WELLESLEY, Mass. – Andrea Kraus, of Baltimore, never past the quarterfinals in previous USGA championships, won two matches Wednesday (September 21)  to reach the final of the U.S. Senior Women’s championship at Wellesley (Mass.) Country Club. She will face Ellen Port, St. Louis, Mo., a six-time USGA champion, in a scheduled 18-hole match Thursday morning

Kraus went extra holes twice on Wednesday. She first defeated stroke-play medalist, Judith Kyrinis, of Canada, in 21 holes, then outlasted defending champion Karen Garcia, of Cool, Calif., in the semifinals.

“I had a really long day with two really long matches against two terrific players,” said Kraus, who had reached the quarterfinals in three U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateurs. “It wasn’t flawless golf. We were tired. By the end it was who could survive, and I happened to survive today.”

Port advanced by beating Lisa Schlesinger, Laytonsville, Md., 2 and 1, and Laura Coble, 19 holes. Schlesinger spent most of her round coming from behind as, although she never led, she stayed close, and Port finally won with a par at the 17th. Against Coble, Port never led until the overtime.

In a sports town (Boston) famous for exciting finishes – think Havlicek, Fisk, Flutie, Vinatieri – both semifinal matches featured drama and tension.

After Kraus made birdie on the 10th hole to take a 2-up lead over Garcia, the Northern Californian responded by winning three of the next five holes to take the lead. But Garcia lost her lead after a pushed drive on the 17th hole.

On the following hole, both players faced par putts of what appeared to be the same distance – about 15 feet – on opposite sides of the holes. After they couldn’t decide who was away, the referee measured the lengths of their putts and determined that Garcia was several inches away.

In front of an expectant gallery, both players just missed their putts, leading to extra holes. On the 19th hole, Garcia pushed another drive while Kraus hit “my chip of the week” to force Garcia to take a risk with her own chip from behind the green. After Garcia misplayed it, she conceded the hole and the match.

Also on the 19th hole, Coble missed a 5-footer par that would have extended the match. But the key hole was the par-3 15th, which features the course’s most severely sloped green, from back to front. Port made a 20-foot birdie putt with 10 feet of left-to-right break. That win squared the match, setting up the overtime finish.

“It’s just a brutal green, brutal,” said Coble. “[That putt] was a 10 out of 10 [in difficulty]. I mean, hats off to her. It was a great putt.”

The last time Port and Kraus faced each other in a USGA event, neither had won a championship. Port defeated Kraus, 4 and 3, in the Round of 16 in the 1995 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship – also in Massachusetts, at Essex County Club in Manchester.

Since that match, their fortunes have diverged somewhat. Port went on the win that championship and five others, while Kraus has contended but has never been this close to winning. But as the semifinal matches demonstrated, anything can happen over 18 holes – or more – of match play.

“It is pretty nice to finally get to a final, it really is,” said Kraus. “It’s really exciting. I’m delighted. I’ll do my best.”

Report courtesy of the USGA