Dalhousie members follow another win by club's touring pro

Dalhousie Golf Club was all smiles on Sunday.

While members did not have a chance to see the club's touring professional on a live telecast, golfers were still tuned in all day to Karen Stupples' stunning performance in the Women's British Open.

"I was out working the golf course and checking on things," said Jack Connell, director of golf at Dalhousie. "The shop would call me with updates, and then I'd update the players on the course. Everyone out there was asking me how she was doing.

"They showed it on TV this afternoon, but it was tape-delayed. But we had the Internet on, and it posted scores after every hole and updated the leaderboard. We still enjoyed watching her come down the stretch even though we knew she won by then. It was fun watching her finish those last couple holes. We were all smiling and laughing and high-fiving."

Connell said he was thrilled after Stupples eagled and double-eagled the first two holes.

"One of our members called me early in the morning to tell me about it," he said. "She was five under after two holes; I couldn't believe it."

While a few Dalhousie members have already contacted Stupples on her cell phone, Connell said he has yet to talk to her and is looking forward to her return to Cape Girardeau in a couple weeks.

"She'll be here in 10 days or so, and we're all looking forward to giving her a hug," Connell said. "Everyone is so proud of her. She had her whole family there from England, and her so-called family at Dalhousie was cheering her on. It was just really cool."

It was Stupples' first win in a major tournament and first victory with LPGA superstar Annika Sorenstam in the field.

"You can see her gaining experience because she's been in those situations before, and she's gotten to play in some final groups," Connell said. "To respond today and play as well as she did was really neat to see."

Added Connell, "She really is a genuinely great girl who's been through hardships and persevered. It's a great story and so neat; she's deserving and has worked so hard for it."