2022 RICHMOND WOMEN'S CITY AMATEUR

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By VIC DORR JR.

The 94th rendition of the Richmond Women’s Golf Association City Amateur Championship produced a match – and certainly a shot – for the ages.

 

Reigning champion Kristine Rohrbaugh secured a berth in Thursday’s semifinals with an epic 21-hole victory over Joanne Kitusky in Wednesday’s second round of match play at Salisbury Country Club. Rohrbaugh delivered one of the most memorable shots in tournament history – a 195-yard 5-wood that stopped two feet from the flag – on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.  She won the hole, the par-5 third on Salisbury’s Huguenot nine, with a conceded eagle.

 

“It was a long, hard day and one way or another, I was ready for it to be over,” Rohrbaugh said. “So I said, ‘You know what? Let’s go for it.’”

 

She said the shot felt good from the moment it left her clubface.

 

“I could tell,” she said. “I knew it was going to be close.”

 

 

 

The match didn’t produce an abundance of brilliant golf. Said Kitusky: “Neither of us really had our ‘A’ games today.” It did, however, produce sublime entertainment. Rohrbaugh built a 4-up lead after 12 holes and at that point seemed likely to win handily. But Kitusky, a proud and feisty competitor, won five of the final six holes of regulation. She tied the match with a birdie at No. 18 – No. 9 on Salisbury’s Monacan nine.

 

“I hung in there, which I guess is what I do best,” Kitusky said. “I’m not the best player or the biggest hitter. I just keep chugging along. People say, ‘She never goes away.’ She’s always there, just hanging around.’ I know this: I’m never going to give up and I’m never going to stop trying.”

 

Each player had opportunities to win in the first two holes of sudden death. Kitusky missed a four-foot putt on the first playoff hole – No. 1 on Salisbury’s Huguenot nine. Rohrbaugh’s five-footer to win on the second playoff hole stopped two revolutions short of the cup.

 

Kitusky said her four-footer was identical to a putt she attempted on the second hole of the match.  “I just couldn’t remember which way it breaks,” she said. “Now I’ll never forget: It breaks right.”

The match was played under somber circumstances. Kitusky’s opponent in Tuesday’s first round of match play tested positive for COVID later in the day. She informed RWGA officials Wednesday morning. Kitusky was told shortly before she and Rohrbaugh were scheduled to tee off.  City Amateur players typically share carts during the match play portion of the tournament. Kitusky and Rohrbaugh traveled alone on Wednesday. When their match ended, they shared not the traditional embrace but rather a restrained fist bump.

 

Said Rohrbaugh: “Joanne and I are good friends – I mean, really good friends. The funny thing is: People who don’t know us probably think we hate each other because we were riding separately.”

 

Kitusky, who because of family health issues has been scrupulously vigilant about COVID exposure for the past two years, said she was shaken by the announcement.

 

“It’s the first time I’ve been around someone who had it,” she said. “I’ll be honest: It worried me. For a long time today I wasn’t focused. I couldn’t concentrate.”

Thursday’s Championship Flight semifinals appear fascinating. Rohrbaugh will face five-time winner Boodie McGurn at 8 a.m. The 8:08 contest will match qualifying medalist Liza Lewis against three-time former champion Peggy Freeman. McGurn advanced Wednesday with a 2-and-1 victory over Deb Kelo. Lewis defeated Brenda Baril 6-and-5. Freeman posted a 4-and-3 victory over three-time winner Lindsay Wortham.

 

Rohrbaugh, who defeated McGurn in last year’s Championship Flight final at the Country Club of Virginia, said her duel with Kitusky has given her much about which to think.

 

“I need to try to find my swing a little bit,” she said. “I feel like I survived (Wednesday). I have to come back (Thursday) with a fresh mindset.”

June 8, 2022