Lara Tennant, other Oregon players in Contention at 62nd U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur

Seattle, Washington - Lara Tennant of Portland, Oregon, is chasing history this week as she looks to win her fourth U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

Only four other women have won four U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. Tennant won in 2018, 19, 2021 in three consecutive years. Carolyn Cudone is the only person with five when she won five straight from 1967-1972.

The USGA national championship is being held at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Washington September 21-26. The first two days of the tournament are 36 holes of stroke play to determine the medalist and the round of 64 where players play head-to-head in match play to advance.

The golf course on the banks of Lake Washington in Seattle got the better of the field as no players broke par in round one on Saturday. At the end of the day, Shelly Stouffer was atop the leaderboard at 1-over 71.

On Saturday, the first day of stroke play, Tennant shot a 78 (+8) on the par 70 course which has her tied for 19th.

“The course is in perfect condition and playing very tough as displayed by the scores. I am in the top 20 at +8,” Tennant said. “I look forward to getting to know the course even better tomorrow and know that it will be a great course for match play. You need to hit great shots and putt well to score in this course.”

Tennant is a member of Waverley Golf Club, in Portland and had one birdie, two double bogeys, five bogeys, and 10 pars.

Tennant became the first player since Carol Semple Thompson (four from 1999-2002) to win three consecutive U.S. Senior Women's Amateur titles when she defeated seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port, 2 and 1, in the 2021 championship match at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala.

Tennant, who played at the University of Arizona, is a four-time Oregon Senior Women’s Amateur champion and winner of the 2020 California Senior Women’s Amateur and 2019 R&A Women’s Senior Amateur Championship.

Tennant won 20 consecutive matches in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur over a four-year stretch before falling in the Round of 16 in 2023. Last year, Tennant earned medalist honors at Troon Country Club.

Rosie Cook of Redmond, Oregon and Lisa Poritz of Portland, Oregon also qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

Poritz shot an 83 (+13) which is tied for 71nd close to the top 64 while Cook shot a 78 and is tied for 19th along Tennant.

“This golf course is really tough and a challenge but that makes it more fun,” Cook said. “It was a bit of a struggle out there, I did up and down, but tried to focus to finish strong. I hope this year I will make the cut for match play ”

This is Cook’s fourth U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and she has made it to match play twice out of her three previous events.

It is also Poritz's fourth U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

“As you can see by the scores the course played really hard today,” Poritz said. “It played quite long and some of the pin placements were in difficult positions. I’m hoping I can improve tomorrow so that I make the match play. I can do it if I keep the big numbers off of the scorecard.”

Of the seven past U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champions in the field, six are currently inside the top 64.

The low 64 scorers following the second round (Sunday) will qualify for match play, which begins on Monday.