CHASKA, Minn. – Andrea Luther posted the low round of the day Monday at Chaska Town Course, carding a 6-over 78 to claim medalist honors and one of three qualifying spots at U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifying.
Luther separated herself from a field where no player reached par, finishing one shot ahead of Celina Lam to earn her spot in the 2026 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Portland Golf Club in Portland, Ore., September 26-October 1.
The medalist honor marks Luther’s third consecutive trip to the championship and her fourth overall.
Luther wasted little time getting into red figures, birdieing the par-4 first before giving the shot back with a bogey at the second. She played the next three holes in even par before dropping another shot at the par-3 sixth. Three consecutive pars to close the front nine had her at 1-over making the turn.
"Started off with a birdie on 1, so that put me in a good groove right off the bat," Luther said. "I felt like I hit the ball really well for the most part and had some good up-and-downs."
Bogeys at the 10th and 13th holes moved Luther to 3-over before consecutive bogeys at the par-3 14th and par-5 15th pushed her further back to 5-over for the day. She would answer immediately at the 276-yard par-4 16th, converting her second birdie of the round after a lay-up left her in a fairway bunker.
"Sixteen was a really good birdie for me. I laid up with a 9-wood but hit it too well and ended up in the fairway bunker," she said. "I had a difficult lie but hit a really good shot to about 15 feet and made the putt."
A unlucky occurence on the 17th tee lead the biggest mistake of her day, a double bogey, but it came it came at no fault of her swing.
"My calf and shin muscles spasmed right before I hit the ball," she said. "I was lucky to even find it, took an unplayable and made an easy double."
Needing a strong finish, Luther closed with a par at the difficult par-5 18th to cap off a 6-over 78 round and medalist honors.
"Eighteen is always stressful, but I hit a good drive and then a 7-wood for my second shot," she said. "Had 77 yards to the pin, hit it on and two-putted for par. Overall, I felt really good about how I hit the ball."
Lam, of Canada, kept pace with Luther throughout the afternoon before finishing at 7-over 79 to claim the second qualifying position.
Lam will return to the championship for a second consecutive season after qualifying in 2025 and advancing to match play at The Omni Homestead Resort’s Cascades Course in Hot Springs, Va.
Starting steadily at 1-over through four holes, Lam ran into trouble with a triple bogey at the par-4 fifth followed by a bogey at the par-3 sixth to fall back to 5-over for the day. She responded with her best stretch of golf of the day, rolling in back-to-back birdies at the par-4 eighth and par-5 ninth to make the turn at 3-over.
She started the back nine shakily, making bogeys at the par-4 11th and par-3 12th to move to 5-over. She settled in from there, making four pars over her final six holes to finish at 7-over and earn her qualifying spot.
For Lam, the trip to Portland means more than just another start.
“The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur is on top of my list of tournaments I want to play, so I always treasure the opportunity to play it,” she said. “I made the cut last year. I hope to make the cut again this year and finish a bit higher, so I don’t have to play against the second seed in my first match.”
The final qualifying spot required extra holes. Adele Peterson and Leigh Klasse each finished at 8-over 80 to force a 2-for-1 playoff, where Peterson survived to punch her ticket to Oregon. After losing the playoff, Klasse earned the first alternate position.
With the playoff win, Peterson qualified for her third U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, previously advancing to the match play portion of the 2021 championship at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala. She also advanced to match play a season ago, where she reached the Round of 32, her best result in the championship.
Peterson picked up her only birdie of the round at the par-4 third to move to even par before a bogey at the fifth and a double bogey at the par-5 seventh moved her to 3-over when she made the turn. She played a steady back nine, making pars on six holes, but a triple bogey at the par-4 16th moved her to 8-over. She closed with pars at the 17th and 18th to get her spot in the playoff.
Allison Hurley earned the second alternate position through a 3-for-1 playoff.
Portland Golf Club will host the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur for the first time this fall, with the championship opening with two rounds of stroke play before the low 64 players advance to match play.
The Oregon club has hosted two significant championships previously. One year after hosting the 1946 PGA Championship, won by Ben Hogan, Portland Golf Club served as the site of the 1947 Ryder Cup Matches, won by the United States.
Dawn Woodard claimed the 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur outlasting Australia’s Sue Wooster in 20 holes to win her first USGA title.