Tommy Brennan, Covington, LA
RESULTS: 70th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship
SAN ANTONIO, Texas. – The 70th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship is into the knockout stage as the Round of 64 took place on Monday. High temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees in San Antonio will be an extra test of endurance throughout the champinoship. 19 members punched tickets to the Round of 64, nearly one third of the match play bracket. After Monday’s results, 11 still remain alive in their quest for the ultimate goal.
In the first match of the day, Rancho Santa Fe’s Trae Cassell got out to an early lead on Pat O’Donnell, of Happy Valley, OR, and cruised to a 3 & 2 win to advance to Tuesday’s Round of 32.
In other early action, Rick Stimmel, of Pittsburgh, PA, birdied the first playoff hole to secure one of the last five spots. He then quickly jumped on opponent Mike Finster, of Saint Petersburg, FL, and went 6-up through 6 holes and eventually closed out the match, 6 & 5.
In a marquee matchup, Tommy Brennan, of Covington, LA, took down defending champion Louis Brown, of Marietta, GA, in 19 holes in another tight match where no lead was more than one.
In a battle of fellow-members, Michael Anderson, of Novi, MI, outlasted Mark Strickland, of San Diego, CA, by a result of 2 & 1. Anderson put together two birdies and an eagle to go 4-up through 8 holes. Strickland then fought back to 2-down, but steady golf from Anderson sealed the win.
Terrence Miskell, of New Braunfels, TX, battled back from a 3-down deficit through three holes to win 2-up over Jon Hurst, of Fredericksburg, VA. Miskell played the final eight holes in 4-under par to complete the comeback.
In another battle amongst friends, Rusty Strawn, of Eatonton, GA, defeated Danny Nelson, of Savannah, GA, 1up. It was yet another close match with neither player gaining more than a 1 hole edge.
Tony Wise, of Georgetown, KY, emerged victorious over Rick Corkill, of Vancouver, WA, 2 & 1.
Greg Sanders, of Anthem, AZ, beat Win Fisher, of Fort Wayne, IN, by a result of 4 & 2.
Shaw Pritchett, Montgomery, AL, shook off a slow start and played his final 12 holes in 3-under par to win 3 & 2 over Tim Hogarth, of Northridge, CA.
Gene Elliott, Norwalk, IA, completed a strong comeback over Chris Fieger, Denver, PA, winning 2 & 1. Elliott faced a 2-down deficit through 11 holes, then made three birdies in-a-row to flip the script and then closed it out.
Bryan Hoops, Tempe, AZ, got out to an early lead and then held off a charge from Brendan Hester, Northbridge, MA, to win 4 & 3.
Tony Hejna, of Buffalo, NY, lost a tough match 1-down to Ireland’s Jody Fanagan, as neither player had a lead of more than one hole, and Fanagan birdied the par 3 18th to win and advance.
Doug Clapp, of Manomet, MA, fell to RJ Nakashian, of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, by a result of 4 & 3.
Mike Lohner, of Southlake, TX, came out on the losing end to past champion Mike McCoy, of Des Moines, IA, 3 & 2.
Greg Earnhardt, of Greensboro, NC, lost to Matt Sughrue, of Arlington, VA, 4 & 3.
Roger Newsom, of Virginia Beach, fell to Bob Niger, of Roseville, CA, in 20-holes when Niger birdied the par 3 No. 2 to win the match.
Jack Hall, of Savannah, GA, lost 5 & 3 to Joe Sawaia, of Henderson, NV.
Round of 32 Preview:
The Round of 32 gets underway tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. CDT with Trae Cassell (32 seed) squaring off against medalist John Kemp.
Tommy Brennan (41 seed) vs Bob Royak (9 seed) at 8:00 a.m.
Rick Stimmel (61 seed) vs Michael Anderson (29 seed) at 8:10 a.m.*
Tony Wise (20 seed) vs Brent Paterson (52 seed) at 8:20 a.m.
Terrence Miskell (5 seed) vs Rusty Strawn (37 seed) at 8:30 a.m.*
Greg Sanders (3 seed) vs Shaw Pritchett (30 seed) at 9:30 a.m.*
Gene Elliott (46 seed) vs John Pierce (51 seed) at 9:40 a.m.
Bryan Hoops (11 seed) vs Daniel Sullivan (22 seed) at 10:00 a.m.
(*Member vs Member matchup)
The Round of 16 will also be held on Tuesday after the conclusion of the morning matches.
Congratulations to all Society of Seniors members that qualified for the championship and those moving onto match play. Best of luck to all as we continue to follow the championship.
See full results and news from the USGA at the links above.
