Hartwiger and Kennedy take command of Senior Amateur Championships
The R&A
10 Jul 25
5 mins
It has so far been a good week for debutants in the R&A Women’s Senior Amateur and Senior Amateur Championships.
First-timers Kathy Hartwiger of the United States of America and Englishman John Kennedy are in charge of the respective championships with 18 holes left to play over Walton Heath Golf Club’s New Course.Fifty-nine-year-old Hartwiger is on three-under-par 219 with a four-shot lead over English international Tracey Williamson after carding a bogey-free, four-under-par 70. Sheringham Golf Club member Williamson carded a two-under 72.Kennedy is seven shots ahead in the men’s championship on 12-under 204 after also returning a four-under tally, a 68. Sweden’s Tord Nilsson and USA player Brendan Hester share second place. Hester returned an eight-under-par 64, the low round of the Championship so far.Pinehurst, North Carolina resident Hartwiger has been dreaming about golf in Great Britain for a long time. However, she had a full-time job as a school counsellor while she and husband Chris were busy raising two children.Hartwiger still found time to win the 2002 US Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. With children Ben and Erin now making their own way in the world, she and Chris decided there was a special reason this year to get her first true taste of British golf.“We’re actually on vacation,” Hartwiger said. “Chris and I are celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary. I’ve always wanted to come over here and play but we had kids, and I was never able to. So I said this is the year because if I don’t at 59 then I might never do it.”The Pine Wild Golf Club member has adapted to British golf with a fair degree of aplomb. She warned up for this week by finishing second in the Scottish Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Eyemouth Golf Club.“Finishing second in the Scottish was a big help because it forced me to be solid,” she said. “You have to hit the ball with a square clubface or you’re going to get found out.“I’m not used to heathland or links golf where you have to run the ball but I’m getting better. This type of golf turns on some kind of creativity we don’t always have in the United States. It’s been fun. I had no expectations coming in here and I have none now.“My son, Ben, had to do this survey when he was in high school where they had to interview random strangers on what advice they would have given themselves when they were 17. One of the best responses was don’t have expectations because you can only control what you can do, not what other people can do. I’ve never forgotten that because there are lots of things in golf that are not in your control.“So I’m going into tomorrow to just enjoy the time with my husband, the golf course and the competition. I’m just going to do my best and see what happens.”If Hartwiger does win, she will be the first American champion since Lara Tennant in 2019.Kennedy is another who arrived for his first Senior Amateur with zero expectations. However, the member of Consett & District Golf Club went one better than Hartwiger in the men’s Sottish Senior Amateur at Montrose by winning the title. He followed by winning the Durham County Championship and his club championship for the 14th time.“I’m just doing what I’ve done for the last few weeks,” he explained when asked why he looks so comfortable on his debut.Kennedy works as a compliance manager for The AA and, like Hartwiger, is using up holiday time to compete here.He added, “I haven’t really felt nervous at all this week because the last few weeks all I’ve done is play competitive golf so I guess this just sort of feels natural.”He's been in control for 54 holes because he’s focused solely on getting the ball in play and staying out of the punishing heather that awaits off the Walton Heath fairways. For example, he only used driver once in his third-round 68.“I used a 1-iron most of today – yes, I’m old school – just to keep the ball in play. The key around here is not finding the heather. So far I’ve done that well.”If he keeps it in play in the final round as well as he has the first three days, then he’ll become the first English champion since the late Trevor Foster won seven years ago at Royal Porthcawl.
