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By Tim Trower Mail Tribune September 03. 2015 2:00AM Former standout Ashdown finds way back for SOGC Ashdown Hammitt As a girl growing up in the 1970s, Susie Ashdown had to overcome many obstacles in order to play golf. And overcome them she did. By playing on the powerful Medford High boys team for a couple years. By only practicing in the spring her other two high school seasons so she could compete in the girls district and state tournaments. By being good enough to earn a full scholarship to the University of Arizona. The one thing she couldn't do, however, was play in the Southern Oregon Golf Championships, even though her family lived across the street from the No. 2 fairway at Rogue Valley Country Club, and she was as much a regular there as the generations of squirrels frolicking on the grounds. "Back then, you had to be 18 to play, so I never got to play," she said. "I got to caddie. People wanted me to caddie because I knew all the breaks from playing there so much." By the time she was old enough, it was time for college, and school began too early for her to enter the SOGC. Then she got a job in Arizona, then moved to South Africa, then to Cincinnati, where she now lives. It wasn't until this week, at age 52 and residing thousands of miles from that home on Country Club Drive, that Susie Ashdown finally teed it up in the SOGC. Ashdown, whose married name is Hammitt, played her qualifying round Wednesday in the women's division. She shot an 86, the principle blemish being a triple-bogey 7 on the 17th hole. It wasn't enough to detract from an experience that was all that she hoped for. "Yes," she grinned, "definitely." The people were friendly, the course was in excellent shape and the gallery following her group was ever so encouraging. There were changes to the layout from when she last played. A water hazard next to the 16th green on the outside course was new to her, and No. 9 on the inside, once a straight shot up the hill, now bends around the driving range. Still, much was the same. "I mean, I could close my eyes and I could see these holes," she said. Ashdown Hammitt didn't challenge for medalist honors. Trina Jones shot an 81 to garner that distinction. In the women's senior, Linda Johnson's 80 topped all others. Women and out-of-town men qualified Wednesday, a day after local men. None of the medalists from Tuesday were unseated. In the men's regular, Max Davis and Mark Wilson Jr. each shot 69s and will have a three-hole playoff Friday afternoon to determine medalist. Todd Dixon (71) in men's junior-senior, Steve Wood (69) in men's senior and Doug Olson (71) in men's super senior were the other top qualifiers. Match play begins today and continues through Monday. Ashdown Hammitt works for Athletes In Action, a Christian sport ministry, at Xavier University, and she was visiting in that capacity a few years ago when former RVCC head pro Jim Wise urged her to play in the Southern Oregon. She said to herself, "I've got to do that." Her husband, Mark, is her boss, and he "let me have the week off." In fact, Mark caddied for her in her practice round before returning home. Ashdown Hammitt's formative golf years were interesting, to say the least. She was ranked 10th in the nation as a junior and won a state championship during the summer youth season. At Medford High, there weren't girls teams in the area. She was the lone girl on the boys squad her freshman and sophomore years, then broke away to compete in the girls district and state tournaments. She wasn't a regular on the varsity, but she sometimes won challenge matches to earn the right to play. One of her conquests, she recalled, was Brad Arnsberg, who went on to a major league pitching career. "He was trying to take my spot," she shrugged. The standouts on those teams were the Joyner brothers, Shell — who won state in 1979 — and Tony. "I had to play from the men's tees," said Ashdown Hammitt. "It made my short game really good." At the girls state tournament, she was ninth as a freshman and fourth as a sophomore. By her junior year, a rule was implemented that prevented girls who played on boys teams to compete in the girls postseason tournaments. Ashdown Hammitt abandoned