USBC Hall of Famer, Dana Miller-Mackie, won the first leg of the Senior Women’s Triple Crown Series Thursday at The Orleans in Las Vegas, Nev., defeating fellow Hall of Famer, Robin Romeo, 216 – 200 for the 2012 National Golden Ladies Classic title.

Romeo stormed into the title match with a turkey, followed by a spare and a double. She ran into trouble, though, with a pocket-7-10 split in the seventh frame, followed by another open in the eighth. Miller-Mackie took full advantage of the opening with a turkey of her own and a strong finish in the 10th for the win.

This is Miller-Mackie’s second National Golden Ladies Classic title, and the win earned her a top prize of $2,000. Miller-Mackie’s performance also gets her off to a good start in the running for one of the 10 spots at stake in the Triple Crown Shoot-Out presented by The Orleans, which will be contested at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas on Oct. 21.

The Triple Crown Shoot-Out will feature the top-10 bowlers based on qualifying totals (48 games) from the three major senior women's events, competing in a single-game, single-elimination bracket format. The top qualifier will receive two byes, while the second, third and fourth qualifiers will receive one bye. The total prize fund will be $5,000 and all 10 players will cash, with $1,000 going to the winner.

The National Golden Ladies Classic was founded in 1990 by Jeanette Robinson and attracts one of the strongest fields in senior women’s bowling. This year’s tournament saw many Hall of Famers and major champions compete, including Miller-Mackie and Romeo as well as names such as reigning USBC Senior Queens champion, Paula Vidad, and USBC Hall of Famers such as Vesma Grinfelds, Pam Buckner, Virginia Norton and Lucy Sandelin, among others.

“We have major stars come bowl this event because they take pride in what we do,” Robinson says. “We run a very organized event. They deserve it, and the fact that it’s now a part of the Triple Crown Series is good for bowling and it’s definitely good for the senior women.”

In the Super Senior Division of the event, Janine Ditch edged out Connie Palmer with a total pinfall of 2,855 over Palmer’s 2,795. Ditch took home $1,000 for the win.

Senior Division Stepladder Finals
Match One — Witcher def. Stokes 224 - 182
Match Two — Witcher def. Johnson 227 - 224
Match Three — Miller-Mackie def. Witcher 220 - 217
Championship — Miller-Mackie def. Romeo 216 - 200

Senior Division final standings
1. Dana Miller-Mackie, $2,000.00 2. Robin Romeo, $1,050.00 3. Kristy Witcher, $700.00 4. Lil Johnson, $600.00 5. Diane Stokes, $500.00 6. Bollinger, 4,263, $365.00 7. Lucy Sandelin, 4,241, $355.00 8. Lisa Wasson, 4,224, $350.00 9. Susan Turchen, 4,199, $345.00 10. Char Hammel, 4,187, $340.00 11. Karen Miller, $335.00 12. Shelly Nell, $330.00 13. Cindy McBride, 3,958, $325.00 14. Judy Gurney, 3,947, $320.00 15. Rosanne Contanzo, 3,945, $315.00 16. Paula Vidad, 3,888, $310.00 17. Terri Ward, 3,793, $305.00 18. Sue West, 3,786, $300.00. Alt. Debbie McMullen, $150.00

Super Senior Division final standings
1. Janine Ditch, 2855, $1,000.00 2. Connie Palmer, 2,795, $600.00 3. Heidi Pagenkopf, 2,751, $450.00 4. Marci Williams, 2,725, $450.00 5. Ona Wood, 2,665, $400.00 6. Pam Buckner, 2,585, $350.00 7. Jennifer Nelson, $325.00 8. Vesma Grinfelds, 2,502, $300.00 9. Bessie Walker, 2,495, $275.00 10. Olivia Rice, 2,873, $250.00 11. Donna Donohue, 2,326, $225.00 12. Fran Deken, 2,296, $110.00 Alt. Lela Larkin $110.00