Mill Valley Doctor Wins Senior Golf Title

Patricia Cornett waited until nearly the last possible moment to seize the day. The Mill Valley physician and stalwart golfer grabbed her first lead of the 36-hole Northern California Golf Association Women's Senior Championship this week on the 35th hole.

Cornett, 56, went on to win her second Senior Championship in a row, topping a field of 24 with a six-over-par 151.

The two-day tourney was held in Pebble Beach, Calif., with one round each at Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill. Cornett, a hematologist and oncologist at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, fell behind in her first round at Poppy Hills but regrouped with four birdies and a one-over-par 74 at Spyglass.

"If you get a good start, you're well on your way at Spyglass," she said. "I knew that if I just played the course, everything would fall into place, and it did. It was one of those magical days when I was in my little element."

The two-time Senior Championship winner said she hopes to play in the USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship at Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., in mid-October.