the boys for one simple reason. "I knew I could win the girls state championship," she said. As it was, she placed fourth again as both a junior and senior, and district and state were her only competitions. "It was hard to get revved up," she said. "Looking back, I kind of wish I would have stuck with the boys team and tried to go to the boys state." It would have been a good ride. The Joyners led Medford to big-school crowns in both years, 1979 and '80. One of Ashdown Hammitt's last memorable feats at RVCC was winning the 1981 club championship. Now she's in the midst of making new memories. Men's Regular Ryan Hawkins 73, Ryan Schaefer 74, JC Rater 74, Chris Polski 75, Bryce Wortman 75, Cody Stoffel 75, Kurt Snyder 76, Jon Robinson 77, Alex Hobson 80, JT Compher 80, Jack Bell 81, Justin Azevdo 81, Ted Stark 83, Scott Moore 83, Tyler Duntsch 84, Seth Walters 84, Jerom Gilbert 85, Chris Norlander 85, Sonny O’Grady 86, Peyton Lindbloom 86, Jon Portz 86, Rick Buchler 87, Brian Miller 88, Michael Richardson 89, Cody Stover 91, Scott Reed 92, Michal Barbieri 93, Josh Huffman 94, Jad Dickson 95, Brett Cromwell 95, Dave Mettler 96, Collin Krueger 99, Jim Corbett 99, Chris Intlekofer, Scott Sterton 103. Junior Senior Men Andy Baida 76, Michael Riley 77, Mark Hash 78, Dave Judd 78, Joel Jessel 80, Brooks Gard 81, Rick McCube 81, Erick Doolen 83, Steve Connell 86, Robert Husel 86, Eric Hansen 88, Rod Browning 88, Scott Entinger 88, Tim Hornecker 90, Brian Sherrill 90, Ken Lindbloom 92, John Hall 93, Billy Burke 94, Jim Stormo 95, Tom Mayor 95, Tom Groves 96, Jason Bouzos 97, Don Shanklin 98, Michael Diehl 100, Jim Retzlaff 101, James Brekke 102, Christian Carrigan 106. Senior Mike Finnell 74, Kevin Croucher 75, Mark Wilson Sr. 75, Doug Ward 76, Kim Cushing 77, Gary Loeb 78, Paul Biddle 79, Gary Sterton 79, Terry Faulkner 81, Kennith Weist 81, Tim Veley 81, Vaughn Schneder 81, Wayne Stone 82, Phil Jones 83, Brain Odell 84, James Mulhall 86, Scott Tuttle 86, Don Mitchell 87, Kevin Aguirre 88, Lance Hunter 91, John DeMario 91, Richard Mettler 93, Scott Mayfield 93, Ron Moore 94, Darrell Hunt 97, Gibb Mitchell 99, Mark Mills 103. Super Senior Herman Holm 77, Gordon Empey 78, John Dunkin 78, John Woodson 80, Ross Cooley 82, Ron Howard 85, Tom Riley 85, Dodd Samuel 86, Conrad Caprez 87, Glen Henkel 87, Mark Fewver 87, Scott Swindiman 87, Robert Adler 87, Robert Galusha 87, Roger Peck 88, Tom Watson 89, Jim Hauck 90, Bruce McDonald 90, Patrick O’Brian 91, Roque Gilbert 91, Chuck Kenney 91, Mike Arant 92, Harvey Myers 92, Brent Orrico 92, James Achenbach 92, Dave Mansfield 92, Jean David 93, Jerry Rohrs 93, John Rowan 94, George Parsons 95, John Root 96, Richard Sorenson 96, Wendall Towe 97, Dwight Samuel 98, Emmett Mahle 101, Eddie Knight 102, Ken Gilmore 105, Fuzz Primasing 105, Ron Van Vleet 107, Rodger Campuzano 108. Women's Senior Linda Johnson 80, Linda Tungsvik 86, Sandy Day 87, Sheri Driskill 88, Carolyn Turner 88, Sue Hunter 89, Bogey Lloyd 90, Janet Stark 90, Maureen McFaddin 91, Janet Selby-Hugher 91, Pam Schepis 93, Barb Pinkham 93, Nancy Moore 93, Chrissy Bayless 96, Susan Stringer 96, Deb Stuart 96, Peggy Tomlins 97, Colleen Holbert 97, Cathy Trower 98, Rosemary Harrington 99, Donna Woodson 99, Darla Allen 99, Julie Schmanek 100, Allison Myers 102, Becky Barry 103, Deanna St. Martin 104, Sonja Nisson 106, Kristine Jones 106, Audrey Egan 108, Shellby Fisher 108, Coral Edwards 109. Women's Regular Trina Jones 81, Reena White 82, Kelly Loeb 82, Laura Rommes 82, Christina Phelps 83, Aubrie Street 83, Tracie Armitage 85, Terry Levis 86, Susie Ashdown-Hammitt 86, Melinda Heiner 88, Lindsey Crosier 88, Annette Van Daam 88, Leslie Gainey 89, Makenna Clark 90, Toni Doolen 90, Tina Blum 92, Marnie Binney 93, Lori Humphrey 94, Toni Watkins 94, LeeAnn Lofin 94, Victoria Watson 94, Julia Tissen 95, Christina Browning 95, Dana Carrigan 96, Genna Mettler 98, Michele Rostron 99, Francine Bostwick 99, Tammie Allen 100, Tonia Waldron 101, Bridgitte Griffin 101, Laura Pinkham 102, Dana Clark 108. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 541-776-4479, or email [email protected] http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150903/SPORTS/150909883 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->