2012 Senior Women’s Championship

Brenda Pictor Collects Fourth-Straight, Fifth-Overall GSGA Senior Women’s Title
Pictor Posts Five-Shot Victory over Rheney


MILTON, Ga. --- Playing in a steady rainfall, three-time defending champion Brenda Pictor of Marietta carded her second-straight, three-over-par 75 to total 150 and win the GSGA Senior Women’s Championship by five strokes over Greensboro’s Susan Rheney.  Pictor collected her fourth-straight and fifth-overall title in the 15th annual competition, which took place at Alpharetta Athletic Club-East.

Pictor was in an unfamiliar position of sharing the lead after Monday’s opening round.  First-flight competitor Debra Partridge of Roswell matched Pictor’s 75, but fell back early in the final round, going 10-over on her outward nine.  Pictor’s closest competition in the final round came from Rheney, one of her playing partners, who trailed her by five strokes at the turn.  Rheney pulled to within four shots on two occasions over the back nine, but couldn’t overcome the deficit, finishing at 77 for the round, 155 for the Championship.

Past champion Darlene Werhnyak of Lawrenceville finished third at 159, while Mary Helen McElreath of Augusta placed fourth (161) and Mary Riley of Perry was fifth (162).  Three players tied for sixth at 165, including Partridge, Deb Agran of Greensboro and Jodie Shepard of Newnan.  First-flight competitors Maria Johnson of Jesup placed ninth (166), while Bonnie Grizzard of Rome finished 10th (167).

Pictor’s first Senior Women’s victory came in 2007, and she has now won four straight.  She has been the GSGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year in each of the last five seasons, sharing title in 2007 with Darlene Werhnyak and winning the next four outright.  She is also the current two-time GSGA Tommy Barnes Award winner signifying the Association’s overall Player of the Year.

Flight winners included Partridge in the first (165); Ellen MacArthur of Cumming in the second (150); Janet Thielemann of Woodstock in the third (167); Susan Tucker of Atlanta in the fourth (156); Annie Law Ma of Kennesaw in the fifth (163); Charlotte Johnson of Evans in the sixth (167) and Renee Mendenhall of Alpharetta in the seventh (174). There was a three-way tie in the eighth flight with Thelma Henry of Alpharetta, Laura Morris of Big Canoe and Jane Waller of Evans (190).  Ina Martin of White won the ninth flight (193), while Barbara Blatter of Evans took the 10th (194).

Alpharetta Athletic Club-East played to 5,583 yards and a par 72 for the Championship and first flights, which were eligible for the overall title.  The starting field of 121 players was divided into 11 total flights. The second through 10th flights played the course at 5,041 yards.

The GSGA Senior Women’s Championship is conducted by the Georgia State Golf Association.  Entries were open to female amateur golfers at least 50 years old as of August 27, 2012, who belong to a GSGA Member Club.