BHC Members Look Back on USGA Event Play Excitement is building as we draw closer to hosting the prestigious U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, September 23-30 at Berkeley Hall. Some of our BHC members know well this level of play and the thrill of participating in a USGA event: Carol Dulude, Maggie Leef and Karen Ferree. Here we share some of their experiences, views on women’s golf and what it means to bring this level of play to Berkeley Hall Club. Q. Tell us about the first USGA event you qualified for, and what it meant for you.
Q. As the USGA Championship comes to Berkeley Hall, what are you most excited about?
I played in my first USGA qualifier at Newport Country Club in RI. I didn’t think I was likely to qualify, so I was relaxed and enjoying the experience. When the rounds were completed, I could hardly believe I tied two other players for the last qualifying spot, then won the three-way playoff. It is not an exaggeration to say I was flying high.
To see our club filled with impressive women golfers, and how they approach holes here I find challenging. I am proud of our courses, facilities and our professional staff and how much care they take to ensure everybody feels entitled to the best possible golf experience. I know the players will leave with a love of Berkeley Hall.
Driving up to the course and seeing the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur signs, I was in awe to be among the 132 women that qualified. Seeing my name on the USGA scoreboard was one of the highlights of my life. Q. Most memorable moment at a USGA event you’ve played? My second USGA event, the Sr. Women’s Amateur at Wellesley Country Club in MA offered a great spectator view. On the last day of stroke play competition my approach shot landed just left of the green in the rough, on a side hill lie. I hit my chip shot to six inches and the crowd started clapping. It was so much fun.
Q. What do you envision the legacy of this event being for women’s golf in the Lowcountry? As players move from games with friends to organized club events to tournaments at a county and state level, then national championships, every step has its joys and rewards but playing in a USGA national event is unmatched in my experience. Q. Top thoughts on status of women’s golf today? I’m excited there are more opportunities for younger girls to play, casually and competitively. The LPGA has become more global and competitive. Women’s golf has never been better positioned than it is today.
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