2019 U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying Roundup

August 5, 2019 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Qualifying is complete at 49 sites around the U.S.; see who made it to Old Chatham GC for the 65th U.S. Senior Championship

VARIOUS SITES IN THE US (July/August 2019) - Qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur is underway at 49 qualifying sites across the United States.

The USGA accepted 2,466 entries -- the second-most all time -- for the 65th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship scheduled for August 24-29, 2019 at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C.

Players exempt from qualifying include the defending champion Jeff Wilson, who won last year's championship at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.

EXEMPT PLAYERS

Stewart (Buddy) Alexander (1986 U.S. Amateur champion)
Gianluca Bulla (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Craig Davis (2018 U.S. Senior Amateur quarterfinalist)
Keith Decker (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Gene Elliott (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Brady Exber (2018 Canadian Senior Amateur champion; Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Trevor Foster (2018 Senior Amateur champion conducted by The R&A)
Marvin (Vinny) Giles (2009 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
Randy Haag (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Jack Hall (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Doug Hanzel (2013 U.S. Senior Amateur champion; Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Tim Jackson (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Ken Kinkopf (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Sean Knapp (2017 U.S. Senior Amateur champion; 2018 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up; Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Louis Lee (2011 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
Chip Lutz (2015 U.S. Senior Amateur champion; 2018 U.S. Senior Amateur semifinalist)
George (Buddy) Marucci (Special Exemption from the USGA)
Michael McCoy (2018 U.S. Senior Amateur semifinalist; Playing member of 2015 USA Walker Cup Team)
Joe Palmer (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Jerry Rose (2018 U.S. Senior Amateur quarterfinalist)
Bob Royak (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Dave Ryan (2016 U.S. Senior Amateur champion; 2017 U.S. Senior Amateur semifinalist)
Paul Simson (2010 and 2012 U.S. Senior Amateur champion; 2017 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up; Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Matt Sughrue (2016 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up; Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Patrick Tallent (2014 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
Frank Vana (2017 U.S. Senior Amateur semifinalist)
Pete Williams (Top 15 age-eligible points leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Jeff Wilson (2018 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
Ned Zachar (2018 U.S. Senior Amateur quarterfinalist)

Highlights from qualfiying include:

July 15

Steve Maddalena (Jackson, Mich.) took home the first qualifying medal of the 2019 season, shooting a 69 at Grosse Ile (Mich.) Golf & Country Club. Maddalena has recorded top-5 finishes in both the Senior Masters and The Hesler so far this year.

Qualifiers: Steve Maddalena (Jackson, Mich.) 69, Raymond Hajjar (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 70, Terry Tyson (Perrysburg, Ohio) 70

July 22

Tim Sheppard (East Peoria, Ill.) took the only qualifying spot at the Richmond, Ky. qualifier, shooting a 68 at Boone Trace National GC to clear the field by two shots. Sheppard will play in his third U.S. Senior Amateur in the last four years.

Qualifier: Tim Sheppard (East Peoria, Ill.) 68


Steve Harwell	Walter Todd

Steve Harwell, the National Senior Hall of Fame and Coleman Senior champion, was among the qualifiers at the Country Club of Lexington (S.C.) with a 68. Mike Gravley (Greer, S.C.) was the medalist with a 66. Former Jones Cup Senior champion Walter Todd (Laurens, S.C.) took the final spot with a 69.

Qualifiers: Mike Gravley (Greer, S.C.) 66, Steve Harwell (Mooresville, N.C.) 68, Paul Jett (Southern Pines, N.C.) 68, Walter Todd (Laurens, S.C.) 69

The Falls Club of the Palm Beaches in Lake Worth, Fla.
Qualifiers: Ricky Anderson (Jupiter, Fla.) 72, Kai Niemi (Tequesta, Fla.) 72

Roger Hoit

Roger Hoit (Summit, N.J.), who qualified for and competed in his second U.S. Senior Open earlier this summer, was the qualifying medalist at New Jersey National Golf Club in Basking Ridge, N.J. after a 69. Four other golfers from four different states also punched their tickets to Old Chatham Golf Club.

Qualifiers: Roger Hoit (Summit, N.J.) 69, Buddy Patch (Fairfax Station, Va.) 70, Edward Armagost (Jupiter, Fla.) 72, Dennis Lynch (Smithtown, N.Y.) 72, Patrick Pierson (West Orange, N.J.) 72

July 23

Greg Sanders, long one of the best players from Alaska, traveled to Woodburn, Ore. and took home the qualifying medal, firing a 66 at OGA Golf Course to win by two shots.

