ROCKY FACE, GA (September 18, 2005) -- Billy Clagett, 59, of Austin, Texas, broke the stroke play record at the 2005 USGA Senior Amateur Championship Sunday by shooting a 68 for a 36-hole total of 10-under-par 134 at The Farm Golf Club to earn medalist honors for the second time.
Clagett, a golf cart sales representative who also won the qualifying medal in 2002, beat the 12-year-old mark of 136 set by John Harbottle (68-68) in 1993 by two strokes.
"Having the record is really cool,” Clagett said. “I like that. To think that maybe in the future I can look in the record book and still see my name there would be OK.”
He became the ninth multiple winner of medalist honors at the Senior Amateur and the first since Bob Hullender (1992 and 1994). In the two days of stroke play, he made 13 birdies and three bogeys.
Clagett’s 10-under-par 134 was four strokes better than 2005 British Senior Amateur champion Alan Foster of Manlius, N.Y., who shot a 68 for a two-day total of 138. Foster also was a semifinalist in 2004.
Mark Bemowski of Mukwonago, Wis., the defending champion, was third in the stroke seedings with a Sunday 68 to finish at 139. He was followed by Mike Rice of Houston, Texas, and Marty West of Rockville, Md., at 140.
"That’s pretty low on a good golf course,” Clagett said of his record-setting score. “It’s a lot of work to play good. You don’t go out and cut some jokes and hit the ball. Maybe on your home course you can, but on this one you can’t.”
Bemowski, who holds a 15-3 mark in Senior Amateur match play since 2001, agreed with Clagett on the necessary focus and added that birdies were vital as well.
"I think there’s going to be some fireworks on this track,” Bemowski said. “If you are going to do real well, you are going to have to make some birdies and hit some shots.”
Saturday Clagett had shot 66 and tied the mark for lowest stroke play round at the Senior Amateur set by Bob Kulp in the first round in 2003.
Clagett, a Vietnam veteran, has been able to focus despite the hospitalization of his wife, Pam, with a viral infection.
"My mind wanders off,” said Clagett. “Sometimes, I’m thinking about what I’m eating at night. Thank God, I’ve got good hospitalization. But, you’ve got to get back to it, so you don’t leave shots out to the right and say ‘What did I do there?”
Two-time Senior Amateur champion (2001 and 2003) Kemp Richardson of Laguna Nigel, Calif., shot 5-under-par 67, the day’s lowest round to advance to match play at 144. He was joined at that score by 2002 champion Greg Reynolds of Grand Blanc, Mich. Also advancing to match play was 1991 U.S. Amateur champion Mitch Voges of Simi Valley, Calif.
The cut for the 64 spots in match play came at 9-over-par 153. A four-way playoff for the last three berths will begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday on the 10th hole. The first round of match play begins at 9:30 a.m. Monday.
The second and third rounds of match play will be played Tuesday, the quarterfinals and semifinals on Wednesday and the final round on Thursday.
The USGA Senior Amateur, for amateurs 55 and older, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Rocky Face, Ga. -- Results from Sunday’s second day of stroke play at the 2005 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at The Farm Golf Club (6,737 yards, par 72):
Billy Clagett, Austin, Texas, 66-68--134
Alan Foster, Manlius, N.Y., 70-68--138
Mark Bemowski, Mukwonago, Wis., 71-68--139
Martin West, Rockville, Md., 70-70--140
