Champion Faces Stern Challenge : Kuhn Three Strokes Behind the Leader in L. A. Seniors Golf Final
She moves steadily from shot to shot at a pace that would make an infantryman gasp for breath.
She talks of the discipline of golf, of the test of golf, of the need for concentration.
Betsy King at the U. S. Women’s Open?
No, Marie Kuhn at the Los Angeles Senior Women’s Championship.
Kuhn, the two-time defending champion, placed second in the event in 1985 and ‘86, the first two years she was eligible. Today, in the final round at the Balboa Golf Course, Kuhn must overcome a three-stroke deficit to wrestle the championship from Millie Stanley. Stanley shot a 76 to Kuhn’s 79, and, as a six-time winner of the event, is a definite threat to Kuhn.
“I made mental errors today, meaning poor club selection and lack of patience,” said Kuhn, 54, who lives in North Hollywood and belongs to the Sepulveda Golf Club. “After I made a couple of bogies on the back side I lost my patience--that’s what begat a couple more. I’ve just got to back off and be patient.”
After seeing Kuhn play, it’s hard to imagine her slowing down for anything. A typical Sunday morning consists of 18 holes in less than two hours.
“I told the gals if I get to moving too fast, just trip me or something, because when I see no one in front of me, I just run,” Kuhn said.
Although there is a definite sense of competitiveness about Kuhn, it is equally obvious that she enjoys the game. She will compliment her competitors on their shots, take the time to feed squirrels while waiting to tee off and repair any divots and scuff marks she encounters.
“We all know each other, “ Kuhn said. “Instead of a competitive atmosphere, it’s more friendly. But we’re still not there to throw any shots away. It’s fun to be with people like that, and still be competitive.”
Kuhn makes room for golf every day, despite the fact that she works full time as a film technician. After she gets off work at 4:30 a.m., Kuhn sleeps for a few hours and is usually at the course by 8 a.m. for hours of practice.
The devotion has payed off. She recently won both the Southern California Women’s Amateur and the Los Angeles County Women’s Golf Assn. championships. However, her winning streak was broken earlier this week at the Pub-Links Championship, where she placed third. This affected her play in yesterday’s opening round.
“It’s been a lucky year. The publinks tournament was a bad tournament for me. I played very poorly,” Kuhn said.
“I was extremely disappointed in myself and so it’s quite a downer, it was hard for me to pull myself together for today. But a good night’s sleep in my own bed and I thought, ‘Well, I could shoot some numbers,’ but I lost my concentration on the back side and cost myself a good four more strokes than I should have.”
Concentration and consistency are the keys to Kuhn’s success, and are what she will rely on to carry her through today’s round.
“I don’t want to hit woods better than I can hit irons, I don’t want to be able to chip better than I can putt. I want to do everything well, because I feel that you have to do them all well if you’re going to win anything,” Kuhn said.
Although golf first attracted Kuhn about 20 years ago when she met her husband, Ken, a former professional golfer, she didn’t begin to play seriously until five years later. She hadn’t been interested in athletics prior to her marriage, but golf soon became a way of life, eventually replacing more sedentary activities, such as reading and movies.
“Sometimes I think ‘My goodness, it’s consuming me.’ I have never in my life found anything that was so fulfilling,” Kuhn said. “You never reach the highest level you can be. There’s always something more to attain. That’s the carrot at the end of the stick. I never plan to give it up.”