Walailak Satarak

     DENVER -- A couple of things given up for dead several years ago are alive and well, as was demonstrated Friday at the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.
     Five years after the men’s Colorado Open was canceled for a year due to financial and management problems, HealthOne CEO Jeff Dorsey announced Friday that an agreement in principle has been reached for HealthOne to sponsor the Colorado Open tournaments for another five years, beginning in 2009.
     HealthOne’s first five-year deal as title sponsor was due to expire after this year’s Colorado Senior Open.
     In addition to a major business matter being taken care of, Walailak Satarak of Thailand, who quit golf four years ago for 10 months, made history Friday by becoming the first repeat winner of the Colorado Women’s Open.
     Satarak, called “Wally” by her friends, cruised to her second straight title -- and second championship in two tries at this tournament -- despite shooting a 4-over-par 76 in the final round at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. Satarak, who’s lived in the Los Angeles area for the last 10 years, won by three shots over Becca Huffer, who recently won her second state high school championship. A double bogey on the final hole left Satarak at 1-over-par 217 overall.
     “I love this course and I love this city,” said the 24-year-old Satarak, who won $11,000 as the winner and another $1,900 for being part of the second-place pro-am team. “This course sets up well for me.”
     Satarak has been trying to qualifying for the LPGA Tour since turning pro in 2002 after one year of college. She competed for a couple of years as a pro, then quit the game in 2004.
     “I needed time off to find out what to do for real work,” she said. “I kept thinking every day what can I do besides golf? I was a server for (10 months) at a restaurant. A friend pushed me back into golf. I missed golf.”
     Satarak is still battling to reach her goal of

Satarak First Repeat Winner in
Colorado Women’s Open History

HealthOne agrees to new 5-year deal as title sponsor for Open Championships

By Gary Baines

Colorado Golf Journal, Friday, May 30, 2008

At Par-72 Green Valley Ranch GC in Denver

a-indicates amateur

Walailak Satarak ($11,000) 72-69-76--217

a-Becca Huffer 75-74-74--220

a-Ashley Tait 75-72--77--224

Helen Oh ($6,300) 79-72-73--224

a-Kristin Walla 72-78-75--225

Amanda Costner ($2,737) 74-75-76--225

Elena Robles ($2,737) 74-77-74--225

Jessica Reese ($2,737) 75-76-74--225

Lisa DePaul ($2,737) 76-75-74--225

a-Rachel Larson 74-78-75-227

Sin Ah Ham ($1,965) 80-74-73--227

Jen Hanna ($1,800) 76-76-76--228

a-Brooke Collins 80-72-77--229

Adrienne White ($1,567) 80-74-75--229

Lacey Jones ($1,567) 73-75-81--229

Stephanie Ruiz ($1,567) 75-73-81--229

a-Kasey Claussen 82-75-73--230

Chelsea Benton ($1,231) 77-78-75--230

Erin Houtsma ($1,231) 71-75-84--230

Heather Wright ($1,231) 81-71-78--230

a-Melissa Martin 80-73-78--231

Rachel Newren-Harmon ($1,055) 82-71-78--231

a-Amber Ward 79-73-80--232

Kelly Jacques ($970) 77-79-76--232

Trisha Self ($970) 77-75-80--232

a-Carrie Morris 78-78-77--233

Kailin Downs ($875) 80-72-81--233

a-Staci Smoot 79-75-80--234

Maggie Steciuk ($790) 79-77-79--235

Tiffany Faucette ($790) 78-79-78--235

Cathie Williamson ($583) 79-79-78--236

Dede Cusimano ($583) 81-77-78--236

Jessica Carafiello ($583) 77-77-82--236

Maria Kostina ($583) 79-78-79--236

Suzanne Strudwick ($583) 81-77-78--236

Suzie Fisher ($583) 79-78-79--236

Sarah Tiller ($450) 82-76-81--239

a-Kim Eaton 79-79-82--240

Kim Kouwabunpat ($415) 80-78-84--242

HEALTHONE COLORADO WOMEN’S OPEN

playing on the LPGA Tour -- she made the cut in the final stage of qualifying in 2002 -- but has been doing OK for herself competing elsewhere. In 2007, she was the Canadian Women’s Tour Player of the Year, and she’s won the Colorado Women’s Open two straight years.
     On Friday, she started the day with a five-shot lead and the closest anyone got on the back nine was the final margin of three.
     “I’m glad I won. It was a bad round,” Satarak said. “Everything was just off, but I hung in there.”
     With 2005 champion Erin Houtsma, who started the day in second place, shooting a third-round 84 and finishing 17th, Huffer was Satarak’s main challenger Friday. Huffer’s runner-up showing tied for the second-best performance by an amateur in the 14-year history of the Women’s Open. Amateur Paige MacKenzie won the overall title in 2006.
     “She was playing against a lot of pros; she did great,” Satarak said of Huffer. “The course was set up for pros, not for an amateur or high school event.”
     Had Huffer been a pro, she would have won $6,300 for her second-place finish. As it was, she’ll have to settle for a string of tournaments in which she’s finished second (high school regionals), first (prep state championship), first (U.S. Women’s Amateur Publinks qualifying) and second (Women’s Open)
     “It was a good week,” said Huffer, who is headed to Notre Dame on a golf scholarship. “It was fun. I came out and did what I wanted to do -- be low amateur.”
     Huffer cut Satarak’s margin to four strokes a couple of times on the back nine Friday, but on each occasion a three-putt set her back.
     “I wasn’t playing that great,” she said. “I figured I’d be second.”
     Another amateur, three-time high school state champion Ashley Tait, tied for third place Friday at 8-over-par 224 with Australian pro Helen Oh. Tait closed with a 77 and Oh with a 73, which matched the best round posted Friday.
     Oh teamed with Bill Maestas to win the pro-am event with a 21-under-par 195 total.

Becca Huffer

Walailak Satarak