Monday, September 12, 2011

DEFENDING US SENIOR CHAMPION LEADS MATCHPLAY QUALIFIERS

FROM THE UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION WEBSITE
By Christina Lance
Manakin-Sabot, Virginia – Defending champion Paul Simson, 60, of Raleigh, N.C., carded a two-day total of 5-under-par 139 to take medalist honours at the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur Championship, being conducted at 6,829-yard, par-72 Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia.
First-round leader Mark Bemowski, 65, of Mukwonago, Wis., was one stroke behind at 4-under 140, followed by Rick Woulfe, 61, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at 3-under 141.
Simson, who has claimed the stroke-play medal four of the last six years, followed his opening-round 71 with a 4-under 68 on Sunday. In taking medalist honors, he tied William Hyndman III for the most times as medalist at the Senior Amateur.
Simson opened his round by making 15-foot birdie putts on two of his first three holes. However, consecutive bogeys on holes four and five quickly erased that fast start.
An up-and-down par out of a greenside bunker on the par-4 sixth brought Simson’s round back to an even keel.
“I played pretty solid after that,” said Simson, who in 2010 became the first player to win the USGA Senior Amateur, Canadian Men’s Senior and British Seniors Open Amateur Championships in the same season. “I hit all the fairways except for 18 after the seventh hole.”
Another 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 eighth hole got Simson back on track. His 35-foot eagle on the par-5 12th put Simson atop the leaderboard, a position that he found very familiar, though not necessarily comfortable.
“Everyone talks about the medalist jinx, but the defending champion jinx is even longer,” said Simson, with a wry smile.
His concern is certainly not without merit. The last medalist to take the championship title was John Richardson in 1987, while William C. Campbell was the last player to defend his title when he won in 1979 and 1980.
Bemowski, who had sole possession of the lead following Saturday’s first round of stroke play, struggled with his short game on Sunday. Four birdies paired with four bogeys made for a relatively disappointing second-place performance.
“I really hit the ball well today,” said Bemowski, the 2004 Senior Amateur champion. “I just missed a million, billion putts.”
Woulfe, who started on the 10th hole, opened his round on Sunday morning with consecutive birdies. However, a three-putt double bogey on the par-4 12th, followed by another bogey on the ensuing par-5 13th, quickly erased his early efforts.
“On 13, my wife could have beat me,” said Woulfe, a five-time Florida State Senior Player of the Year who defeated Tiger Woods en route to victory at the 1992 Dixie Amateur. “Not one good swing and lucky to make bogey.”
Woulfe carded yet another bogey on the par-4 15th to fall even further down the leaderboard. But a key birdie on the difficult par-4 18th proved to be the turning point of his round. Woulfe converted two birdies over his final four holes to finish 1-under for the round.
“I’m sitting there at the bottom of the swale on 17, I’m thinking, 39 is not going to be too bad,” said Woulfe. “I got it up and down and then I birdied 18. So that kind of changed my whole thinking.”
Chip Lutz, 56, of Reading, Pa., and Raymond Thompson, 59, of Drexel Hill, Pa., sit one stroke behind Woulfe at 2-under 142. Lutz, who has already taken the 2011 Canadian Men’s Senior and British Seniors Open Amateur titles, is attempting to join Simson as winner of the three senior titles in the same year.
George Zahringer, 58, of New York, N.Y., winner of the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur, and Ronald Kilby, 56, of McAllen, Texas, round out the players in red numbers at 1-under 143.
Marvin “Vinny” Giles, 68, of Richmond, Va., a co-designer of Kinloch Golf Club and a two-time USGA champion, shot even-par 72 on his home course to finish at 3-over 147. Other USGA champions to make the cut were George “Buddy” Marucci, 59, of Villanova, Pa., at 4-over 148, and Stanford Lee, 59, of Heber Springs, Ark., at 5-over 149.
A playoff was conducted at 8:30 a.m. on Monday (USA time) to finalise the match-play bracket, with 2005 Senior Amateur champion Mike Rice among the nine players competing for the final eight berths in match play. Sixty-five players sit at 7-over 151 or better, making this year’s cut the lowest in Senior Amateur history.
Notable players to miss the cut were Senior Amateur champions Mike Bell (2006), Greg Reynolds (2002) and Kemp Richardson (2001 and 2003) as well as 1975 U.S. Amateur champion and past USGA President Fred Ridley.
The championship is scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday.