Qualifiers: Greg Sanders (Anchorage, Alaska) 66, Bradley Karns (Vancouver, Wash.) 68

Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, W.V.
Qualifier: Doug Gradwell (Plumville, Pa.) 70

Waikele Country Club in Waipahu, Haw.
Qualifier: John Shaw (Kealakekua, Haw.) 75

July 24

On a tough day for scoring at Cobbestone Creek CC in Rochester, N.Y., Robert Fesuk (Brea, Calif.) was able to take the only qualifying spot with a 4-over 76, needing a playoff to advance.

Qualifier: Robert Fesuk (Brea, Calif.) 76

July 25

Terry Werner

At McHenry (Ill.) Country Club, five players shot the low score of 71, but with only four qualifying spots available, a playoff was needed. Among those advancing was the four-time Indiana Senior champion Terry Werner (Dyer, Ind.).

Qualifiers: Joseph Malench (Edwardsville, Ill.) 71, Ted PEcora (Winnetka, Ill.) 71, Larry Silvestri (Lincolnshire, Ill.) 71, Terry Werner (Dyer, Ind.) 71

Hillcrest Country Club in Hillcrest, Okla.
Qualifiers: Greg Goode (Salina, Kan.) 72, Jerry Nick (Okmulgee, Okla.) 72

July 26

After three players shot even-par 72 at Tunica National GC in Tunica, Miss., a three-way playoff was needed to determine the lone qualifier. David Apperson (Memphis, Tenn.) emerged from the playoff and is on his way to the championship.

Qualifier: David Apperson (Memphis, Tenn.) 72

July 29


Craig Steinberg	Vern Spurlock

2018 Golfweek Senior champion Craig Steinberg (Agoura Hills, Calif.) shot a 1-under 71 to share medalist honors at the North Ranch CC qualifier in Westlake Village, Calif. Vern Spurlock (Fort Worth, Texas) was the other medalist.

Qualifiers: Vern Spurlock (Fort Worth, Texas) 71, Craig Steinberg (Agoura Hills, Calif.) 71, Kory Frost (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) 72, Rob Campbell (Newbury Park, Calif.) 72

Mark Morgan (Shingle Springs, Calif.), the Trans-Miss Senior runner-up who qualified and competed in the U.S. Senior Open earlier this summer, earned co-medalist honors at Richmond (Calif.) Country Club. Ken Noonan (Pacific Grove, Calif.) won a three-man playoff for the final qualifying spot.

Qualifiers: Mark Morgan (Shingle Springs, Calif.) 75, Dan Bieber (Alamo, Calif.) 75, Corey West (Burlingame, Calif.) 75, Ken Noonan (Pacific Grove, Calif.) 76

Dan Bieber, Corey West and Mark Morgan were co-medalists at Monday's #USSeniorAmateur qualifier at Richmond CC https://t.co/KzQ0OOyNfw pic.twitter.com/EZF9Z3Z9tT
— NCGA (@ncga1901) July 29, 2019

Oscar Mestre (Berwyn, Pa.), a quarterfinalist in last year's Crump Cup Senior at Pine Valley, was the qualifying medalist with a 68 at Lu Lu Country Club in Glenside, Pa.

Qualifiers: Oscar Mestre (Berwyn, Pa.) 68, Chris Fieger (Denver, Pa.) 69, John Robinson (Philadelphia, Pa.) 69

Titus Harris (Houston, Texas) beat the field by four shots at Bentwater Y&CC in Montgomery, Texas. Harris shot a 2-under 70 on the Miller Course to earn medalist honors, while Craig Hurlbert (Rollins, Mont.) and Ron Kilby (McAllen, Texas) too the other two spots in a three-way playoff.

Qualifiers: Titus Harris (Houston, Texas) 70, Craig Hurlbert (Rollins, Mont.) 74, Ronald Kilby (McAllen, Texas) 74

Duke Delcher

Former Walker Cupper Duke Delcher (Bluffton, S.C.) shot a 2-under 70 at The Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass. to take medalist honors by two shots. There was a five-man playoff for the final two qualifying spots after the quintet shot 73.

Qualifiers: Duke Delcher (Bluffton, S.C.) 70, Keith Smith (Franklin, Mass.) 72, William Schultz (Hingham, Mass.) 73, Steve Tasho (N. Easton, Mass.) 73

The Founders Golf Club in Sarasota, Fla.
Qualifiers: Tim Murphy (Sarasota, Fla.) 69, Paul Royak (Tampa, Fla.) 70, Edward Parnell (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) 71

H. Smith Richardson GC in Fairfield, Conn.
Qualifiers: Peter Van Ingen (New York, N.Y.) 71, Ray Underwood (Marbledale, Conn.) 74

Peter Detemple

Peter Detemple (Lexington Park, Md.), the Golfweek Senior champion and winner of last year's Senior Masters, shot a 69 at Talbot Country Club in Easton, Md. to take medalist honors by one shot over Englishman John Howson.

