KETTERING, Ohio – Jill McGill stepped up to tap in her bogey putt on the 18th green at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open when Annika Sorenstam said, “No, no, no, mark.” A confused McGill turned and asked why.
“She goes, ‘You’re going to win,’” said McGill. “I was like, what? I really had no idea.”
McGill hadn’t won a trophy of any kind since 1994, and it was somewhat fitting that the winningest player in modern LPGA history was there to make sure McGill had her moment.
“I wanted to give her a hug,” said Sorenstam, “and say, ‘This is yours, so enjoy the moment, soak it in and let me finish.’”
McGill, 50, entered rarified air with her Senior Women’s Open triumph, joining Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, JoAnne Carner and Carol Semple Thompson as the only players with three different USGA titles. McGill won the 1993 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links while a student at USC.
“It’s been a really, really long time,” said McGill, who never won as a professional. “I’d always been a little bit disappointed that I couldn’t figure out how to get it done. I was a different person out there this week, truly, in terms of just acceptance of hey, you’re making the best decision you can. You’re trying to execute the best you can. That’s all you can do.”
On a day when nobody broke par at NCR Country Club, McGill shot even-par 73 to finish at 3-under 289 for the tournament. Leta Lindley, another Senior Women’s Open rookie who won once on the LPGA, in 2008, finished one stroke back.
Lindley, who like McGill now works as a teaching pro, had husband Matt Plagmann back on the bag, just like old times.
“I felt like we picked up right where we left off,” she said, “and it was like putting on really your favorite comfy sweater.”
While the rookies finished 1-2, it was three past champions—Laura Davies (2018), Helen Alfredsson (2019) and Annika Sorenstam (2021)—who entered the final round as the favorites. Together they boast 15 LPGA major titles.
For a while there, it looked like the sun might be Dame Laura Davies’ biggest threat. The 58-year-old felt wobbly after bending over on the sixth hole, and took out a sun umbrella to try to beat the heat.
As Annika Sorenstam—perhaps the most consistent player in the history of the women’s game—put up a shocking 40 on the front nine and Helen Alfredsson shot 39, Davies took a two-stroke lead into the back…
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