History-Making Attempt for Higgins Ends in Quarterfinals

Diane Lang didn’t fly halfway across the country for the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur to get reacquainted with friends. Nope, this mission had a purpose, and the itinerary didn’t include 19th-hole cocktails or checking out Oklahoma’s finest cuisine.

“Diane doesn’t do social,” said the 53-year-old Jamaican-born Lang who now resides in Weston, Fla. “We do winning or unhappy. That’s two choices.”

Lang, the Senior Women’s champion in 2005 and ‘06, moved a step closer to re-claiming the trophy she relinquished last year in Sunriver, Ore., defeating reigning U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Joan Higgins of Glendora, Calif., 3 and 2, in the quarterfinals Wednesday morning at Tulsa Country Club.

Wearing a game face from the opening hole, a determined Lang set out to repeat the outcome of a 2007 Senior Women’s second-round match, when she defeated Higgins, 4 and 3, en route to the semifinals. A few early hiccups – a missed 3½-footer for par at the first hole and hitting a tree branch with the approach at the second – were replaced by brilliant shot-making that included tap-in birdies at the fifth and 10th holes, the latter giving Lang the lead for good.

Lang finished the equivalent of even par for the 16 holes, with the usual match-play concessions. She registered four birdies and didn’t have a bogey after missing a 21-foot par attempt at the par-3 ninth hole.

The 52-year-old Higgins, meanwhile, had entered the match as the hottest female senior amateur in the country. Two weeks ago, she became the oldest champion in U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur history and had not been extend beyond the 15 th hole in her three previous matches at this week’s championship.

“She was coming into this tournament with a whole lot of confidence,” said Lang. “Thankfully, I played halfway decent today. I am still having problems with my driver, but I managed to get it around.”

Higgins didn’t have the same mojo as previous rounds. She did drain a clutch 12-foot birdie at No. 5 to earn a halve, but missed a 7-foot birdie at the par-5 eighth to win the hole. At the par-3 ninth, Higgins had another chance to win a hole, but failed to convert from 9 feet. After Lang’s brilliant approach at 10 to 2 feet for a winning birdie, Higgins made consecutive bogeys at 12 and 13 to go 3 down. Lang managed to get up and down for par at 13 and 14, the latter from a greenside bunker, to close the door on any comeback hopes.

“It was just one of those days,” said Higgins. “When you win, (the putts) go in. When you lose, they don’t. I think she knew with me winning the Mid-Am, she was pumped up for me. I wasn’t a nobody anymore.

“This morning warming up I was a little quick (and) unsettled. I knew I was going to have to play well and maybe I put a little pressure on myself. I really did try to enjoy myself and I did. I wish I would have played better. But it’s been a great three weeks.”

Ironically, Higgins scheduled her flight back to Southern California Wednesday at 5 p.m., thinking she would not advance to Thursday’s championship match. “It’s been fantastic,” said Higgins, who played tennis at the University of Wisconsin in the late 1970s. “Hopefully in ’09 I can do just as well.”

Lang, who faces 51-year-old Claudia Pilot in Wednesday afternoon’s semifinals, isn’t satisfied with making the final four. Last year, she admitted to not giving her full attention to winning, and dropped a 1-down semifinal decision to Robyn Puckett. So for the past year, Lang has pointed toward this competition. She started seeing swing coach Tommy Fonseca at Heron Bay in January and working on her fitness with physical trainer Jeff Kroop.“He works mostly with resistance bands and stretching,” said Lang.

To prepare for the subtleties of the A.W. Tillinghast greens, Lang bought a special device after last year’s Senior Women’s Amateur that helps determine slopes and breaks. The ever-meticulous Lang spent last Friday making copious notes of every green complex, using arrows to show which way putts would break.

Even with a local caddie, Lang pulled out her notebook for each putt. She then pointed the handle of her putter toward the hole to pick out a specific spot on the line. “I’m a spot putter so I just look to see where I think it’s going to go,” said Lang. “I pick up an old ball mark and try to roll (my ball) over the ball mark.”

So far so good. One more win on Wednesday and Lang will be in the championship match for the third time in four years.

“This has been a one-year goal,” she said. “You need to want this 120 percent. I only wanted it 98 (percent last year) and that won’t work.”

By USGA New Media staff writer, David Shefter. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.

