Retired PGA standout helps a local golfer
After a weather delay, Crofton’s Elyse Smidinger’s playing partners withdrew from the U.S. Women’s Open Sectional qualifier on Monday.
So she walked up the 18th hole at Woodmont Country Club’s North Course — just her and her caddie.
| U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying |
| Monday at Woodmont Country Club (North) |
| 1. Leta Lindley (Palm Beach, Fla.) 144 |
| 2. Julieta Granada (Paraguay) 145 |
| 2. Cindy Lacrosse (Tampa, Fla.) 145 |
| 2. Y.A. Yang (South Korea) 145 |
| 5. Chella Choi (South Korea) 146 |
| 6. Saehee Son (South Korea) 148 |
| 7. Joanna Coe (Mays Landing, NJ) 149 |
| 7. Danah Bordner (Indianapolis) 149 |
| *9. Moira Dunn (Utica, NY) 151 |
| *10. Kim Williams (Bethesda) 152 |
| * Alternates |
But Smidinger wasn’t accompanied by just anyone looking to make a few bucks on a pleasant afternoon. It was Bruce Crampton, winner of 14 PGA titles and 20 on the Champions Tour.
Since leaving the 50-and-over circuit, Crampton, 75, has been a golf recluse. Living now in Severna Park, the Australia native still is fit, but hasn’t played a round in 11 years. He avoided the sport until agreeing to instruct local standout Kaitlyn Rohrback, then Smidinger.
“I don’t want to spend every day, all day, out in the sun,” Crampton said, wearing the straw hat that became his signature on the Champions Tour. “But I’m all too happy to help.”
Crampton is a business associate of Neal Katcek, an Anheuser-Busch distributor, who plays at Crofton Country Club, where Rohrback and Smidinger are members. Rohrback plays on the golf team at Tennessee. Smidinger, a junior at Arundel High School, has committed to play at the University of Denver.
“He’s really helped my swing and my game,” Smidinger said.
But Smidinger is quick to point out that Crampton never demonstrates a shot. He only tells her how. It’s the best way to ward off any urges to resume playing.
“In order to satisfy myself and be competitive, I’d have to work at it every day. I got too many other things,” Crampton said. “The last two years of my career, I worked harder than I ever did — exercising and training — and I wasn’t seeing any improvement. It was like swimming upstream against a current. The current was my age.”
At the other end of the age spectrum is Smidinger, the youngest player in a field of 80, which included many LPGA Tour professionals. Smidinger (79-82 – 161) finished 10 strokes shy of the last of eight qualifiers. The only local player in contention, Kim Williams (Bethesda), captured the second alternate slot in a playoff. The U.S. Women’s Open will be played July 7-10 at Broadmoor (East) in Colorado.
