Kris Franklin overcomes 5-shot deficit on back 9 to win CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play for 4th time, defeating Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton in playoff at Franklin’s home course
By Gary Baines – 8/13/2024
WESTMINSTER — After a frustrating opening round of the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play at her home course, Kris Franklin did what she could to straighten her game out, even going so far as to drive over to Walnut Creek Golf Preserve and hit two large buckets of range balls on Monday afternoon.
But also in hopes of changing the mojo, she decided to throw a little superstition into the mix — just in case.
So when Franklin woke up on Tuesday morning, she donned a patterned blueish outfit and a cap from the 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Open that was played at Pine Needles in Southern Pines, N.C.
What’s the significance of all that, you might ask. Well, the last time the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play was contested at The Ranch Country Club — Franklin’s home course — she wore that exact same outfit and cap en route to victory.
Who knows if playing into that superstition made the difference, but on Tuesday at The Ranch, Franklin rallied from a five-stroke deficit with six holes to play to force a playoff, then won with a 10-foot birdie on the fourth hole of sudden death to claim the title.
“Same outfit, I think,” the 58-year-old noted. “I thought, mental (advantage). I saw a picture we took here and I was with the family. And it had to be this tournament (in 2021). So I was like, ‘Let’s give it a run’” again with the outfit. “Lara Tennant won three (U.S. Senior Women’s) Amateurs in a row wearing the same skirt. The USGA was always laughing, and I was like, ‘You need to take that skirt into the Hall of Fame now.’ So (for me), I was like, ‘Let’s see if it works.’”
Franklin in her lucky outfit, the same one in which she won the 2021 CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play.
The result was that Franklin won the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play for the fourth time since 2018. Only two other players have won the title four times or more — Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton and Lynn Larson, each six-time winners of the event. And, coincidentally, the player Franklin overcame in Tuesday’s playoff was none other than Eaton as two former touring pros squared off.
When Eaton two-putted for birdie on the par-5 12th hole and Franklin bogeyed after putting her second shot into the water in front of the green, Eaton led by five strokes with six holes to play. And given that Eaton is a proven winner — she owns 51 state titles between Colorado (30), Arizona (20) and California (1) — it looked like just a matter of time until she added to her victory total.
But a combination of Franklin going 2 under for her last six holes (with birdies on 15 and 16) and Eaton going 3 over for the same stretch led to a playoff. And after the players tied the previous extra holes with scores of bogey, par and par, Franklin ended things with an uphill 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole for the win.
“I never would have thought after (hole) 12 that (the victory) would have happened,” she said.
Runner-up Kim Eaton comes ever so close to sinking a putt on the 18th hole Tuesday.
Said Eaton: “I’m a little upset with myself just because I think I gave it to her on the back nine” with a score of 4-over 40. “I couldn’t do anything about (her birdies down the stretch), but the two doubles I made on the back (10 and 13) were ridiculous. And the (4-foot par) putt I missed on 17, it wasn’t even close.”
However it came about, Franklin’s victory led to hugs all around with family and friends — all happening perhaps a little more than 100 yards from the Franklins’ house. Husband Brent was caddying for Kris, and their son Walker, a golfer at University of Texas at San Antonio, was an interested spectator.
“It was so nice on that last hole to just be done,” Franklin said. “(Eaton) put it in my mind: ‘Remember our last playoff? It was on my home course (Greeley Country Club at the 2018 CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play) and you beat me. So we’re doing this different.’ I said, ‘No, no, no. Let’s not.’ She was cute.”
Having her husband and one of her sons on hand for the victory was icing on the cake for Franklin.
“It was really special,” she said. “They knew that I was struggling and frustrated and really sad (going into the final day), so for Walker to come out and support me, obviously I played a little bit better. It was neat for him to go, ‘Good job, mom’ because this game isn’t easy.”
Franklin and caddie/husband Brent line up a putt during the final round.
With rounds of 75-75 — and playing the par-5 third hole in a combined 5 over par — Franklin finished at 8 over par along with Eaton (73-77), who recently edged out Franklin for the CGA Mid-Amateur Stroke Play title.
Placing third on Tuesday was Deb Pearson of Colorado Springs Country Club, who closed with a 76 to end up four strokes out of the playoff.
