Evening star., 1951-08-26
Atlanta Girl Golfer
Beats Claire Doran
In Final, 7 and |
By the Associated Press

81. PAUL, MIMI, Aug. To-
1t was lucky 18th for Atlanta s
Dot Kirby. who won her first
National Women's Amateur golf
crown in 13 years of trying today
with hard-earned 2-and-1
triumph over courageous Claire
Doran in the rain-soaked final.
Miss Kirby took the title on the
35th hole with a seven-foot putt
for a par 5. while Miss Doran.
27-year-old teacher from Rocky
River, Ohio. who had evened the
match on the 31st, needed six.
1t was a long awaited triumph
for the '31-year-old Miss Kirby,
who had advanced to the 1889
and l947 finals only to finish a
runner-up.
Miss Kirby's real clincher, after
Miss Doran had erased a three
hole deficit Dot held at the 27-
hole turn, was a 20-foot putt for
birdie on the 32nd to move one
hole ahead again.
Miss Kirby. who had played
in the National, excepting one
year. ever since she was a IA
year-old in 1884, seemingly let
Miss Doran get off the hook in
the final nine.
A torrential downpour, after
showers had sprinkled the entire
first afternoon nine, cooled of
Miss Kirby, but appeared to
sharpen Miss Doran'S game.
Mass Doran poked in a r.
footer to win the 28th. Then, after
q squall had made play impos-
sible for 10 minutes. Claire took
the 29th with a par three when
Miss Kirby's tee shot went out
of bounds to the left.
Sensing she had her foe on the
run, Miss Doran rolled in a To-
footer to take the 31st with a
birdie three. That evened the
match for the first time since the
first hole.
OAOPS SU~AOOt utts
But on the 32nd. Miss Kirby
came back like a trouper. Driving
the 188-yard green some 20 feet
to the left the pin, Dot stepped
up, measured her putt and calmly
rolled it in.
The pressure almost got Miss
Doran on the 34th, but she stroked
in an eight-footer to halve the
hole. On the 35th the loser stroked
q weak iron on her third shot and
fell about 80 yards short. Her chip.
was too strong and rolled 20 feet
past the pin. She couldn't make
the putt back, and that's where
Miss Kirby reached out for the
blue chips, dropping a seven
footer for par and victory.
Miss Kirby was four over par
and Miss Doran six over for the
35-hole distance. On the morning
18, Miss Kirby shot 38-38-76 over
st. Paul Town and Country Clubs
women's par 37-37-74. 6,210-yard
layout. That gave her a lunch
time advantage of two strokes over
Miss Doran. who posted 40-38-78.
Miss Kirby Goes 3 Up.
Miss Kirby won the second and
fourth holes, while shutting out
Miss Doran on the first nine.
Claire came back to win the 10th.
but Dot uncorked a 25-footer and
magnificent 40-footer to win
the 11th and 18th moving three
holes ahead.
The days best shot, a 60-foot
chip, gave Miss Doran the 18th as
she trimmed her deficit to two.
The match developed into a
in-splattered scrap over the first
afternoon nine. Miss Doran quietly
PLAYED every shot with surprising
poise, although this was only her
third National, and the first time
she had advanced further than
the fourth round.
On the 25th. Miss Kirby went
three up when Miss Doran needed
three to get on the 355-yard
green. But Claire came right back
to take the 26th with a chip that
landed only four feet from the
370-yard pin.
Again Miss Kirby went three up
on the 9th with birdie four on
the 421-yard hole, chipping close
and sinking a four-footer
Miss Kirby had lost to Betty
Jameson in the 1899 finals, 3 and 2.
and succumbed to Louise Suggs,
2 up, in the 1887 finale.