Qualifiers: Peter Detemple (Lexington Park, Md.) 69, John Howson (England) 70, RObert Bailey (Yorktown, Va.) 72, David Price (Hillsboro, Va.) 73

Aberdeen GC in St. Louis, Mo.
Qualifier: Wayne Fredrick (Springfield, Mo.) 70

CC of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Qualifier: Jim Gallagher (Charlotte, N.C.) 71

Bryan Norton

Two-time Coleman Senior champion Bryan Norton (Mission Hills, Kan.) was the medalist at the Belton, Mo. qualifier, shooting a 70 at the CC of Loch Lloyd to clear the field by two shots.

Qualifiers: Bryan Norton (Mission Hills, Kan.) 70, Don Walsworth (Leawood, Kan.) 72

Soldier Hollow GC in Midway, Utah
Qualifiers: Todd Follmer (Park City, Utah) 69, Guy Child (S. Salt Lake City, Utah) 70

Six spots were up for grabs at Biltmore Forest Country Club in Asheville, N.C., and it took five extra holes to determine the final qualifier. Former North & South Senior and National Hall of Fame Senior champion Rick Cloninger (McDonough, Ga.) was the medalist after a 69, and four others including U.S. Senior Open qualifier Kevin King (Bluffton, S.C.) advanced with rounds of 71. The final qualifying spot came down an eight-man playoff, which went five holes and was won by Tom Schreiner (Chattanooga, Tenn.).

Qualifiers: Rick Cloninger (McDonough, Ga.) 69, Tony Green (Kingsport, Tenn.) 71, Kevin King (Bluffton, S.C.) 71, Robby Kirby (Charlotte, N.C.) 71, Gary Pugh (Asheboro, N.C.) 71, Tom Schreiner (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 72

Kevin Sivage shot the low round of the Senior Amateur qualifying season so far with a 6-under 64 at Albuquerque (N.M.) Country Club. Sivage went bogey-free with matching nines of 32 and beat the field by three shots.

Qualifier: J. Kevin Sivage (Albuquerque, N.M.) 64

Sycamore Hills GC in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Qualifiers: Tim Dobis (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 72, Robert Matthiesen (Mason, Mich.) 74

July 30

Sam Billmeyer

Sam Billmeyer (Ankeny, Iowa) punched his ticket to the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur after firing an even-par 72 at Cedar Rapids Country Club. Billmeyer's round was highlighted by four consecutive birdies on holes three through six which helped him make the turn in 3 under par 33.

Qualifier: Sam Billmeyer (Ankeny, Iowa) 72

Kelly Knievel, son of the famous daredevil and stunt performer Evel Knievel, medaled at the Boise, Idaho qualifer with a 72 at Ridgecrest GC. Knievel beat Scott Vermeer in a playoff to take the lone qualifying spot.

Qualifier: Kelly Knievel (Las Vegas, Nev.) 72

Bob Kearney

Bob Kearney, who lives in Houston, Texas but summers in New England, shot a 71 at Manchester Country Club in Vermont to earn medalist honors by two shots. Kearney was the 2015 AmateurGolf.com Senior Player-of-the-Year, winning four major senior events that year and in 2016 before injuries forced him to sit out the much of the 2017 season.

Qualifiers: Bob Kearney (Houston, Texas) 71, Matt Clarke (Loudonville, Ky.) 73, Brian Cain (Montpelier, Vt.) 74

Island View GC in Waconia, Minn.
Qualifiers: J.T. Johnson (Sparta, Wis.) 70, Tom Whaley (Edina, Minn.) 70

Wilderness Ridge GC in Lincoln, Neb.
Qualifier: Matt Haynes (Papillion, Neb.) 73

Mitch Wilson

Mitch Wilson (Kalamazoo, Mich.) has made match play in the last three U.S. Senior Amateurs, and he had to work overtime to qualify again this year, winning a 4-man playoff for the final spot at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Qualifiers: David Novotny (Dayton, Ohio) 74, Mitch Wilson (Kalamazoo, Mich.) 76

July 31

Roger Newsom

Lowcountry Senior champion and 2019 U.S. Open participant Roger Newsom (Virginia Beach, Va.) blitzed the field at Cedar Point CC in Suffolk, Va., firing a bogey-free 7-under 65 and medaling by six shots.

Qualifier: Roger Newsom (Virginia Beach, Va.) 65

Hot Springs CC in Hot Springs, Ark.
Qualifier: Scott Smith (Hot Springs, Ark.) 68

August 1

Mark Knecht

Mark Knecht (Paducah, Ky.), winner of the Old Corkscrew Senior and last year's Azalea Senior, shot a 69 to earn medalist honors at The Grove in College Grove, Tenn.

