Murdoch Looking To Make Some Mid-Amateur Memories

Victoria's Alison Murdoch Will Try To Hold Onto Her Two-Shot Lead In The Final Round Of The Women's Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Championships - Image Credit Bryan Outram

Victoria Resident Carries Two-Shot Lead On Shelly Stouffer Of Nanoose Bay Into Thursday’s Final Round

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANAIMO -- Her lead remains two shots, but Alison Murdoch wasn’t exactly feeling comfortable heading into Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships.

Murdoch fired a four-over 76 Wednesday at Nanaimo Golf Club and her two-round total of 154 has the Victoria Golf Club member two shots in front of Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay and three up on Christina Proteau of Port Alberni. Those three players will play together in the final group on Thursday.

 “They are much more capable of seriously low scores than I am,” Murdoch said of Proteau and Stouffer. “But I wouldn’t mind playing in the last group tomorrow, go out there and whack away and see what I can do.”

After a rocky front nine, where she made two double-bogeys, Murdoch steadied the ship on the back side. “I played a really steady back,” Murdoch said. “But those two doubles on the front, you can’t get away from them. You want to take credit for your birdies, but you are stuck with your doubles as well.”

Stouffer had the day’s best round, a two-over 74 that was an eight-stroke improvement over her first round on Tuesday. “That was a lot of fun after yesterday’s debacle,” Stouffer said. “I was happy with the round. I was one-under with three birdies on the back nine and a double. I was happy with that. I had lots more opportunities that didn’t fall, but I can’t complain. I only had one three-putt today so I was liking this course a lot more today.”

The Mid-Amateur, open to players 25 and older, is being played in conjunction with the Mid-Masters, which is open to players 40 and older. Murdoch, at the age of 66, is leading both competitions. “It is incredible,” Proteau said of Murdoch. “She is double my age, literally. I am 33. It is a real achievement to do what she is doing.”

Proteau, the defending Mid-Amateur champion, carded a four-over 76 on Wednesday. She said she’s playing better than her scores would indicate. “I played much better than what I scored,” said Proteau, who works as a Crown prosecutor in Port Alberni.

“And it was the same thing yesterday. But yesterday I made some real big mental mistakes, so I deserved that 81. Today I hit lots of good shots, but I just haven’t got on any kind of roll with my putting. The tournament starts tomorrow.”

Stouffer won last year’s Mid-Masters title and is happy to have a chance to chase both titles on Thursday. “You know what, I am just going to try and hit fairways and greens,” she said. “I hit a lot more fairways today. I am just going to try and be on the right side of the hole and roll in a few putts. You never know what will happen.”

Click HERE for complete scores.