The victory marked the third CGA championship of the year for Franklin, who also won the Women’s Senior Match Play and the Mashie (the latter with former college teammate Janet Moore).
In all, Franklin now has 11 CGA titles to her credit, with all but one (the 1986 Women’s Stroke Play) coming since 2018. This year marks the second time she’s swept the women’s senior majors (the Senior Stroke Play and Senior Match Play) in a single season, having previously done so in 2019. All told in CGA championships, Franklin has won one Stroke Play, four Senior Stroke Plays, three Senior Match Plays, one Mid-Amateur, one Mashie and one Dunham Chapman.
A shank out of a bunker on No. 13 led to a costly double bogey for Eaton, who came to that hole with a five-stroke advantage.
In the case of this week’s tournament, Eaton said her downfall started on the par-3 13th hole, where she left her tee shot in the front bunker, shanked her shot out of the sand onto the rough in front of the green, chipped on and missed a 7-foot putt, taking a double bogey — her second in four holes.
“The double on 13 killed me,” said Eaton, who recently turned 65. “I seem to (shank it) with my sand wedge every once in a while, and I don’t really know why.”
From there, Franklin nibbled further into Eaton’s lead with a 2-foot birdie on 15 and a 14-footer on 16. And when Eaton missed her 4-foot par attempt on 17, the two were tied, leading to the playoff. In extra holes, one of the highlights was Franklin hitting a touchy sand shot to 2 feet on No. 10 (playoff hole No. 3) and making the par putt to match Eaton.
“I know Brent and Walker were probably really cringing because it’s just famine in the bunker (for me recently),” she said. “So to hit that one well — not leave it in the bunker, not zing it or whatever — was so exciting. It’s fun for me, but it’s more exciting for me to do that for them — to see them get excited.”
Then on No. 18 — the fourth and final playoff hole — Franklin’s approach from 107 yards was right on line, just 10 feet short of the cup and beneath the hole, setting up the winning birdie.
“I needed to hit a solid wedge, with the wind and everything,” Franklin said. “And the last thing I wanted to do was hit it in the (front) bunker. To hit it solid, look up and see it going toward the pin was really exciting. I had a good caddie clubbing me there.”
Franklin’s nifty sand shot on the third playoff hole saved par for her.
Franklin came into the Women’s Senior Stroke Play after making the cut in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open earlier this month. She started strong there — with a 71 — but putting issues led to subsequent scores of 76-78-82 and she finished in 54th place. She said her putting totals, by round, went 29, 36, 39 and 42.
“I had six three-putts, one four-putt and one out of bounds and shot 82,” she noted. “That’s how disappointing it was. It really tainted it. I wanted to make the cut, but then I’m playing well. But I just lost it (putting-wise). I lost all ability to putt. It was just the craziest thing. I felt so helpless and it was so stressful.”
But despite further stress for much of the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play, Franklin certainly came on strong down the stretch. Between the final six holes of regulation and the four playoff holes on Tuesday, she was 2 under par.
“I loved the last holes and loved the playoff,” she said. “That was really exciting. It really felt good to hit good shots coming in.”
CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play Winners
At The Ranch CC in Westminster
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
Low Gross — Kris Franklin, The Ranch CC 75-75–150
Low Net — Deb Pearson, Colorado Springs CC 74-72–146
MASTERS DIVISION
Low Gross — Sandy Bickel, Harmony Club 79-80—159
Low Net — Leanna Rosenow, West Woods GC 73-71–143
FIRST FLIGHT
Low Gross — Karlin Hayes, LPGA Amateur Golf Association 83-74–157
Low Net — Nina Dulacki, Broken Tee GC 78-68–146
SECOND FLIGHT
Low Gross — Chris Jansen, Foothills GC 75-80–155
Low Net — Odette Kleidon, Hyland Hills GC 71-71–142
THIRD FLIGHT
Low Gross — Mabel Gong, The Ranch CC 82-88—170
Low Net — Kathy Diehl, Broken Tee GC 77-72–149
FOURTH FLIGHT
Low Gross — Kim Vickery, DU GC at Highlands Ranch 96-104—200
Low Net — Judy Maillis, Broken Tee GC 77-80–157
FIFTH FLIGHT
Low Gross — Jan Squires, West Woods GC 105-105—210
Low Net — Margie Miller, Hyland Hills GC 77-74–151
For all the results from the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com