Qualifiers: Mark Knecht (Paducah, Ky.) 69, Bjorn Svedin (Hendersonville, Tenn.) 71

David Hancock (Greenville, Ala.) eagled the final hole at Willow Point G&CC in Alexander City, Ala. to cap off a dominating performance that saw him earn medalist honors by five shots with a 7-under 65. Former Geranium and Lupton Senior champion Chris Hall (Marietta, Ga.) also advanced with a 70. William Hodges (Rosemary Beach, Fla.) took the final qualifying spot after surviving a 3-for-1 playoff.

Qualifiers: David Hancock (Greenville, Ala.) 65, Chris Hall (Marietta, Ga.) 70, William Hodges (Rosemary Beach, Fla.) 71

Jim Durr & Tom Jareb

Kirtland CC in Willoughby, Ohio
Qualifiers: Jim Durr (Hamburg, N.Y.) 72, Tom Jareb (Concord, Ohio) 72, Mike Cassell (Hudson, Ohio) 73

Imagine shooting 4-under 68 and not qualifying, That was the fate of Daniel Moore (Chicago, Ill.) at Washington County GC in Hartford, Wisc. Three players shot 68, but with only two spots available a playoff was needed. Rocky Sperka (New Berlin, Wisc.) and Robert Gregorski (Appleton, Wisc.) got through the playoff to advance to the championship.

Qualifiers: Rocky Sperka (New Berlin, Wisc.) 68, Robert Gregorski (Appleton, Wisc.) 68

Oakbourne CC in Lafayette, La.
Qualifier: Bill Land (Lafayette, La.) 70

August 5

Lupton Senior champion William Mitchell (Roswell, Ga.) was among four qualifiers at the Country Club of the South in Alpharetta, Ga. Mitchell shot an even-par 72 to share medalist honors with Matthew Grandy, with the last two qualifiers getting in via a 4-for-2 playoff.

Qualifiers: Matthew Grandy (Greenville, S.C.) 72, William Mitchell (Roswell, Ga.) 72, Walker Taylor (Wrightsville Beach, Fla.) 73, Louis Brown (Marietta, Ga.) 73

The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.)
Qualifiers: Michael Del Rocco (Jacksonville, Fla.) 71, Chris Peddicord (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) 71

TPC Colorado at Berthoud, Colo.
Qualifiers: Victor Minovich (Thornton, Colo.) 69, Scott Sullivan (Grand Junction, Colo.) 71, Gary Albrecht (Denver, Colo.) 71

Red Rock CC in Las Vegas, Nev.
Qualifier: Marc Apps (Payson, Ariz.) 73

David Nelson

Former George C. Thomas Senior champion David Nelson (Reno, Nev.) took the lone qualifying spot at Red Hawk Golf & Resort in Sparks, Nev. with a 1-over 73.

Qualifier: David Nelson (Reno, Nev.) 73

Sunland G&CC in Sequim, Wash.
Qualifiers: John Von Lossow (Union, Wash.) 72, Keith Crimp (Ellensburg, Wash.) 73

The Santaluz Club in San Diego, Calif.
Qualifiers: Greg Cesario (San Marcos, Calif.) 70, Jeffrey Gipner (Oceanside, Calif.) 70, Iain Macdonald (Fullerton, Calif.) 71, Todd Palmaer (Corona Del Mar, Calif.) 71, Don Dubois (Newport Beach, Calif.) 71

Jeff Benton (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) was the medalist at Tatum Ranch Golf Club in Cave Creek, Ariz. with a 3-under 69, with the final two spots determined by 4-for-2 playoff.

Qualifiers: Jeff Benton (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) 69, Rusty Brown (Phoenix, Ariz.) 70, Dirk Maust (Phoenix, Ariz.) 70


Bradley Kropp	Kip Estep

The U.S. Senior qualifying season ended with a bang, with a massive 8-for-4 playoff determining the final spots at Diamond Oaks CC in Fort Worth, Texas. Among those emerging from the playoff were Carlton Woods Senior runner-up Kip Estep (Rockwall, Texas) and Texas Hall of Famer, 70-year-old Ed Brooks (Fort Worth, Texas). Bradley Kropp (Edmond, Okla.) avoided the playoff and took medalist honors with a 1-under 69.

Qualifiers: Bradley Kropp (Edmond, Okla.) 69, Kip Estep (Rockwall, Texas) 71, Ed Brooks (Fort Worth, Texas) 71, Brian Kennedy (Highland Beach, Fla.) 71, Jerry Slagle (Southlake, Texas) 71

What's Next

The first round of the 65th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship tees off August 24 at Old Chatham Golf Club.

About the U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying

2019 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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