A breezy and chilly morning transitioned to a beautiful fall day at the scenic Victoria Club in Riverside. Kathy Kurata once again rose victorious winning the SCGA Senior Women’s Amateur title for the third time.
“It feels unbelievable, actually,” Kurata confessed. “I was a having a tough front-9, but I just figured ‘do the best I can’.”
Kurata trailed overnight leader Shelly Haywood by three strokes heading into the final round. She got off to a quick start with a birdie on No. 1 and shortly from there arose to the top of the leaderboard.
“Just like any other round of golf, just continue putting the best swing I can and just take it one shot at a time,” Kurata on her mindset going into the final round. “I was really just thrilled to be here and being able to play with all my friends at a beautiful course.”
After a rough stretch in the middle of her round, Kurata birdied again on the par-3 11th hole, which set up a strong finish as she separated herself from the field. Going down the 18th fairway with a three-shot lead, she drained the dagger with a 15-foot uphill putt.
“I had no idea where I stood [in the field] until I got on the 18th green,” Kurata said. “I was struggling with my putter all day, so I just thought ‘put a good stroke on this’ and see what it does. I was really happy it fell in.”
With her victory, Kurata also secured the 2020 SCGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year title for the second time in three years.
Also taking home hardware with them was runner-up Akemi Nakata Khaiat. Placing in third was Corey Weworski and Shelly Haywood finished in fourth.