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Jun 24, 2008 6:26 pm US/Central
Meet The Oldest Golfer To Tee Up For Women's Open
EDINA, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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At Interlachen, Martha Nause is the oldest person playing in the field at 53-years-old. She's playing in her 12th U.S. Women's Open of her career but this year is her first in 10 years.
CBS
There are plenty of great stories at the U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen and Martha Nause has two of them. Not only is she one of the few local players to qualify for this year's tournament but she's also the oldest.
For thousands of Minnesotans the U.S. Women's Open is a time to celebrate the game they love. For Nause, who is also the coach for Macalester College, it's a time to play it.
"It's very cool. I mean it's really amazing and I kind of decided to qualify on a whim and here I am," she said.
At Interlachen, Nause is the oldest person playing in the field at 53-years-old. She's playing in her 12th U.S. Women's Open of her career but this year is her first in 10 years.
"It never struck me, the oldest player thing until I got here yesterday and I saw all the youngsters," she said.
Nause spent 22 years on the LPGA tour, finished as high as 8th in the U.S. Open and won one major. But for the last eight years she's been coaching the men and women at Macalester College. That's where her caddie Eric Kelsey once played for her and now also assistant coaches with her.
"It's kind of like she was saying, it's like she won a tournament almost. You know all she did was qualify for the U.S. Open, which she has done dozens of times, but this time was kind of like she had won a tournament," said Kelsey.
Nause knows there will be plenty of Macalester players in the gallery on Thursday cheering her on and probably coaching a bit as well.
"They are all wishing me well, and they're trying to coach me now telling me to visualize my puts going in and enjoy every moment, and all the things that I've told them all along they're now spitting back at me. So it's pretty cool," said Nause.
She will tee off at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and is paired with the youngest player in the field, 13-year-old Alexis Thompson from Florida.
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