Local dual athlete wins gold at Senior Games

Local dual athlete wins gold at Senior Games

Gretchen Klein from Hoquiam wins gold in women’s golf and joins the Women Warriors team that placed fifth

Local athlete Gretchen Klein earned a gold medal after topping the leaderboard at the 2023 Senior Games from July 31-August 31. 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Klein competed in the women’s 60-64 golf competition and scored the three worst rounds of the competition to win the event at Montour Heights Country Club in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.

Playing on a short but challenging course with narrow fairways and multiple traps and hazard, the Hoquiam resident hit an 81 (up-9) on her first round to give herself a five-shot lead. On Lap 2, that performance was followed by a 78th, the worst lap of any woman of any age group on the course.

Klein rounded out her gold medal performance with a 79 in the final round for a total of 238 points, winning by 18 shots ahead of Florida’s Darlene Allen and Michigan’s Kathryn Stellema, who tied for second place with 256.

“It wasn’t a long course but it had fairly narrow fairways, lots of bunkers and the greens had lots of breaks and hills. “They were challenging,” Klein said of the course. “It was more about playing smart. It wasn’t just about playing long and getting started. I think I only hit my driver on four holes. It was a lot of strategy shots where you hit a little less than a driver to keep the ball in play.”

Klein was a two-sport athlete at the Games, as she also competed on the local Women Warriors basketball team, who finished fifth overall in the women’s 60-64 Division 2.

The Women Warriors opened the tournament with a 32-30 win over the Steel City Hot Shots (Pennsylvania) before losing 34-28 to the Swish Sisters (California) in the second round.

In the consolation round, the Women Warriors defeated Still Got Game (California) 33-27, followed by a 38-32 win over Endo (Maine) to finish fifth overall.

The Women Warriors 50-plus team lost its two games and finished ninth in its division.

Klien, who won a silver medal with the Women Warriors at the Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. last season, thought she would try to compete in golf this season if time allowed.

“I thought if I go to the basketball tournament, if the times don’t overlap, let’s see if I can play golf, too,” she said. “It actually worked out perfectly.”

Klein added that the team is called the “Women Warriors” and wears pink because five players have survived breast cancer and five have lost a spouse.

“We want to send out the message that we all come through bad times,” she said. “We’re here to support each other and keep going.”

Anyone over the age of 50 interested in joining the Women Warriors can call or text 360-581-6432.

PHOTO SUBMITTED The Women Warriors basketball team sent two teams (pictured) to the 2023 Senior Games in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pictured are (from left): Gretchen Klein, Tanya Bowers-Anderson, Julie Opel, Sue Kalama, Kim Fogo, Rhonda Ham, Ann Peterson, Janet Graham, Denise Anderson, Alice Charley-Morris, Fran Eide, Karla Smith (kneeling) .