2017 U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying Roundup

August 23, 2017 | by Chris Brauner of AmateurGolf.com

All 50 sites have completed qualifying; see who made it into the field at The Minikahda Club as play begins Aug. 26

VARIOUS SITES IN THE US (August 23, 2017) - Qualifying for the 63rd U.S. Senior Amateur has been completed at 50 qualifying sites across the United States.

The players exempt from qualifying include the defending champion Dave Ryan, who won last year's championship at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, MO.

Exempt Players

Stewart "Buddy" Alexander (1986 U.S. Amateur champion)
Tom Brandes (2015 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up)
Kevin Cahill (2016 U.S. Senior Amateur semifinalist)
Michael Dunsmore (2016 U.S. Senior Amateur quarterfinalist)
Gene Elliott (Top 500 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Brady Exber (Top 500 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Vinny Giles (2009 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
Doug Hanzel (2013 U.S. Senior Amateur champion; 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur quarterfinalist)
John Hornbeck (2016 U.S. Senior Amateur quarterfinalist)
Tim Jackson (2015 U.S. Senior Amateur semifinalist; 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur semifinalist)
Steven Liebler (2015 U.S. Senior Amateur semifinalist)
Chip Lutz (2015 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
George "Buddy" Marucci (2008 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
John McClure (2016 U.S. Senior Amateur quarterfinalist)
Bryan Norton (2014 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up)
Dave Ryan (2016 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
Paul Simson (2010, 2012 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
Matthew Sughrue (2016 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up)
Patrick Tallent (2014 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)

Highlights from qualifying include:

July 19

How is it possible to shoot the low score and not even get an alternate position? Ask Peter Delongchamp of Marion, MI, who was among six players who shot 73 and got into a 6-for-3 playoff with two alternate positions at the Marshall, MI qualifier. 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Randal Lewis of Alma, MI was another who missed out, taking the second alternate spot in the playoff.

Bev Hargraves

July 24

Arkansas Hall-of-Famer Bev Hargraves of Little Rock, AR shot a 70 at the Little Rock qualifier to earn medalist honors. Hargraves has won over 50 individual stroke play tournaments in Arkansas, and national senior events like the U.S. Senior Challenge, Golfweek Senior Tour Championship, and Senior Cotton States.

Randall Garber of Lakeville, MN won the Wayzata, MN qualifier by three shots with a 70 at Wayzata CC.

Todd Hendley

Todd Hendley has had a successful summer, winning the Chanticleer National Senior and last week's North & South Senior. At the Columbia, SC qualifier Hendley was the medalist with a 70.

David Nelson of Reno, NV who won the 2015 George C. Thomas Senior, shot a 70 to earn medalist honors at the Colorado Springs, CO qualifier.

Keith Decker of Martinsville, VA took the lone spot at the Keswick, VA qualifier with a 71. Decker won the Dave King Senior and the SOS Spring Classic earlier this year, as well as last year's Society of Seniors Championship, Senior Porter Cup, and Dave King Senior.

Jack Hall

July 25

Jack Hall of Savannah, GA whose senior wins in the last few years include the Jones Cup, Canadian, Crane Cup, Gasparilla, Lowcountry and Timuquana, was the co-medalist at the Roswell, GA qualifier with a 69. This year's Gasparilla Senior champion Bob Royak of Alpharetta, GA also qualified with a 70.

July 26

Ed McDugle of Memphis, TN won the New Orleans, LA qualifier by five shots with a 71 at Englush Turn Golf & Country Club.

Dave Szewczul

Connecticut Hall-of-Famer Dave Szewczul of Farmington, CT, whose numerous state tournament wins include last year's Connecticut Senior and last week's Connecticut Public Links at the age of 63, survived a two-man playoff for the final spot at the North Stonington, CT qualifier.

T.J. Brudzinski of Columbus, OH, who most recently won the Ohio Senior Amateur Hall of Fame Championship, was the co-medalist at the Cincinnati, OH qualifier with a 72.

George Zahringer

George Zahringer of New York City, a former U.S. Mid-Amateur and British Senior champion who at the age of 64 was the oldest player to qualify for the 2017 U.S. Amateur at Riviera, advanced from the Allamuchy, NJ qualifier with a 72.

July 31

Bradley Karns of Vancouver, WA shot a 68 at the OGA GC to win the Woodburn, OR qualifier by five shots.

Jeff Britton, Michael Rowley, Casey Boyns,
Don Dubois, David Ujihara

Members of AmateurGolf.com swept the five qualifying spots available at the Santa Barbara, CA qualifier. Jeff Britton of Carmel took medalist honors with a 70, with Michael Rowley of San Luis Obispo one shot back. Casey Boyns of Monterey, Don Dubois of Newport Beach, and David Ujihara of Brea all shot a 72.

Don Donatoni of Malvern, PA, the winner of the Pennsylvania Super Senior earlier this month, advanced from the Mohnton, PA qualifier with a 71.

North Dakota Hall-of-Famer and former U.S. Mid-Amateur championMichael Podolak of Oxbow, ND took the lone available spot at the Fargo, ND qualifier with a 71.

Former Jones Cup Senior and SOS Spring Classic champion Mike Bodney of Jacksonville, FL was co-medalist at the Amelia Island, FL qualifier with a 72.

Scott Ichimura of Mililani, HI won a tight qualifier at Pearl Country Club in Aiea, Hawai, with a 72 to take the lone spot by one shot over two players.

Sean Knapp

August 1

Western Pennsylvania Hall-of-Famer Sean Knapp of Oakmont, PA, who has played in over 40 USGA championships, shot a 70 at the Nevillewood, PA qualifier to earn medalist honors.

Connecticut Golf Hall-of-Famer Bill Hadden of Manchester, VT won his hometown qualifier by three shots with a 71. 2016 Ralph Bogart Senior champion Jack Kearney of Peachtree City, GA took the other qualifying spot in a two-man playoff.

Massachusetts Hall-of-Famer Frank Vana, Jr. of Boxford, MA shot a 65 to win the Hudson, MA qualifier by five shots. Former Walker Cupper Duke Delcher of Bluffton, SC also qualified with a 71.

Jim Rollefson

August 2

Three weeks before his 69th birthday, Jim Rollefson of Franklin, WI birdied the first hole of a playoff to earn co-medalist honors at the Cedarburg, WI qualifier. Rollefson was a late bloomer, not picking up a club until the age of 28 and qualifying for his first USGA event at the age of 51.

August 7

Frank Acker of Henderson, NV shot a 67 at Arroyo GC in Las Vegas to win by three shots.

Jerry Hudgins of Tyler, TX who will turn 69 during the championship, was the co-medalist at the Carrollton, TX qualifier with a 71. Hudgins is a former Society of Seniors Championship and Dave King Senior winner.

Rick Cloninger

August 8

Rick Cloninger of Fort Mill, SC, a former champion of the North & South Senior, Chanticleer National Senior, and National Senior Hall of Fame, advanced through the High Point, NC qualifier, taking the fourth and last spot with a 72. Cloninger was a semifinalist in the U.S. Senior Amateur in 2014 at Big Canyon CC at Newport Beach, CA.

The 63rd U.S. Senior Amateur Championship will be played August 26-31, 2017 at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, MN.

About the U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying

2017 U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying Roundup

The U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier is open to all competitors with an index of 5.4 or lower who will be at least 55 years of age at the start of the championship. The format is 18 holes of stroke play, with qualifying sites scattered across the countr...

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