Mike Rice, Houston, Texas, 72-68--140
John Hogden, Black River Falls, Wis., 71-70--141
Larry Barnacle, Mahtomedi, Minn., 72-69--141
Randy Reifers, Columbus, Ohio, 69-73--142
Frank Abbott, Napa, Calif., 72-71--143
Robert Mielcarz, Concord, N.H., 72-71--143
B Shawn McLoughlin, Bethel, Conn., 74-70--144
Greg Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich., 70-74--144
Kemp Richardson, Laguna Niguel, Calif., 77-67--144
Rick Ten Broeck, Chicago, Ill., 71-73--144
Chip Campion, Salinas, Calif., 76-69--145
Jack Vardaman, Washington, D.C., 72-73--145
James Wittenberg Jr, Memphis, Tenn., 72-73--145
Jules Victor III, Savannah, Ga., 70-75--145
Ken Redfern, Austin, Texas, 71-74--145
Mitch Voges, Simi Valley, Calif., 76-69--145
Robert Morris, Great Falls, Va., 73-72--145
Dave Parsons, Benicia, Calif., 73-73--146
Ernie Newton, High Point, N.C., 70-76--146
Jim Brown, Loudon, Tenn., 74-72--146
Larry Boswell, Jamestown, N.C., 73-73--146
Douglas Crawford, Wayland, Mass., 71-76--147
Jack Forbes, Morgantown, W.Va., 75-72--147
John DiMuccio, New Castle, Pa., 68-79--147
Michael Bell, Indianapolis, Ind., 70-77--147
Rick Woulfe, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 74-73--147
David Lind, Burr Ridge, Ill., 77-71--148
Gary Hardin, Ft Worth, Texas, 72-76--148
James Myers, Oceanside, Calif., 74-74--148
Karl Stewart Sr, Chino Hills, Calif., 77-71--148
Logan Jackson, Winston Salem, N.C., 75-73--148
Stan Fischer, Richmond, Va., 73-75--148
Bill Dorece, Cincinnati, Ohio, 75-74--149
Mike Brummer, Rapid City, S.D., 73-76--149
Robert Kulp Jr, Winston-Salem, N.C., 76-73--149
Ronald Vannelli, Edison, N.J., 76-73--149
Steve Dallas, Mesa, Ariz., 77-72--149
Tim Miller, Kokomo, Ind., 73-76--149
Ed Chylinski, Gulph Mills, Pa., 73-77--150
Fred Lukasik, Rock Island, Ill., 75-75--150
Gayle Sanchez, Baton Rouge, La., 72-78--150
Ken Benson, Alpharetta, Ga., 75-75--150
Roy Vomastek, Cadillac, Mich., 76-74—150
Spencer Sappington, Alpharetta, Ga., 74-76--150
William Best, Jacksonville, Fla., 79-71--150
A B Sisco, Pensacola, Fla., 78-73--151
Al Everett, Cumming, Ga., 75-76--151
Bob Hullender, San Antonio, Texas, 75-76--151
Bob Kain, Hunting Valley, Ohio, 75-76--151
Charles Bagby, Birmingham, Ala., 74-77--151
Danny Yates, Atlanta, Ga., 71-80--151
Dick Iverson, Lake Oswego, Ore., 76-75--151
Francis McFadden, Newtown Square, Pa., 73-78--151
Greg Shaw, Little Rock, Ark., 74-77--151
Harcourt Kemp, Louisville, Ky., 76-75--151
Michael Reuther, Auburn, Calif., 76-75--151
Peter Allen, Rochester Hills, Mich., 77-74—151
Playoff at 8:30 a.m. Monday for final three berths in match play field
Alan Bouchard, Falmouth, Maine, 76-76--152
Don Kuehn, Kansas City, Mo., 76-76--152
Frank Saxon, Clearwater, Fla., 76-76--152
Ted Lyford, Redlands, Calif., 77-75—152
Failed to qualify
Bruce Richards, Bellevue, Wash., 82-71--153
Henry M Hodde, Santa Fe, N.M., 77-76--153
J Michael Fetter, Williamsville, N.Y., 75-78--153
James Alcorn, Irwin, Pa., 77-76--153
Jerry Hudgins, Houston, Texas, 77-76--153
Michael Walters, Tampa, Fla., 77-76--153
Ray Henry, Canada, 75-78--153
Thomas Slater, Vero Beach, Fla., 76-77--153
Bobby Kilgore, Tampa, Fla., 80-74--154
Edward Patridge, Birmingham, Ala., 78-76--154
Gary Shimmin, Okatie, S.C., 78-76--154
Gerald Siemons, Jefferson City, Mo., 77-77--154
Greg Mirabile, Albuquerque, N.M., 76-78--154
Joe Bushee, Cabot, Ark., 74-80--154
Joe Cadle, Wichita Falls, Texas, 78-76--154
Kent Christopher, Farmington, Utah, 77-77--154
