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A long, tough road to Hull
Until recently, Marjorie Bowes stood as an overlooked footnote in the annals of USGA history. But when 20-year-old Pepperdine University junior Katherine Hull decided to file an entry for the 2002 U.S. Amateur Public Links, Bowes’s name came out of hibernation.
[In 1995, Bowes became the first woman to compete in a USGA men’s championship. Bowes, now 46, pleaded ignorance after she filed that entry form. She had seen an ad in a Boston paper— she was living in Wrentham, Mass., at the time—for the APL qualifier and decided to give it a try. Today’s APL handicap index requirement of 8.4 did not exist then; the rules simply said the competition was open to all amateur golfers who were bona fide public players.
“I thought there was a men s and women’s division,” says Bowes. “About a week before the qualifier, I got a call from The Boston Globe. They told me everyone was in a tizzy that a woman had entered. I told myself that if I didn’t go, I would regret it later.”
Bowes shot 93 at Swansea Country Club and failed to make the cut for the second 18 holes of qualifying. In 1996, she entered the Women’s Amateur Public Links, qualified and missed the match-play cut. “The next year, I got it right,” quips Bowes, who lives in Ben-nington, Vt, has a 2 handicap and won the 2000 Vermont State Women’s Mid-Amateur.
FROM THE ROUGH
Ball hawking recently became an extreme sport for 89-year-old Santo Bonventre. On the afternoon of April 6, Bonventre became stuck in the mud while he was searching for balls in the swamp alongside the sixth hole at Forest Hills Golf Course in Holiday, Fla. After spending more than 24 hours in the swamp, Bonventre was spotted by a search helicopter. Despite being weak and dehydrated, he was in good shape and plans to resume his hobby shortly. — Tom Williams
When Hull, an Australian, filed her entry form, she knew the situation. Due to her summer school schedule, Hull couldn’t compete in the WAPL, June 18-23 in Sunriver, Ore. Looking for alternative competitions, she saw that the APL fit into her schedule. Men cannot enter I women’s USGA championships. But I women may compete in any USGA I event except the U.S. Junior as long as other eligibility criteria—in this case, being a public golfer and meeting the handicap limit—are met.
Bowes made APL history in ‘95 as the first female to enter the championship.
Hull will attempt to qualify at Menifee Lakes Country Club in southern California In March, she shot a NCAA women’s 18-hole record score of 64 at Menifee Lakes to win her second collegiate event of the season.
“I don t think 111 be intimidated,” says Hull. “I am going to treat it as just another tournament. I think I
can qualify if I bring my ‘A’ game.” Says Bowes, who quit her job a couple of years ago to focus on becoming a teaching pro: “I would just tell her to relax and enjoy the experience.” — David Shelter
