Martha follows sister Stacy as US Women's

Mid-amateur championship winner

Martha Stacy Leach followed in the footsteps of her sister Hollis Stacy as a USGA title winner by winning the United States Women's Mid-Amateur championship on Thursday.
Martha beat former Georgia University team-mate Laura Coble 3 and 2 at Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club, Oscala in Florida.
The 47-year-old Leach, originally from Savannah, Georgia but now living in Hebron, Kentucky, and Stacy are only the second sisters to win USGA titles.
"It's special," said Leach, making her 22nd start in the tournament for players aged 25 and older. "It just means a lot. I love her, but I have a lot of other siblings I love, too. Hollis just happens to be a great golfer."
Stacy won six USGA titles, taking the US Girls' title in 1969-71 and the US Women's Open in 1977-78-84.
US Women's Amateur champions Harriot Curtis (1906) and Margaret Curtis (1907-11-12) are the only other sisters to win USGA titles.
"I'm so proud of my little sister," Stacy said. "She has a heart as big as the state of Georgia."
Leach made a 15ft birdie putt on the par-4 10th to take a one-hole lead and advanced that to three holes with winning pars on 12 and 14.
The 45-year-old Coble, from Augusta, Georgia, hit a wedge to inches for a birdie on the par-5 15th to cut her deficit to two holes, but Leach hit a 60yd wedge shot to 3½ feet on the par-5 16th and made the birdie putt to end the match.
"It was a great way to finish," Leach said. "I'm thinking in the 21 years I've played in this, an average 400 entries have been sent in, 8,400 women have played and there have only been 23 champions. And there have been a lot of double winners. What are your odds of winning this? This year I was either going to win the lottery or win the Women's Mid-Am. And I said, 'Damn, I won't be winning any money.' "
With the usual match-play concessions, Leach was even par for 16 holes and Coble was three over par.
"I was just a little bit off today with my swing, putting, and just couldn't get it all together," Coble said, "I'm disappointed that I didn't win, but I had a great week."