Paula Routon, Denise Desilet again figure to be at top of women’s city match play

Individual periods of dominance have long been a part of the women’s amateur golf scene in Wichita.

Kansas Sports Hall of Fame member Natasha Fife won seven city titles from 1955-62. Cathy Tilma, who grew up in the highly successful Stevens golfing family, surpassed Fife’s achievement with a record nine city titles from 1989-2002.

With occasional exceptions, recent years have featured a tug-of-war for city supremacy between Paula Routon and Denise Desilet. Both six-time champions are entered in the 76th Wichita city women’s match play tournament, which begins Tuesday at Willowbend Golf Club.

A field of 42 golfers will compete in three flights, with championship matches on Friday. Routon, who won the 2015 title at Rolling Hills, will be the No. 1 seed in the 16-player championship flight.

While Fife and Tilma started successful runs in the championship during their college years, the 63-year-old Routon and Desilet, 61, won their first city titles as mid-amateurs and continued to dominate as senior golfers. Since 1997, they have combined to win 12 of the 19 city match-play titles.

“The best thing is the two of them are so well liked and so well respected in our community that there isn’t a lot of negative to it,” said tournament chair Marcia Alterman, who teamed with Routon to win last month’s city fourball title.

Routon, who retired from her job as a certified registered nurse anesthetist last August, also is the reigning city senior champion. Her recent success has come on the heels of two knee replacement surgeries since 2013.

“I’m starting to play pretty well again,” Routon said. “I felt just a little bit cheated the last couple years. When I was in my 50s, I felt like I was coming into my prime as a golfer. I was strong before my knees went bad and working hard on my game.”

Desilet, who won her first city title in 2004 and most recently in 2014, has been a force at the state level, as well. She won the Kansas Women’s Golf Association senior title for the ninth time in 10 years last month.

“I’m getting a little older and the drives start to get a little bit shorter each year,” Desilet said. “It puts more of a premium on chipping and putting. I have to work at those things a lot harder.

“I’m not playing as much golf, so that makes a difference, too.”

Since Tilma won her last title, Rebecca Thomas is the only mid-amateur who has interrupted the run by Routon and Desilet, defeating Desilet for the 2011 city title. Missy Linnens was playing at Missouri State when she won the 2005 tournament, and Katy Winters claimed the 2008-09 titles while competing at Arkansas.

This year’s field includes Indiana State sophomore Alex Jennings, a Willowbend member and Northwest graduate. Jennings is the No. 2 seed in the championship flight. Desilet is third.

“From what I’ve heard, she’s a really good golfer,” Desilet said. “Those are the ones that we hope come in and start where Paula and I are leaving off.

“We’re both starting to age a little bit, but we’re kind of like Phil Mickelson. We just don’t want to give up.”

This story was originally published July 25, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Paula Routon, Denise Desilet again figure to be at top of women’s city match play."