LEADING QUALIFIERS FOR MATCH-PLAY
Par 144 (2x72) Yardage 6,821
Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. - 71-68—139
Mark Bemowski, Mukwonago, Wis. - 68-72—140
Rick Woulfe, Ft Lauderdale, Fla. - 70-71—141
Chip Lutz, Reading, Pa. - 70-72—142
Raymond Thompson, Drexel Hill, Pa. - 70-72—142
George Zahringer, New York, N.Y. - 73-70—143
Ronald Kilby, McAllen, Texas - 73-70—143
Andrew Congdon, Great Barrington, Mass. - 71-73—144
Philip Pleat, Nashua, N.H. - 74-70—144
David Anthony, Jacksonville, Fla. - 71-74—145
James Pearson, Charlotte, N.C. - 75-70—145
Gary Brewster, New Orleans, La. - 72-73—145
James Grainger, Charlotte, N.C. - 76-70—146
Patrick Tallent, Vienna, Va. - 75-71—146
Bill Leonard, Kennesaw, Ga. - 73-73—146
Joe Viechnicki, Bethlehem, Pa. - 72-74—146
Emile Vaughan, Pike Road, Ala. - 72-74—146
Bill Zylstra, Dearborn Heights, Mich. - 71-75—146
Tom Brandes, Bellevue, Wash. - 73-73—146
Pat O'Donnell, Happy Valley, Ore. - 72-74—146
Jeff Burda, Modesto, Calif. - 71-76—147
Tony Green, Kingsport, Tenn. - 73-74—147
Paul Murphy, Arlington, Mass. - 70-77—147
Jack Vardaman, Washington, D.C. - 73-74—147
Pat Vincelli, Rosemount, Minn. - 74-73—147
Vinny Giles, Richmond, Va. - 75-72—147
Martin West, Rockville, Md. - 73-75—148
Buddy Marucci, Villanova, Pa. - 73-75—148
Kent Frandsen, Lebanon, Ind. - 72-76—148
Mike Jackson, Canada - 74-74—148
Bob Kain, Hunting Valley, Ohio - 74-74—148
Sam Till Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind. - 73-75—148
Joe Sommers, Stamford, Conn. - 75-73—148
Tim Miller, Kokomo, Ind. - 72-76—148
Steve Poulson, Draper, Utah - 73-75—148
Jay Sessa, Garden City, N.Y. - 73-76—149
Richard Marlowe, Canfield, Ohio - 77-72—149
Stanford Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. - 77-72—149
Robert Shelton, Lafayette, La. - 75-74—149
Bill Palmer, Bluffton, S.C. - 75-74—149
Dave Ryan, Taylorville, Ill. - 74-75—149
John Sajevic, Fremont, Neb. - 74-75—149
Eddie Lyons, Shreveport, La. - 77-72—149
Alan Fadel, Toledo, Ohio - 76-73—149
Chris Maletis, Portland, Ore. - 74-76—150
Louis Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. - 76-74—150
John Grace, Fort Worth, Texas - 74-76—150
Duke Delcher, Bluffton, S.C. - 74-76—150
Ronald Carpenter, Creedmoor, N.C. - 77-73—150
Buzz Fly, Memphis, Tenn. - 73-77—150
Jack Kearney, Peachtree City, Ga. - 77-73—150
Hunter Nelson, Houston, Texas - 73-77—150
Michael Booker, The Woodlands, Texas - 77-73—150
Peter Metzler, Killington, Vt. - 71-79—150
Michael Weiner, Kiawah Island, S.C. - 74-76—150
Neil Spitalny, Chattanooga, Tenn. - 75-75—150
Bob Rowland, Danville, Calif. - 84-75—159

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SCOTLAND SENIORS OUT TO BURST THE IRISH BUBBLE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
By ROSS DUNCAN, Marketing, Media and Sponsorship Manager, SGU
Scotland’s senior golfers go in search of their first team title since 2006 when the Senior Home Internationals get underway tomorrow (13 – 15 September) at Woodhall Spa, home of the English Golf Union.
The Scots last won the title at Dunbar five years ago and finished in the wooden spoon position as the host nation at Crail twelve months ago. They face a daunting challenge on the opening day with defending champions Ireland the opposition, who have won the Seniors Home Internationals on the previous three occasions.
Callander’s Gordon MacDonald, who played in the winning side in 2006, captains the seven-man side, buoyed by his win in recent North of Scotland Seniors Championship which helped him finish runner-up in this year’s SGU Seniors Order of Merit race.
The man who pipped him to that title, Tulliallan’s Bob Stewart, is also recalled to the side, boosted by his victory in last week’s Seniors Order of Merit finals day at Blairgowrie.
John Fraser, runner-up in this year’s Scottish Seniors Championship at Irvine Bogside, is included in the side, alongside Royal Burgess club-mate Fraser McClusky, who finished fourth in the senior rankings.
Broomieknowe’s David Gardner is the third of the Lothians’ contingent in the line-up, while Ayrshireman David Miller, with an impressive five top-ten Seniors circuit finishes to his credit this season, also gets the nod.
Ian Brotherston (Dumfries and County), the Scottish Seniors Match Play Champion who played for Scotland alongside Colin Montgomerie in the Men’s Home Internationals during the mid-1980s, will be hoping his experience can help Scotland to victory in Lincolnshire.
The Seniors Home Internationals feature a series of three foursomes and six singles contests each day in a round robin match play format, with the action getting underway at 0800 on Tuesday. Scotland play Ireland on day one while England take on Wales.
Defending champions Ireland feature former Walker Cup captain Garth McGimpsey in their side, who recorded a 100% record on his seniors’ debut last year.

