Nora Phillips and Rise Alexander qualified for their first and 18th USGA Championship on Wednesday at Burns Park Golf Course. They will head to Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the end of September for the 61st U.S. Women’s Senior Am.
By: Chris Werner
USGA P.J. Boatwright Jr. Intern
August 17, 2023
Two Hot Springs natives qualified for a USGA Championship Wednesday when Nora Phillips and Rise Alexander advanced for their first and 18th National Championships, respectively.
After firing a 74 and 77, respectively, on the par 71 layout at Burns Park Golf Course, they will head to Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the end of September for the U.S. Women’s Senior Am.
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Phillips, who, after her round, didn’t realize that each of the qualifiers didn’t get her medalist medallion, beat the field by three strokes.
She counted four bogeys and a birdie and played the back nine in 1-over.
“I was hitting the ball really good today,” Phillips said. “I tried to keep myself calm the whole time because I knew I had competitors around me. So I just tried to keep myself calm the whole time.”
Phillips came into Wednesday’s qualifier after a summer of impressive play. Along with Pat Elliott, she won the 2-Lady Scramble on June 9, and then she was the only member of team Arkansas to win all three of her matches at the Fore States team championship in Oklahoma from Aug. 7-8.
But after qualifying for her first USGA Championship, the modest and humble Phillips responded as those who know her would expect.
“Yikes,” Phillips said with a chuckle. “No words, really, because this is really unexpected. This is my first time. So I don't know, I'm looking forward to it.”
Joining Phillips in Scottsdale, Alexander advanced through a 3-for-1 playoff for the second qualifying spot.
After carding a 77, she won with a par on the second extra hole to head to her 18th USGA Championship. Ulrika Belline and Juie Oxendine of Fayetteville and Russellville will be the first and second alternates, respectively.
“I haven't played in one in a very long time,” Alexander said. “So it's pretty exciting. I really wanted to get to this milestone. I played in junior amateurs, women’s amateurs, mid-amateurs, and now I think this is my third women’s senior. So, really excited to have this opportunity to go and to go with Nora, and to have a really good time when we get there.”
Alexander stumbled into the playoff, making a double-bogey 7 on the 18th hole, but the recently retired college women’s golf coach — most recently an assistant for Central Arkansas — regrouped for the extra session.
“I've been in that position before, which really helped,” Alexander said. “So I wasn’t nervous, I just went down and worked on my tempo and hit some shots on the range. Just got ready to go out and play some more golf.”
“Rise and I were talking earlier that this was meant for us,” Phillips chimed in. You know, when we were playing and I heard that I was the lowest score today. Rise told me that she made a boo-boo on the 18th hole, but I said, ‘It was meant to be for us to be there.’”
