Modesto’s Ebster holding tough, and gaining popularity at U.S. Senior Women’s Open
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Modesto’s Dana Ebster is not only playing stellar golf on senior women’s golf’s grandest stage, but she’s become quite popular with the masses.
Head of the junior academy at Turlock Golf and Country Club and an assistant women’s golf coach at Modesto Junior College, Ebster shot a 2-over-par 74 and was tied for fifth place on Friday at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Brooklawn Country Club.
A day before, she startled the golf world, coming out of nowhere to shoot a 5-under-par 67 in the first round, leaving her tied for the lead with World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam.
In a video interview after her round, Ebster joyfully described her play and background to reporters, who likely, to that point, had not heard of the former LPGA Tour member.
The interview was a hit.
“People came up to me as I was walking (on Friday) and they were hugging me, saying, ‘We loved your interview,’” said Ebster. “I’m like, Oh my God, you watched it? I didn’t know that it was out there.”
On Friday, Sorenstam’s husband, Mike McGee, Tweeted a photo of Ebster and Sorenstam together and wrote: “Came out early with @ANNIKA59 to the short game area and met the co-leader, Dana Ebster. What a great story. Very nice lady.”
Ebster had two bogeys on the front nine Friday, birdied 10, but gave a stroke back with a bogey on 16 and sits at 3-under par with Kris Tschetter and Rosie Jones, five back from Sorenstam, who shot a second-round 69.
In second place at 5-under is Liselotte Neumann. Tied for third at 4-under are Yuko Saito and amateur Ellen Port.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to be with Annika (on Saturday),” Ebster said, “but I’ll be in one of the other groups, which I’m super-excited about because I’ve seen their names and watched them play, and I’m like, Hey, this is going to be cool. … They’re going to be, ‘OK, relax. It’s just golf.’”
Paired with Tschetter and Port, Ebster will tee off Saturday at 8:59 a.m. PDT.
The third and fourth rounds are scheduled to be televised by the Golf Channel starting at 11 a.m. PDT.
This story was originally published July 31, 2021 at 6:12 AM.
