Anna Swan stops Steph Urban's bid for record-tying EDWGA Match Play title
After Steph Urban won her fourth straight Erie District Women's Golf Association Match Play Championship last year, the North East resident mentioned to the media after that event how her odds were dwindling as far as victories in such tournaments.
Urban believed one day — sooner rather than later — one of Erie County's talented high school or college golfers would be too much for her to defeat in that format.
Urban was right.
Sunday was that day and Anna Swan was that golfer.
Swan, who's about to start her junior season with North East's girls golf program, dominated the last six holes of her 4 and 3 victory over Urban in their Match Play final at Lawrence Park Golf Club. The former PIAA team gold medalist clinched the title with her second of two birdie-fours on the course's back nine.
“I always love playing with past champions, and especially defending champions,” Swan said. “It was really cool going head-to-head with Steph, especially after she won this (tournament) four years in a row and was going for a record.”
Had Urban prevailed, she would have tied fellow Lawrence Park member Georgiann “Turk” Hamilton as the only players to have won five consecutive Match Play titles. Hamilton was a member of the former Gospel Hill Golf Club when she set her still-standing record from 1981-85.
Urban was practical about Sunday's outcome.
“I didn't play quite as well as I wanted to,” she said. “I wanted my A-plus game, but it was more like a B-plus game, so kudos to Anna. She probably didn't play her best either, but I know I didn't.”
Defeating Swan also would have produced Urban's sixth overall Match Play championship. That would have left her one back of Hamilton, whose seven titles are the second most in the tournament's 97-year history.
The late Jean Forsyth won her record 10th Match Play in 1966.
Urban undeterred
Sunday's result had a changing-of-the-guard vibe when it came to the players' ages. Urban was in her first EDWGA event since she turned 50, while Swan is 16.
However, Urban said she still expects to enter — and more importantly contend — in EDWGA events for the near future. She plans to participate its Aug. 13-14 Stroke Play Championship at Lake Shore Country Club.
Urban was that tournament's inaugural champ in 2013 and repeated in 2014.
Beyond EDWGA action, though, Urban also plans to enter more senior women's golf events now that she's eligible. She was the senior gross champ for last month's Western Pennsylvania Golf Association Women's Amateur Championship at Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley.
“That course was a lot longer than Lawrence Park,” Urban said, “but I made a lot more putts there than I did (Sunday).”
Bids to crack the fields for USGA senior women's tournaments also are on Urban's radar. Initially, she was upset for not attempting to enter them this year.
That was before Urban learned the Anchorage (Alaska) Golf Course is the site for this week's Senior Women's Amateur.
“Now, I'm glad I didn't try (to qualify),” Urban said. “That would have cost me a fortune.”
Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, will host the 2023 Senior Women's Amateur.
Look ahead to Lake Shore
Swan also intends to enter the EDWGA Stroke Play at Lake Shore.
She has a good reason to as one of the tournament's defending co-champs. Swan is familiar with the person who currently possesses the other half of that title. It's her older sister.
Lydia Swan, who graduated from North East earlier this year, caddied for Anna during Saturday's Match Play semifinals. The former PIAA gold medalist then departed for Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
Swan will play there as part of this week's Girls Junior PGA Championship.
The Swan sisters finished last year's Stroke Play, held at Downing Golf Course, with identical 36-hole scores of 3-under par 141. However, the duo asked if they could forgo a playoff and be declared co-victors because of family activities scheduled later that day.
The EDWGA officials agreed.
If the Swans are tied again at the end of this year's Stroke Play, there will be no repeat of that scenario, according to Anna.
“If there's going to be a playoff (with Lydia), I'm playing,” she said. “There's been some back-and-forth between us about who would have won (last year).”
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Anna Swan stops Steph Urban's bid for record-tying EDWGA Match Play title
