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U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur 5Port Wins the 2011 ChampionshipEllen Port added her name to the Mildred Prunaret Women’sMid-Amateur Championship Trophy for a record fourth timewith her 2-and-1 victory over fellow past champion MarthaLeach at the 25th Women’s Mid-Amateur, conducted atBayville Golf Club in Virginia Beach, Va.Port, a high school golf coach and physical education teacherfrom St. Louis, Mo., previously captured the championship forwomen age 25 and older in 1995, 1996 and 2000. The 11-yearspan since her last victory broke the championship record ofseven years held by Carol Semple Thompson, who won in 1990and 1997.“It’s just a culmination of a lot of hard work and still having a lifeoutside of golf and still wondering if you could still win,” saidPort, a mother of two who celebrated her 50th birthday theday before the final. “It’s been a really special week.”Port never trailed in the match, which was halted for 38 minutesdue to a thunderstorm with the players on the 12th green. Sheonly fell behind once in her six championship matches.“I just really had a peace about everything this week,” said Port,who advanced to the final with a 3-and-2 victory over HeleneBeat in Thursday morning’s semifinal round. “I was very calmand very at peace with myself, and I think that made a big differencein my golf game.”Leach, 49, of Hebron, Ky., carded consecutive bogeys to openthe match and give Port an early 2-up advantage. After halvingthe third with birdies, Port hooked her second shot on thepar-5 fourth hole into a fairway bunker. She then missed thegreen and could not get up and down. The bogey knockedone hole off her lead.“I don’t think my legs were tired,” said Port. “I just sometimesget anxious, and I just hooked a 4-(hybrid) and didn’t do verywell on that.”Port’s struggles continued, as an unplayable lie from an area ofnative grasses on the par-5 sixth led to a bogey. Leach took thehole with a par and squared the match.But from there, the afternoon belonged to Port. Leach’s bogeyat the par-4 seventh handed the lead back to Port, one thatshe never surrendered. Her lead stretched to 2 up at the par-410th, when Leach uncharacteristically stroked her 5-foot parputt just right of the hole.“She missed more putts than she normally does,” said Port ofher good friend. “She’s a really good putter.”“I had been hitting it really well (this week),” said Leach, the2009 champion. “Today, I woke up and I just couldn’t get anythinggoing.”Following the brief rain delay, Port tacked another hole ontoher lead when Leach’s 30-foot par attempt at the par-4 12thstopped 3 feet short.“That had been a really good hole for me most of the days,”said Port, who won the hole by converting her 10-foot par puttafter finding a fairway bunker off the tee. “It moved just a littlebit, and I played conservative and got away with it.”Leach chipped away at Port’s lead with a 4-foot par save at thepar-3 13th after Port missed her 7 footer. But Port’s lead was toomuch to overcome, and halves over the next four holes gaveher the victory.Leach struggled to find her game all day. With the championshipschedule altered due to an extended rain delay duringstroke play, the semifinal and final rounds were played on thesame day rather than on separate days. Leach had to survive a19-hole comeback win over Tara Joy-Connelly on Thursdaymorning before heading to the championship final.“My first match today took it all out of me,” said Leach, the sisterof six-time USGA champion Hollis Stacy. “When you don’t hitit solid and you’re not making putts, you’re working so hard toget something going.“It just wasn’t my time to win, so I’m OK with that.”Port and Leach have long Women’s Mid-Amateur histories,playing in their 22nd and 23rd championships, respectively.For Port, the opportunity to share today’s experience with hergood friend was more valuable than any championship trophy.“I almost started crying walking down the fairway because Iwas watching John (Leach, Martha’s husband and caddie) andMartha,” said Port. “I love playing with Martha. I’m really gladwe played because I would have sincerely been happy if she’dhave won as well.“That’s golf at its finest, being able to have two friends (competingin the final). And I know she’s disappointed in the wayshe played, but she’s a champion.”Women’sMid-Amateur