Terry Delcamp Successfully Defends GAM Women’s Senior Championship Title

HARBOR SPRINGS – Defending champion Terry Delcamp noticed on the Sara Wold Trophy that several of the past champions in the GAM Women’s Senior Championship had won in consecutive years.

“I thought why not do that, too,” she said.

And she did.

Grand Blanc’s Delcamp shot a closing 77 for a 153 total and one-shot win over three-time champion Joan Garety of Ada, who charged with a 73 for 154 in the 19^th GAM Women’s Senior presented by Sullivan Golf & Travel at Birchwood Farms & Country Club Tuesday.

“This is nice because this hasn’t been the best summer,” said the 53-year-old Delcamp, who was second after Monday’s first round to two-time champion Barb Schmid of Grand Rapids, who opened with a 75, closed with an 80 and ended up third at 155.

“Twice this year I’ve been in the last group and thinking I’m leading only to lose to somebody who came from behind and was playing in another group. Joan almost did it today. That’s why I really tried to play my game, and not get caught up in what Barb was doing in my group. I’m not real good at that one shot at a time baloney, but I got it in the barn.”

Becky Cecconi of Florence shot a final 79 for 157 and fourth, and Donna Benford of Linden, the Michigan Women’s Amateur Champion from earlier this summer and the winner of the GAM title in 2012 and ’13, shot 81 for 158 to round out the top five.

Awards were also presented in three other flights, including net and gross winners.

Delcamp, last year’s GAM Senior Women’s Player of the Year, said she struggled with putting the greens at Birchwood in the second round.

“You really have to pay attention to the slopes coming into the greens,” she said. “I knew what was going on, but I just didn’t trust it as much today. I held it together though. The double-bogey I made on the 16th hole made it closer than I would have liked. I basically four-putted that, though the first one was from off the green. It was not a good hole, but I came back and made a good putt on 17.”

Garety, whose GAM titles were in 2006, ’09 and ’10, won the GAM Women’s Senior Four-Ball earlier this summer with Delcamp as her partner. She said she recently returned from three weeks of travel and did not touch a golf club.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “Today was good. Yesterday wasn’t good. I made a run at Terry today, but if I have to finish second it might as well be to my four-ball partner.”

via Greg Johnson