VERONA — Susan Colton figured the toughest hurdle was behind her, but she certainly didn't expect what happened next.

Having captured the Butler Country Club women's amateur championship July 11, Colton then tried her luck at the West Penn Women's Amateur Championships at Green Oaks Country Club in Verona on Wednesday.

Colton, 55, of Butler fired a 78 to win by three strokes over Colleen Adams of Presto. Colton also won the net division with a 70, three shots ahead of Jacquelyn Harris of Pittsburgh.

"I had just won the Butler Country Club championship, and that's the most stressful," said Colton, a member of the club the past 26 years.

"I've had a good couple of weeks. Winning the club championship, that's one of the biggest things. Usually, there's three of us that can win and I played with them. That was three straight days of keeping their scores out of your mind," she added.

That didn't prove to be a problem on Wednesday, which perhaps was a huge sense of relief.

"I'm just learning hole by hole. I don't add my score until the end of the round," said Colton. "I just try to keep it together until the end."

Colton, who has won the club championship three of the past four years, finished Wednesday with 10 pars, one birdie (No. 15), six bogeys and one double bogey (No. 17).

"I expected someone to beat me," said Colton. "Usually, you go in (the clubhouse) pretty excited and then you have the rest of the field finish and someone does better.

"There was only one more threesome behind me and I teed off at 7:50 a.m.,"Colton added.

Colton had played Green Oaks before, but still wasn't sure what to make of the course.

"I was surprised to win. I got a trophy and a $100 golf certificate, and I bought a nice golf bag,"she said.

Colton admits she's become more serious about golfing the past eight years, once her children had grown.

With help from Paul Holstein of the Butler Country Club and Missy Becker-Knoll, her Pilates instructor at Pine Studio in Wexford, Colton has seen her game flourish the past few years.

"Paul has been a great help and I go to Pilates class two times a week," said Colton. "That's helped unbelievably with my flexibility and core strength the past three years. It's done wonders for me."

Next up for Colton is a Western Pennsylvania Women's Golf Association Championship this Monday at Fox Chapel.

"The qualifier is Monday and you're flighted by your index and score," said Colton. "The top 16 will go to the championship flight, the rest to the second flight.

"The first day is match play. If you win, you stay. If you lose, you go home," she added.

Colton also has penciled in the Pennsylvania State Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club next month.

"It's the same (format) as the WPWGA Championship," said Colton. "Oakmont is very humbling and better for match play than stroke play."

Sharon Goncz of Butler carded a 94 to finish seventh in the gross division and a net of 80 to finish sixth in the net division at the West Penn Women's Amateur Championships. Marsha Green of West Sunbury carded a 95 gross (eighth) and 81 net (seventh).