Black Creek Golfer Ciara Smith Relishing Experience At U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur

In the time it took to receive an unexpected phone call last Thursday, Ciara Smith’s immediate plans took on a completely different trajectory. Instead of looking ahead to a normal work week, Smith suddenly found herself scrambling to make travel arrangements for a last-minute trip to the suburbs of Boston.

Smith will be among the 132 golfers - three who hail from Tennessee - competing in the 37^th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship starting on Saturday being staged at historic Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass., something she could not have imagined eight days ago.

“When I got the call from the USGA that I got in as an alternate, it was absolutely surreal for a couple hours,” Smith said. “After I got over the initial shock, I was like, ‘Oh shoot! We’ve got to book flights, figure out rental cars and find a hotel.’ Then we had to adjust our work schedules. It’s been a crazy week.”

Smith, a four-time All-South Atlantic Conference golfer from 2014-2018 while at Tusculum University, had earned a spot as an alternate during a qualifier two weeks ago at Gallatin’s Tennessee Grasslands. She missed by one shot of being co-medalist with former Middle Tennessee State University teammates Hanley Long and Caroline Ludwikowski, who both shot 79 and nabbed the two exemptions allotted.

After shooting even par on her opening nine, Smith stumbled to a 44 on the back to post a final score of 80. Realizing the impact of her struggles over her final nine holes left Smith with a sinking feeling, replaying the round in her mind regretting the squandered opportunity to qualify for her first USGA event.

“After the front nine, I felt like I was in decent position,” Smith said. “But the back nine was just a totally different story. I was thinking in my head that a 75 would be the low score. But when I saw the two 79s and realized I missed by one stroke, all I could think about was one putt I didn’t make or one chip I could have hit better. It was bittersweet being named first alternate.”

But Smith’s regret over her near-miss was quickly wiped away by the invitation to attend the tournament that opens Saturday with the first of two days of 18-hole stroke play. The low 64 scores after Sunday will then advance to match play on Monday with the championship match slated for Sept. 12.

“I'm just looking to really enjoy the experience, to make the most out of it being my first USGA event,” said Smith, who plays locally at Black Creek Club. “I want to take it all in, getting to play such a remarkable course like Brae Burn and see where it goes from there.

“I've talked to all my family as they’ve been texting me. My uncle is reminding me to approach it just one shot at a time. But my goal would be just to make match play and then take it from there. It's going to be great to meet other competitive golfers from around the country.”

Joining Smith on her impromptu quest will be her husband, Taylor, who will also be serving as her caddie during the tournament. The couple met at Tusculum where Taylor was a member of the men’s golf team, and they have served as each other’s caddies throughout their various amateur events.

“He asked me if I was sure I wanted him on the bag thinking maybe I’d want to use one of the local caddies that knows the golf course,” Smith said. “I told him I absolutely wanted him there. He definitely knows my game and we mesh really well. Having him there will help calm any nerves, just to have a familiar person around. I told him, ‘Just don't yell at me on the golf course.’”

The Smiths moved to Chattanooga last December for Taylor’s work after spending a couple of years in Connecticut. Ciara is a Senior Associate with Connecticut-based Arccos Golf, the leader in connected A.I. golf products and the Official Game Tracker of the PGA Tour, where she continues to work remotely. They never dreamed that her golfing exploits would land them back in the northeast so soon.

“Taylor had a job opportunity to come back down to Tennessee since he was raised in the Johnson City area,” Smith said. “We lived in Knoxville beforehand, so we thought it would be nice to be closer to family.”

Smith’s initial impressions of Brae Burn exceeded her expectations during her initial practice round on Thursday.

“Pulling up to the clubhouse and going through registration felt almost surreal,” Smith said. “The USGA, along with the incredible volunteers and members at Brae Burn, have truly outdone themselves in organizing such a professionally run event. Playing a practice round today really helped me get a feel for the layout and the greens. True to Donald Ross’ style, there are a few quirky holes, so getting two practice rounds in before Saturday is definitely helpful. Staying below the hole will be key, but being aggressive when it counts is going to help navigate this course.”

Being an ardent student of classic golf architecture, Smith has also enjoyed some of the other factoids she discovered during her first day at Brae Burn. Ross designed the golf course in 1912, and his brother, Alex, was the club’s first head professional.

“The course is so immersed in history that being here is just super cool,” said Smith, a native of Chicago. “Two really cool facts I learned today were that Donald Ross lived right on the course and is buried just about half a mile away, and the original Stimpmeter is on display in the club since Edward Stimpson, its creator, was a member, too.”

But golf isn’t the only item on the Smith’s agenda while in the Boston area.

“My husband is hoping maybe we can catch a Red Sox game one of the nights we’re here,” Smith said.

Jordan Douglas, Black Creek’s head professional, will be among many local supporters hoping Smith can repeat the magic accomplished by Chattanooga’s Blakesly Brock when she won this same event three years ago in South Carolina.

“Black Creek is extremely proud of Ciara,” Douglas said. “We are lucky to have her here and wish her the very best of luck in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Am.”

Smith is scheduled to go off at 1:55 p.m. Saturday in her first round of stroke play, to be followed with a tee time on Sunday at 9:25 a.m.

Long and Ludwikowski, both Clarksville residents, start their Saturday play at 1:05 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. respectively. Long begins her Sunday round at 8:35 a.m., while Ludwikowski has a 1:00 p.m. tee time.

Former Signal Mountain Resident Also In: Bethany Burns, a New York City resident who played her prep golf at Signal Mountain High School before competing collegiately at Dartmouth, also is among the field of participants.

Burns qualified at Laconia Country Club in New Hampshire last month, claiming one of five spots awarded by shooting 77 to tie for fourth.

Burns was a two-time Division I Class A-AA state champion and four-time region champion while at Signal Mountain. She played in 11 tournaments at Dartmouth from 2016-2020 and is currently employed as an associate with Blackstone, a financial services firm in Manhattan.

Black Creek To Be Represented in 2025 Tournament: Also in attendance at Brae Burn is Jennifer Noonan, a recent transplant to Chattanooga from California where she and her husband are new members at Black Creek and The Honors Course. Noonan’s home course in California, Monterey Peninsula Club in Pebble Beach, is site of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and she is visiting Brae Burn as a committee member for next year’s event.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com