The mixed tournament on Friday night turned out to be a perfect winter night in Hinsdale. Kim Mercurio and Susie Mullaney arranged a bountiful spread of food and desserts.The cold wind made March feel like the depths of winter until matches got well under way.
Early round matches were played at Burns Field, Hinsdale Golf Club, and KLM. By the semi-finals, everyone was back at KLM.
Stephanie and Van Stapleton edged out Pam and Paul Garvin to reach the semis. In that round, Van wasn't slowing down at all, but Mary Doten and Paul Wiggin managed to escape into the finals without dropping a set.
The other semi-final match was even more of a contest, with Katie Queenan and Bob Schultz pulling out a third-set tiebreaker over Gilliam Climo and Clay Leonard.
In the main draw finals, Mary and Paul held on in the first set to win 6-4. Momentum shifted to Katie in Bob immediately in the second and they won 6-2. With the lights set to go off, a third-set tiebreaker was played. Katie and Bob were receiving with a match point opportunity at 5-6, but lost the next three points.
Not only is Mary heading east to Rochester, NY with 4 national titles, but she's now officially been designated a Sherpa, for carrying her partner through to his first tournament win.
In the consolation final, Patty Doolas and Doug Brown defeated Pam and John Pierce.
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