Wise and Hester march on at 71st U.S. Senior Amateur

EVENT PORTAL:  71st U.S. Senior Amateur Championship

LUTHERVILLE, Md. – As match play rolls on the margin for error keeps getting thinner as the top senior amateurs in the world vie for the coveted Senior Amateur trophy at the A.W. Tillinghast designed East Course at Baltimore Country Club.  Ten Society members entered the day with title hopes still alive, but standing in the way on Tuesday were two grueling matches to earn another tee time on Wednesday morning.

Thanks to Director of Agronomy Drew Barnett, the East Course has been a stern challenge all week as it’s been in spectacular condition featuring penal rough and trademark firm, fast, and diabolical Tillinghast greens.

Round of 32 Recap:

7:40 a.m. – Tony Wise vs David Vaclav

In a battle of fellow-members, Tony Wise made the turn with a 2-up advantage over David Vaclav (Flat Rock, MI).  After a birdie on 10, Wise cranked up the pressure and took advantage of a couple of mistakes by Vaclav and closed out the match 5 & 3.

7:50 – Jack Larkin Sr. vs Arnold Cutrell

Arnie Cutrell (Greensburg, PA) played a stellar match against Jack Larkin Sr. (Atlanta, GA).  Cutrell came out swining against Larkin and after three birdies through eight holes, he stood just 1-up, a credit to the fine play of his opponent.  Larkin refused to go quietly after being 2-down with five to play.  He birdied 14 and made a key par on 16 to tie the match.  However, Cutrell stayed calm and posted solid pars on 17 and 18 to advance, 2-up.

8:20 – Corby Segal vs Steve Harwell

Corby Segal (Santa Clarita, CA), playing in his 17th USGA Championship, proved to be a tough out for Steve Harwell (Moorestown, NC) as the reinstated amateur played steady down the stretch to close out Harwell, 4 & 3.

8:30 – Danny Nelson vs Jon Brown

Danny Nelson (Savannah, GA) and Jon Brown (Adel, IA) were in a back and forth slugfest and came to the 16th tee tied.  Brown took the lead with a birdie on the par 3 No. 17, but Nelson came right back with a birdie of his own on the par 4 No. 18 to tie the match and force extra holes.  The counter punching continued on the par 4 No. 1, with Brown dropping another birdie to take the match in 19 holes.

8:50 – Brian Quackenbush vs Jeff Wilson (2018 Champion)

Newcomer Brian Quackenbush (Aiken, SC) has wasted little time introducing himself on the senior amateur scene.  After grabbing the No. 2 seed in stroke play qualifying, he found himself against 2018 Champion Jeff Wilson (Fairfield, CA).  In a match that featured stellar play from both sides, it was Quackenbush who turned on the jets with a birdie barrage on No. 12, 13 and 14 to take his first lead of the match.  He was able to par 16 and 17 to take down the former champion, 2-up.  Quackenbush stood the equivalent of three-under par for the match.

9:00 – Rick Stimmel vs Todd White (2023 Champion)

Rick Stimmel (Pittsburgh, PA) knew he would be in for a dogfight against Todd White (Spartanburg, SC) in their Round of 32 matchup.  After digging himself an early 3-down hole, Stimmel battled back to win three in a row and tie the match through eight holes, where it would also stand as they reached the 13th tee.  Stimmel would birdie the short par 3 to snatch his first lead of the day.  After trading birdies and pars on the par 5 No. 14 and par 4 No. 15, Stimmel remained 1-up with three to play.  White then stepped up in crunch time with clutch birdies on 16 and 17 to grab control of the match.  Stimmel was unable to muster one more birdie to force extra holes as White advanced, 1-up.

9:20 – Todd Burgan vs Brendan Hester

Brendan Hester (Singer Island, FL) found himself in a well-played and tightly contested match against Todd Burgan (Knoxville, TN).  Hester grabbed a 1-up lead on the first hole with a birdie, then gave it right back with a bogey on No. 2.  Trailing by one with six to play, Hester dropped a birdie on the par 3 No. 13 to tie and then took the lead with par on No. 16.  A hiccup on No. 17 sent the match back to tied and set the stage for a big finish.  Hester came through with a winning birdie on the difficult par 4 No. 18 to advance, 1-up.

9:40 – Bryan Hoops vs Bob Royak (2019 Champion)

In another heavyweight match up, Bryan Hoops (Scottsdale, AZ) squared off against Bob Royak (Alpharetta, GA).  Royak took control early with a birdie on one and par on two.  Hoops would cut the lead to one with a birdie on three, but a couple mistakes on No. 5 and No. 7 put him three down.  Royak would keep Hoops at arm’s length the rest of the way, eventually closing out the match, 3 & 2.

9:50 – Tim Hogarth vs Buzz Fly

After an impressive run as the oldest player in the field at age 71, Buzz Fly’s run came to an end after running into Tim Hogarth (Northridge, CA).

Round of 16 Recap:

Tony Wise vs Nick Desai

Tony Wise continued his run of strong play in dispatching Desai by a margin of 4 & 2 in the afternoon Round of 16.  The level of play was extremely high from both players, and Wise finished the round the equivalent of three-under par through 16 holes.  Wise will now face Mike Sposa in a heavyweight bout tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m.

Arnold Cutrell vs Mike Sposa

Arnold Cutrell’s strong run came to an end against Mike Sposa in the Round of 16.  Cutrell got off to a rough start in the afternoon and couldn’t recover against the steady Sposa (Spartanburg, SC), who closed out the match, 4 & 3.

Brian Quackenbush vs Todd White

Brian Quackenbush took down one former champion in Jeff Wilson in the morning session, only to find another waiting for him in the afternoon in Todd White.  Both Quackenbush and White played solid throughout the match where the margin for error was razor-thin.  No player held more than a 1-up advantage until the end, where White duplicated his morning heroics on No. 16 and No. 17 with birdies to secure the win, 2-up.

Daniel Sullivan vs Brendan Hester

Brendan Hester survived extra holes in the morning session, and found himself again going extra holes in the afternoon against Dan Sullivan (Pasadena, CA).  Hester built a 3-up lead through ten holes, but Sullivan kept chipping away and tied the match with a solid par on No. 17.  The two then matched bogeys on hole 18 and headed to No. 1 for more golf.  Both players made par on No. 1 and moved onto the the next tee.  On the par 4 No. 2, Sullivan found trouble and Hester’s birdie would give him the win in 20 holes.  He will now face Todd White in a marquee matchup at 7:50 a.m.

The Quarterfinals begin Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. and will be followed by the Semifinals in the afternoon.

RESULTS:  71st U.S. Senior Amateur Championship

TEE TIMES:  71st U.S. Senior Amateur Championship

Best of luck to all as we follow the championship.  We’ll be rooting you on!