The 2026 Women’s Senior Championship wrapped up yesterday at The Ranch Golf & Country Club. It was a week filled with friendship, competition, and sunny weather.
Round one proved tough for competitors due to the elevation change throughout the course as well as the wet conditions considering the rain from previous days. The competitors battled, but Sandra Turbide took the lead at +5 following day one. Celina Lam was not far behind with +7, and Connie Evans, Daniela Pacheco, and Lynn Kuehn followed at +9. Turbide’s lead was in both the Senior and Super Senior divisions, with Kuehn being the closest behind in the Super Senior.
In the Diamond division, Jo-Anne Schiller and Jean Nitchke both shot 94 to put them at T1 going into day two.
Heading into day two, the course had dried up compared to day one and competitors had a better grasp on the course which was apparent in their scores. Turbide remained focused, finishing day two with a 75, putting her at +9. Lam followed at +12 and Evans at +14. These scores set up for a close and competitive final round. Turbide also maintained her lead in the Super Senior division.
Day two was another close one in the Diamond division with Schiller shooting 92 while Nitchke shot 93, giving Schiller a one-stroke lead heading into day three.
Day three turned the heat up both temperature and score wise. Turbide and Lam both pared the first hole, but Lam hit a rough spot with three bogies in a row to follow. Despite this, Lam managed to par the remaining five holes on the front nine. Turbide finished the front with two bogies, heading into the back with a 4-stroke lead. During the back nine, Turbide hit her own rough patch with three bogies and one double bogey in five holes. Lam pared four and bogied on 15 leaving the pair tied heading into 16. In the end it all came down to what happened on the 18th green. Turbide made an impressive putt for birdie that allowed her to capture the win without even realizing she had won. When asked about being tied with Lam after 15 Turbide said, “I thought I was a shot behind,” and she did not realize she had won until one of her friends told her she did so.
On the Diamond division side, Nitchke turned up the heat and shot 89, while Schiller remained consistent with 94. Nitchke captured the win with her sister, who caddied for her all week, by her side. When asked about how it was having her sister caddy for her Nitchke said, “It’s awesome. It’s very comforting to have someone you know with you, and it’s our bonding time, so it’s great.”
The interprovincial team will comprise of Andrea Kosa, Daniela Pacheco, and Gisselle Willimus. These three competitors will head to Pine Hills Golf Club in Rocky Mountain House to represent Team Alberta this September.
The full leaderboard can be found at the link below, including all scoring data from the week.
Notable Highlights
- This double crown was Sandra Turbide’s first Alberta Golf win.
- The final spot of the interprovincial team spot went to a playoff where Gisselle Willimus was able to secure her spot as the third member of the team.
- Hall of famer Cathy McMillan came out on the final day to watch her daughters Erin and Allison compete.