Joan Higgins Looking to Make USGA History....Again

Just last week at Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, WSCGA member, Joan Higgins from Glendora Country Club defeated Lynn Simmons of Phoenix, Arizona, 1 up, to become the oldest winner of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

Starting on Saturday at Tulsa Country Club, Joan will be looking to make history again as the only player to ever capture both the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in the same year. Higgins qualified to compete in the Senior Amateur by firing a 79 at Palos Verdes Golf Club on August 18, and was one of 10 qualifiers from that site.

The other Southern California qualifiers (all WSCGA members) include: Deby Anderson (Mission Hills), Marsha Butler (CC of Rancho Bernardo), Madelaine Campbell (Mesa Verde), Lynn Dahl-Kundin (Shadowridge), Liz Diamante (Industry Hills), Kate Grace (Rancho Santa Fe), Ann Lahey (PGA West), Cathy Lonegan (Las Posas), Karen Mabli (Palos Verdes), Linda Pearson (Oakmont) and Leslie Wilk (Woodland Hills). Also playing is former Santa Ana member and winner of many WSCGA Championships, Marianne Towersey, who now resides in Pebble Beach.

To follow the progress, visit the USGA Senior Women's Amateur website. Good Luck to all!

Higgins Wins U.S. Women's Mid-Am

Ann Arbor, Michigan - Sometimes to attain a goal, to cross the threshold from fiction to reality requires stepping back.

Stop. Focus. Reassess.

Reach down deep.

Execute.

That’s what 52-year-old Joan Higgins did Thursday in becoming the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur’s 22nd champion. She cocked, aimed and reloaded six previous times in the event, always uncertain if this day would happen.

She continually siphoned advice from her memory that 2004 champion, and fellow Californian, Corey Weworski imparted on her during the 2005 players’ dinner. She even thought that making it to the quarterfinals last year might be her opus. “When we were at the players’ dinner,” said Higgins, “Corey said, ‘What an unbelievable year I had.’ Then she said, ‘Joan, you can do it. You can win. All you have to do is make pars.’”

Sounds simple enough. That’s where the execution comes in. Higgins won because – with all apologies to the obvious – she had more pars than Lynn Simmons of Phoenix, Ariz.

Higgins, a mother of two teenaged males and who played tennis at the University of Wisconsin from 1974-78, felt more lively than high voltage wires. Normally when a player says as much, the nerves will dissipate with two or three holes under their belt. Not Higgins. She felt on edge the entire round and never fully relaxed until Simmons couldn’t funnel in her 30-foot putt on No. 18.

All the soft-spoken Higgins could do was smile and accept a congratulatory hug from Simmons, seemingly unsure what to do next. She didn’t realize the victory also made her the oldest champion in the event, surpassing Carol Semple Thompson.

“I’m still in shock,” said Higgins. “I really am. I can’t believe it. Last night in bed I was tossing and turning all night, like, ‘You could be a national champion, don’t think about it, don’t think about it because it’s probably not going to happen. She’s probably going to go out and clean your clock.’”

The two epitomized what amateur golf and sportsmanship is supposed to be about. Throughout the match, each would encourage the other. They smiled. They enjoyed the competition. When it was over, there were no tears of disappointment out of Simmons. She walked to her husband, Doug, who had taken a red-eye flight from Arizona Wednesday night, and received a kiss. “I just couldn’t miss this,” he said.

Simmons’ semifinal opponent, Noreen Mohler, grabbed Simmons’ ear and probably summed it up best. “You can only be a little bit disappointed.”

There was some disenchantment as Simmons headed to the 18th hole, 1 down. Moments earlier, Simmons missed an opportunity to even things when she left her 12-foot putt short. “I made too many bogeys,” said Simmons. “She was steady all day and it was hard to catch her.”

On the bright side, Simmons received a five-year exemption into the championship that had her beaming. With a dose of perspective, for the 40 year old with a fitness company who only picked up the game at 19, it was an acceptable salve.

And for Higgins? What did she learn about herself this week?

“What I’ve learned is that you don’t have to hit it 240 yards off the tee. I’ve learned not to be upset with bad shots. It’s OK to use woods when other players are using long irons,” she said.

“If you would have told me a week ago that I would be standing here right now, I would have said, 'Never.'”

Yet now the threshold has been crossed because Higgins dared to envision that it could happen, no apologies.

Ken Klavon is the USGA’s Editor of Digital Media. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.