It was just one shot, but that putt probably won the tournament for Waryck. The 2008 North High School graduate, who will be a senior at Miami University in the fall, followed a first-round 77 with an 83 and beat 2005 champion Donna Warfield by one shot with a two-round total of 161.
It’s the fourth year in a row the City Am has produced a first-time winner. There have been 16 winners overall in 30 years.
“For me, it’s just about having a good time out here with these women,” Waryck said. “To finally win is just great.”
Lindsey Phillips, a 2011 Graham graduate playing in her first City Am, shot 82-82—164 to finish third. Laaci Farris, a 2008 Shawnee graduate, and defending champion Anne Busam, a senior at Wittenberg, each shot 81-84—165 to tie for fourth.
Waryck got off to a strong start with a birdie on the first hole. At that point, she had an eight-stroke lead on Warfield, who bogeyed the first, a seven-stroke lead on Phillips and a five-stroke lead on Busam and Farris.
“I was a little nervous when I birdied the first hole,” Waryck said, “because it’s never a good omen for me.”
Still Waryck maintained her advantage by matching Busam and Phillips with a 40 on the front nine. Warfield gained only a shot on Waryck with a 39.
It wasn’t until double bogies on 15 and 16 that Waryck started getting nervous. The 16th hole rattled her until she made the putt.
“I just wanted to get off the hole and on to something else,” Waryck said. “It could have been a bigger number than it already was.”
Neither Waryck nor Warfield knew the other’s score because they were playing in different groups, but the tournament came down to the final hole. Warfield miss a 5-foot putt and settled for a double-bogey 6. Busam bogied the hole.
It’s the third straight year Warfield has finished second. She also lost by one stroke in 2009.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0351 or djablonski@coxohio.com.
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