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CRAIG WATSON WINS HERBIE PIRIE TROPHY AT RENFREW GC

                                   CRAIG WATSON
NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION
Turnberry.db@gmail.com
Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn have already demonstrated this season that the “more mature” golfer can still do the business. On a wet and windy day at Renfrew Golf Club, Craig Watson from East Renfrewshire Golf Club – who was 31 when he won the British Amateur Championship, made the Walker Cup team and competed in both the Masters and the Open in 1998 - followed their example with a great exhibition of quality golf in extremely testing conditions.
The event was the Herbie Pirie Trophy played over 36 holes and the final event of the Renfrewshire Golf Union’s Order of Merit.
The field is restricted to those players still in contention for the Order of Merit and has double points. Craig was leading the points table but there was a strong challenge from Gregor Munro (Ranfurly Castle) and Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm) for the title.
The morning round had four players on 72, an excellent score in the conditions. They were Craig Watson, Renfrew’s Michael Campbell and Stephen McNamara and Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm). As the weather deteriorated for the afternoon round, scoring got higher and Gregor Munro was first to make a challenge with a 74 for an aggregate of 150.
Matthew Clark and Ranfurly Castle’s Murray Stewart both recorded totals of 149 and, for a while, a play off looked possible. Then Andrew Farmer recorded an afternoon 73 for 148, soon eclipsed by Michael Campbell with 75 for 147 but both had to pay homage to Craig who was in the final game and showed that he has the game to cope with the most extreme conditions with a second level par round of 72 for a total of 144.
The win cemented Craig’s position in the Order of Merit table and two trophies are on their way to East Renfrewshire Golf Club.
Final Positions:
Herbie Pirie Trophy –
Craig Watson – East Renfrewshire – 72/72 = 144
Michael Campbell – Renfrew – 72/75 =147
Andrew Farmer - Kilmacolm – 75/73 = 148
Murray Stewart – Ranfurly Castle – 73/76 = 149
Matthew Clark – Kilmacolm – 72/77 = 149

Order of Merit
Craig Watson – 886.5
Gregor Munro – 668.5
Andrew Farmer – 602.5

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PERTH AND KINROSS WIN GARY HARVEY GOLF

GOLF COPY
CREDIT CAL CARSON GOLF AGENCY
Queries to Colin Farquharson in Belfast
07943 578031
 
P AND K PIP FIFE TO WIN GARY HARVEY
 
TROPHY FOR FOURTH YEAR IN ROW
 
Perth and Kinross won the Gary Harvey Trophy inter-area boys' tournament (at the weekend) at Braehead Golf Club for the fourth year in a row - but it was a close-run thing.
Perth and Kinross beat Clackmannan 7 1/2-1/2 and Angus 5 1/2-2 1/2 and drew with Fife 4-4.
Fife also had two wins and a draw, beating Angus 5 1/2-2 1/2 and Clackmannan by a similar margin. 
Perth and Kinross won the countback against Fife with a "goal difference" of 17-7 to Fife's 15-9.
Angus, who beat Clackmannan 5-3, finished third with one win.
Perth and Kinross's winning team were: S Craigon (Milnathort), G Stewart (Crieff), S Harrower (Kinross), S Young (Auchterarder), F Sandison (Blairgowrie), R Tinker (Strathmore), R Stewart (Crieff) and C Hill (Muckhart).
Fife were represented by: R Walsh (Kirkcaldy), G Forrester (Balbirnie), M Buchan (Balbirnie), J Douglas (Aberdour), C Smith (Canmore), N McMullan (Lochgelly), A Davidson (Charleton), E Davidson (Charleton).
Other teams:
ANGUS - C Cook (Cairk Park), E Mathew (Kirriemuir), J Millar (Monifieth), C Rennie (Brechin), I Douglas (Monifieth), G Petrie (Forfar), S Grant (Downfield), C McKay (Grange).
CLACKMANNAN - R Kennedy (Alva), R Millar (Tillicoultry), K Ross (Tillicoultry), C Graham (Alva), R Alexander (Braehead), S Watson (Tillicoultry), G Murray (Braehead), S Beattie (Braehead).
Results:
Day 1 - Fife 5 1/2, Angus 2 1/2; Perth and Kinross 7 1/2, Clackmannan 1/2.
Day 2 - Perth and Kinross 5 1/2, Angus 2 1/2; Clackmannan 2 1/2, Fife 5 1/2; Angus 5, Clackmannan 3; Perth and Kinross 4, Fife 4.
 
ends

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