Marty Perez, Lithonia, Ga., 77-77--154
Robert Callan, San Francisco, Calif., 76-78--154
Steve Bogan, Placentia, Calif., 78-76--154
Allen Sharpe, Scottsdale, Ariz., 78-77--155
Bob Ethridge, Plantation, Fla., 77-78--155
Bruce Walters, Pikeville, Ky., 79-76--155
Chuck Munson, Austin, Texas, 75-80--155
Dale Pecjak, San Diego, Calif., 81-74--155
Edward Fletcher, The Villages, Fla., 76-79--155
Michael Coffelt, Oklahoma City, Okla., 77-78--155
Mickey Jones, Odessa, Texas, 78-77--155
Mike Hale, Pine Bluff, Ark., 79-76--155
Peter Friedes, Winnetka, Ill., 81-74—155
Robert Heaton, Oakley, Calif., 73-82--155
William Boles, Wilson, N.C., 80-75--155
Al Brownridge, Canada, 79-77--156
Jerry Knutson, Eugene, Ore., 77-79--156
Lynn Martin, Powell, Ohio, 71-85--156
Mike Hilton, Muskego, Wis., 77-79--156
Rob Thompson, Merced, Calif., 78-78--156
Skip Pierce, Boise, Idaho, 76-80--156
Boyd Johnson, Statesboro, Ga., 75-82--157
Bud Zipf, Aiken, S.C., 81-76--157
David Cannon, Salt Lake City, Utah, 78-79--157
Denis Johnson, Nutley, N.J., 81-76--157
Paul Quigley, Barrington, R.I., 82-75--157
Edward Gregorczyk, Moosic, Pa., 81-77--158
Henri Delozier, Chevy Chase, Md., 76-82--158
James Weeks, Savannah, Ga., 74-84--158
Kent Brown, Colville, Wash., 79-79--158
Mickey Williams, Bozeman, Mont., 79-79--158
Rick E Luzar, Melbourne, Fla., 78-80--158
Robert Currey, Boston, Mass., 82-76--158
Robert McIntyre, Westfield, N.J., 74-84--158
Steve Yavorsky, Capistrano Beach, Calif., 81-77--158
David Barber, Anchorage, Alaska, 77-82--159
Gary Snyder, Aspen, Colo., 82-77--159
George Covellis, Memphis, Tenn., 77-82--159
Vinny Giles, Richmond, Va., 82-77--159
Alan Pineault, San Antonio, Texas, 76-84--160
Craig Collins, Enid, Okla., 83-77--160
Jamie Gough, Washington, D.C., 83-77--160
Joel Hirsch, Chicago, Ill., 80-80--160
Danny Naughton, Marion, Iowa, 82-79--161
Rick Weihe, Bellingham, Wash., 77-84--161
Roy Holloway, Monroe, La., 82-79--161
Thomas Di Cinti, Voorhees, N.J., 84-77--161
Tom McLean, Greenville, N.C., 78-83--161
Don Terry, Stillwater, Okla., 78-84--162
John Martin, Juno Beach, Fla., 83-79--162
Larry Lang, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 81-81--162
Mark Henrickson, Grand Blanc, Mich., 79-83--162
Tim McAdam, Scottsdale, Ariz., 76-86--162
Tom Liller, Rocky River, Ohio, 85-77--162
Chan Henry, Madison, Miss., 79-84--163
Gary Miller, Fort Worth, Texas, 80-83--163
Mark Peterson, Portage, Mich., 87-76--163
Bill Swed, Sun Lakes, Ariz., 83-81--164
Dennis Moore, Chesterfield, Mo., 82-82--164
Larry Semin, Lincoln, Neb., 85-79—164
George Waterhouse, Jackson, Wyo., 82-83--165
Lawrence Campbell, Montgomery, Ala., 83-82--165
Tony Reboton, Palm Desert, Calif., 75-90--165
Bill Douglas, London, Ky., 85-81--166
Roger Schurke, Anoka, Minn., 85-81--166
Gary Haynie, Kailua, Hawaii, 79-88--167
James Felker, Franklin, Tenn., 81-86--167
Malcolm Bund, Bethesda, Md., 82-85--167
Ron Shapiro, Loveland, Ohio, 85-82--167
Mike Miller, Ormond Beach, Fla., 87-81--168
Dave Crawford, Camarillo, Calif., 80-89--169
Moot Thomas, Ocala, Fla., 85-84--169
Richard Thorstad, Aurora, Colo., 83-87--170
Herb Weber, Tucson, Ariz., 85-WD--WD
Rocky Face, Ga. – Pairings for Monday’s first round of match play at the 2005 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at 6,737-yard, par 72 The Farm Golf Club: (all times EDT)
1:38 p.m. Billy Clagett, Austin, Texas (134) vs. To Be Determined
9:30 a.m. Karl Stewart Sr, Chino Hills, Calif. (148) vs. Stan Fischer, Richmond, Va. (148)
