PORTLAND, Or. - It took 23 holes. But Lara Tennant outlasted her opponent on Monday at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur held at Portland Golf Club.

In a back-and-forth battle, Tennant who has won three previous editions of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, survived a 23-hole thriller against Brenda Kuehn on Monday to keep her hopes of winning a USGA championship at Portland Golf Club alive.

Tennant, a Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Famer and 5-time PNGA Player of the Year, had her work cut out for her in the Round of 64, facing another battle-tested USGA veteran in Brenda Kuehn, who was the 2023 runner-up at Troon Country Club (Ariz.).

The match between the two veterans lived up to its billing, as the three-time champion overcame an early 2-down deficit with three consecutive wins on holes 8-10.

Kuehn was able to battle back winning holes Nos. 14 and 16 to square the match. It would remain tied through the end of regulation, as Tennant pulled off an unlikely up-and-down on the 18th hole to force a playoff.

On the fifth extra hole of the match, Tennant sealed the victory, carding a birdie to beat her opponent on the 439-yard par-5 (Portland G.C.'s No. 5).

“Well, I think we both had some good stretches of golf. And it just came down to the last hole," said Tennant. "I had to make a birdie on the fifth extra hole, and, you know, luckily, the putt went in. But Brenda is a tremendous competitor. She is a grinder, so I knew it would be a very good match today.”

Tennant will now face her four-ball partner Ellen Port, whom she beat in the 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur 2 and 1.

“I know it'll be a great match,” Tennant said. “I think Ellen and I are pretty good about just playing golf and playing the golf course. But we're dear, dear friends, and we both want each other to play well. I'm sure it'll be a great match.”

Another marquee matchup in the first round of match play was the 19-hole contest between three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Ellen Port and Michigan State women’s golf head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll.

"We know each other (Tennant) very, very well,” Port said. “And both of us are going to try our best to win that match and be happy, no matter who wins. That's kind of the way I feel. You know, if we both play our best, that's what I really want us to do, is both of us to play well, and just have someone play just a little better, make one little better shot, or a better putt. it's going be great."

Port is playing in her 14th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur while she and Tennant combined have won 6 titles in this national championship. They tee off tomorrow morning at 8:35 a.m.

Port and Tennant are two of seven former champions to advance to the Round of 32. They are joined by Sarah Gallagher, Nadene Gole, Judith Kyrinis, Shelly Stouffer and Dawn Woodard.

The crowds continued to grow as Tennant’s match went on with family and friends supporting her after the match concluded. To win a fourth title in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in her hometown would be an unbelievable experience for a golfer who has left her mark all across the women’s amateur game.

The round of 32 and the round of 16 will be played Tuesdays while the quarterfinals and semifinals will be on Wednesday.