Henderson, Ledes, Vaughan, Snyder Earn Titles at Southern Nevada Senior Am, Mid-Am
Ronda Henderson (Gross) and Monica Ledes (Net) won titles at the WSNGA Senior Amateur Championship while Ashley Vaughn (Gross) and Lyndi Snyder (Net) won crowns at the 2024 Women’s Mid-Amateur. The events were held April 16-17, 2024, at Boulder Creek Golf Club.–by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider
Here is more from the prestigious events.
WSNGA Senior Amateur
Gross
Ronda Henderson played her first two holes of the second round in three-under-par, going birdie-eagle, in cruising to a 17-shot victory.
It was Henderson’s first title in this event.
“I won the Nevada State Seniors twice and I’ve been a flight winner in this tournament twice so to win it…that’s a big hole I had to rectify and I did.”
She said the final round is one she won’t soon forget.
“It’s my personal best,” she said. “I’ve never shot five-under before and to do it in a tournament is special.”
She said her quick start was a double-edged sword.
“It’s golf,” she said. “If you start out well it’s well … if you keep it going. Today I just didn’t want to screw it up and what normally happens is we find a way to screw it up. Today I kept it going and played well the whole round.”
She said her thought process was the key.
“Mentally I was really sharp,” she said. “And that helped my game. Today I only had one bogey and that was a three-putt and I wasn’t upset with the first two putts. I only missed two greens and I got up and down and I played the par 5s in five-under. It was just one of those rounds.”
Gross
Ronda Henderson, 77-67—144
Laura Smith, 83-78—161
Debbie Love, 83-81—164
Net
Monica Ledes had two net eagles over a three-hole stretch as she won the Net title by one stroke.
It was Ledes’ first Senior Am event and first crown.
“Tuesday was a bit rough,” Ledes said. “My short game was a little lacking.”
The second day was completely different.
“Today, thankfully, it all came together,” she said. “Hole No. 9 was my nemesis but I made up for it with my putting.”
Which included birdie putts for net eagles on the 14th and 16th holes.
Overall she said the two-day event was a great experience.
“I had a great first-time experience,” she said. “I was blessed both days to play with wonderful women.”
Net
Monica Ledes, 76-68—144
Deborah Katz, 71-74—145
Helen Welsh, 74-72—146
Flight Winners
Gross
Silver Flight: Laura Smith
Gold Flight: Debbie Love
Platinum Flight: Karen Herness
Net
Silver Flight: Helen Welsh
Gold Flight: Deborah Katz
Platinum Flight: Linda Prujan
Women’s Mid-Amateur
Gross
Ashley Vaughn had three birdies in the first round en route to winning the gross division by 11 strokes.
It was Vaughn’s first Mid-Am title.
“It’s my first WSNGA event I competed in and it was fantastic,” she said. “The course was fantastic and the staff was fantastic. It was just a great two days.”
Vaughn said the first day set the stage.
“It was a Chamber of Commerce day and everything came together,” she said. “All of the parts of my game were pretty solid.”
Then came Day 2.
“The second day was a struggle,” she said. “But I kept it together pretty well. It was a grind but that’s golf sometimes.”
She said her mindset also helped out.
“I always move forward,” she said. “You can’t do anything about the past shots so you’ve just got to focus on the next shot. I definitely had some big numbers today but finished with a couple of pars so that was a great way to end…I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Gross
Ashley Vaughn, 78-86—164
Maria Foti, 97-83—180
Net
Lyndi Snyder had two streaks, one of four straight net birdies and a second one of a net eagle and three birdies (two net and one natural) over a five-hole stretch in winning the Net Division.
It was also Snyder’s first Mid-Am victory.
“Tuesday was pretty ugly,” Snyder said. “I really didn’t think I had a chance but today I got things going and finished strong.”
She said despite the first day troubles, she stayed positive.
“I had a long putt on a par-4 from off the green,” she said. “It was about 35 feet. I got my line and just went for it and it went in. That really helped me focus.”
She said her second-day round, while it had plenty of bright spots, wasn’t her best effort.
“It was kind of an average round but after yesterday it was certainly an improvement,” she said with a laugh. “Overall, I’m happy with my performance for not knowing the course that well. Some holes looked familiar but others I was kind of a like a deer in the headlights.”
Net
Lyndi Snyder, 79-69—148
Shayna Bott, 89-84—173
