finished 11th at the NYS Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. 

Julie Hamm, 60, of Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club has finished in the top 20 in each of the last two Women’s Senior Championships. Alongside Patty Reidel, Hamm was the runner-up at the 2022 NYS Women’s Senior Four-Ball at Stafford Country Club. 

Nikki Fowler, 55, of Stone Creek Golf Club is coming off a strong performance at the NYS Women’s Mid-Amateur at Skaneateles Country Club. Fowler sat two behind the eventual winner, Natalie Grainger, after 18 holes and finished solo in seventh. Fowler finished T12 in each of the last two Women’s Senior Amateurs and ended up tied in third place at the Senior Women’s Four-Ball earlier this season. 

Monica Hamilton, 57, of Kanon Valley Country Club went 78-83 to finish in solo seventh at last year’s Women’s Senior at the Whiteface Club. Hamilton finished third at the Women’s Aim Championship, hosted by the Central New York PGA in July. 

Other Players to Watch in the Super Senior Field

Barbara Harrison, 70, of Oswego Country Club has posted back-to-back top 5 finishes in the last two Super Senior Championships. Harrison went 81-78 to finish as the runner-up to Mary Jo Kelly in 2022. Harrison won a Florida State Women’s Senior Amateur in 2017 and finished fifth in the same event this past April. 

Joy Florczak, 68, of Durand Eastman Golf Club won the Western New York Women’s Golf Association’s Tee to Green event earlier this season. Florczak finished runner-up in the RDGA’s inaugural Women’s Open in 2014 and finished fifth at the NYS Women’s Senior Amateur in 2013. 

Deb Enders, 68, of NYSGA eClub - Central NY was the runner-up at the 2021 championship at Pinehaven. Enders also finished within the top 10 in the last two Super Senior Amateurs at RaNic and the Whiteface Club. Enders, alongside partner Nikki Fowler, finished solo third at this year’s Women’s Senior Four-Ball Championship at Leatherstocking. 

Kimberly Baker, 64, of Columbia Golf & Country Club, finished in eleventh place in each of the 2018 and 2019 Women’s Senior Amateurs. Baker is making her first appearance in a few years and is turning 65 only two days before competition is set to begin - granting her eligibility for the Super Senior bracket for the first time. 

Previous NYSGA Championships at Ontario Golf Club