9:38 a.m. Jules Victor III, Savannah, Ga. (145) vs. Ken Benson, Alpharetta, Ga. (150)
9:46 a.m. Jack Vardaman, Washington, D.C. (145) vs. Roy Vomastek, Cadillac, Mich. (150)
9:54 a.m. Randy Reifers, Columbus, Ohio (142) vs. Dick Iverson, Lake Oswego, Ore. (151)
10:02 a.m. Dave Parsons, Benicia, Calif. (146) vs. Steve Dallas, Mesa, Ariz. (149)
10:10 a.m. Frank Abbott, Napa, Calif. (143) vs. Charles Bagby, Birmingham, Ala. (151)
10:18 a.m. Jim Brown, Loudon, Tenn. (146) vs. Bill Dorece, Cincinnati, Ohio (149)
10:26 a.m. Mike Rice, Houston, Texas (140) vs. Peter Allen, Rochester Hills, Mich. (151)
10:34 a.m. Michael Bell, Indianapolis, Ind. (147) vs. James Myers, Oceanside, Calif. (148)
10:42 a.m. Rick Ten Broeck, Chicago, Ill. (144) vs. Al Everett, Cumming, Ga. (151)
10:50 a.m. Mitch Voges, Simi Valley, Calif. (145) vs. Fred Lukasik, Rock Island, Ill. (150)
10:58 a.m. Martin West, Rockville, Md. (140) vs. Francis McFadden, Newtown Square, Pa. (151)
11:06 a.m. Duglas Crawford, Wayland, Mass. (147) vs. Tim Miller, Kokomo, Ind. (149)
11:14 a.m. Shawn McLoughlin, Bethel, Conn. (144) vs. Harcourt Kemp, Louisville, Ky. (151)
11:22 a.m. James Wittenberg Jr, Memphis, Tenn. (145) vs. Gayle Sanchez, Baton Rouge, La. (150)
1:30 p.m. Alan Foster, Manlius, N.Y. (138) vs. To Be Determined
11:30 a.m. Gary Hardin, Ft. Worth, Texas (148) vs. Logan Jackson, Winston Salem, N.C. (148)
11:38 a.m. Chip Campion, Salinas, Calif. (145) vs. Greg Shaw, Little Rock, Ark. (151)
11:46 a.m. Ken Redfern, Austin, Texas (145) vs. Ed Chylinski, Gulph Mills, Pa. (150)
11:54 a.m. John Hogden, Black River Falls, Wis. (141) vs. Michael Reuther, Auburn, Calif. (151)
12:02 p.m. Rick Woulfe, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (147) vs. Robert Kulp Jr, Winston-Salem, N.C. (149)
12:10 p.m. Robert Mielcarz, Concord, N.H. (143) vs. Bob Kain, Hunting Valley, Ohio (151)
12:18 p.m. Ernie Newton, High Point, N.C. (146) vs. Mike Brummer, Rapid City, S.D. (149)
1:22 p.m. Mark Bemowski, Mukwonago, Wis. (139) vs. To Be Determined
12:26 p.m. Jack Forbes, Morgantown, W.Va. (147) vs. David Lind, Burr Ridge, Ill. (148)
12:34 p.m. Kemp Richardson, Laguna Niguel, Calif. (144) vs. A.B. Sisco, Pensacola, Fla. (151)
12:42 p.m. Robert Morris, Great Falls, Va. (145) vs. Spencer Sappington, Alpharetta, Ga. (150)
12:50 p.m. Larry Barnacle, Mahtomedi, Minn. (141) vs. Danny Yates, Atlanta, Ga. (151)
12:58 p.m. John DiMuccio, New Castle, Pa. (147) vs. Ronald Vannelli, Edison, N.J. (149)
1:06 p.m. Greg Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich. (144) vs. Bob Hullender, San Antonio, Texas (151)
1:14 p.m. Larry Boswell, Jamestown, N.C. (146) vs. William Best, Jacksonville, Fla. (150)
USGA Senior Amateur Championship
PAR AND YARDAGE – The Farm Golf Club will be set up at 6,737/6,763 and par is 36-36—72.
COURSE SET-UP –
Teeing ground - Height of grass -- 425 inches
Fairways – Height of grass -- .450 inches
Green approaches and closely mown areas – Height of grass -- .425 inches
Collars around greens – Height of grass -- .230 inches
Intermediate rough – USGA asked for addition of intermediate rough that will be cut to 1 ½ inches and 6-feet wide
Primary rough – 2 ½ inches
Putting greens – USGA Stimpmeter reading of 11 feet
VENUE – The Farm Golf Club was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1988. Located between Atlanta and Chattanooga in northwest Georgia, The Farm benefits from significant elevation changes, which provide a scenic and difficult test of golf.