For Women’s Metro champion Horan, winning for 24th time never grows old
SOUTH BEND — One thing which hasn’t changed in the 44 years during which Lori Horan has been winning South Bend Women’s Metro golf championships is the importance of family to her overall game.
When she was a 16-year-old South Bend Clay student in 1979 and won her first title as Lori Heiden, brother Bob was the assistant head pro at spanking new 18-hole Knollwood Country Club. Now playing retiree golf at Swan Lake, Bob still is his sister’s swing mentor. And it was one of his old putters, which was gathering dust in the attic of his home in Knox, Ind., that led to his sister’s 24th Women’s Metro title.
Horan, who last year totaled 41 putts in her final round while losing to Madison Chesnutt, finished with 34 putts Thursday during a five-over 75 tour of Erskine Park with son-cart driver-caddie Hunter and an eight-stroke victory over Bethel University sophomore Selah Unwin. Horan, who finished at 12-over 224, needed just 99 putts in three rounds, including 26 in her one-under-par round of 71 Tuesday at Elbel Park when she turned a three-shot deficit to Unwin into a three-shot advantage going into the final round.
Day 2: Horan’s hot stretch at Elbel helps her pass mother-to-be Unwin in Women’s Metro
Brother Bob wasn’t around to see his sister make good use of the 1970-style blade putter. But Horan’s husband Chris and three of their four children — Hunter and daughters Summer and Grace — were, and they all couldn’t have been happier that wife-mother ended her two-year Metro title drought. The hugs and kisses were plenty.
“Every time I win this it brings back memories,” added Horan, who last won in 2020 and withdrew with a rotator-cuff problem in 2021. “When you hit a shot, it sometimes brings you back to hitting the same shot when you were younger. I mean ‘Wow.’ That’s all I ever strive for is to go back and be able to swing like I did back then. That’s so precious to me.
“There’s something about hitting a great shot,” Horan added. “Like they say, one shot brings you back to play again. My mind is not 60 (years old); it doesn’t age.”
Unwin, who is eight months pregnant, never threatened Thursday in her round of 10-over 80 that included double bogeys at Nos. 2 and 11 and six bogeys.
“My putting was pretty defeating,” Unwin said after 37 whacks with the short stick and a three-day total of 110. “I gave myself a lot of birdie looks and missed them. I then lost a lot of trust in my routine toward the end. But I’m happy finishing second. Lori’s round Tuesday was just amazing, and today she was just so consistent.”
Day 1: Unwin plays through 8-month pregnancy to take 3-shot lead over Horan in Women’s Metro
Unwin finished a stroke ahead of Kathleen Cochrane, who needed just 30 putts to complete a round of 76 and a 233 total, two strokes ahead of Saint Mary’s College head coach Jordan Koehler, who authored the day’s best round of 74.
“I just wanted to go out and play the best I could,” Cochrane said after her second straight 76. “I was a little disappointed with my putting — I struck the ball so well on the front. I had some strange shots on the back that I don’t normally hit, but that’s going to happen in a tournament.”
Cochrane finished with 30 putts Thursday and had a tournament-best 95 putts for three days — not bad for someone who hasn’t competed in the Women’s Metro for “about” 15 years.
Nothing has changed, Cochrane added: “Lori was winning back then.”
Horan was two-over on her round but five strokes ahead of Unwin going to the short 229-yard ninth hole. After a good drive, Horan flipped a short wedge approach to eight feet and made the birdie putt that gave her a six-stroke lead over Unwin and a nine-shot advantage over Cochrane heading to No. 10. Horan made four straight pars while Unwin played the same four holes in four-over, increasing her lead to 10 shots and making a stretch of four straight bogeys starting at No. 14 survivable.
Horan then closed with a two-putt par at the 275-yard 18th and received hugs, kisses and flowers from her family.
For Lori Horan, winning never grows old and it’s always going to be a family affair.
96TH SOUTH BEND WOMEN’S METRO GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Results after Thursday’s final round played at the par-70, 4,653-yard Erskine Park Golf Course (the first two rounds were played Monday at Erskine Park and Tuesday at the par-72, 5,159-yard Elbel Park Golf Course). Par for three rounds is 212.
224 (+12): Lori Horan 78-71-75
232 (+20): Selah Unwin 75-77-80
233 (+21): Kathleen Cochrane 81-76-76
235 (+23): Jordan Koehler 81-80-74
244 (+22): Jill Daniels 83-79-82
247 (+25): JoAnn Jackson 84-81-82
254 (+32): Rachel Thompson 80-87-87
277 (+65): Heather Swaim 92-86-99
290 (+78): Tammy Beiter 104-98-88
297 (+85): Deborah Stout 105-98-94
312 (+100): Susan Gombos 103-108-101
Junior Division
Results after Thursday’s final round at Erskine Park (the first round was played Tuesday at Elbel Park). Par for two rounds is 142:
156 (+14): Clare Tobin 82-74
164 (+22): Marley Dunham 81-83
171 (+29): Lucy Dunham 85-86
186 (+44): Celia Florkowski 89-97
264: (+122): Doris Li 133-131
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Lori Horan runs away with 24th title in South Bend Women's Metro Golf
