Winged Foot's West Course will be the scene of Friday's
second round play and all matches over the weekend
(USGA photo)
After a more than two year hiatus, the Anderson Memorial Four-Ball got underway today at New York's legendary Winged Foot Golf Club.
Past USGA champions, Walker Cup team members (and a captain --
Nathaniel Crosby), and celebrities are among the top mid-am and senior players who received one of the Anderson's coveted invitations.
So what if former NFL quarterback and his partner Bret Baier of Fox News fame are in last place? Manning, for one, was blunt about the his route into the tournament, but seemed to be enjoying Winged Foot's hospitality nonetheless.
"I'm not sure I'm qualified," Manning told our on-site reporter Joseph Nieporte."But after I played in The Match with Tiger against Mickelson and Brady a year and a half ago, J.P. O'Hara [longtime Tournament Director] contacted me and said 'great job in the match - that deserves an invite to The Anderson.' ... I'm not sure it does, but that's how I got here."
Scores were moderate with 6-under 64 by
Tim Kane and
Billy Peel IV of Maryland leading by two. The goal is to make match play, and Peel (the 2019 and 2020 Maryland Amateur champ) and his partner Kane should have no problem making that happen if they continue their steady play. Today they managed to go around the East Course without a single bogey.
With 29 teams within 4 shots of the lead, there will be plenty of jockeying for position Friday as teams try to make match play. Two Winged Foot teams started well. Tim Rittenhouse and Rob Christie plus Teddy Bugniazet and Robbie Williams of the host club posted 3-under. That keeps them in the top-10, right behind a 6-way logjam at 4-under.
Mike McBride and three time USA Walker Cup team member
Stewart Hagestad are two back, and seem to be the team everyone is paying the most attention to.
On Friday play moves to the West Course, which has hosted the U.S. Open six times and the PGA Championship once. After tomorrow's round the top 16 teams will be seeded into a match play bracket. The weekend will be played entirely on the West Course with two matches being played each day.
SENIOR DIVISION
Matt Meyer and David Staudinger -- two long time Winged Foot members -- are tied for the lead in the senior flight. The two former club champions shared a 3-under 67 score with some pretty good company though.
Past U.S. Senior and British Senior Am champ
Chip Lutz and partner
Christopher Lange also posted 67, as did past USA Walker Cup team member
Marty West and his partner
Bob Kain. The duo are representing Pine Valley.
And remember
Peter Persons? He was runner-up to Sam Randolph in the 1985 U.S. Amateur and among the 5-way senior tie with partner
Jeff Knox. Knox is well known for often beating the pro when playing as a Masters marker. Rounding out the 67s is the team of
Buzz Baker and
Kip Guidry of Crown Colony in Texas.
-- Joseph Nieporte collaborated with us on this story -- if you recognize the name it's because his grandfather Tom was the head pro at Winged Foot from 1978 to 2006. Joe will be reporting for AmateurGolf.com all week.
-- To read Joe's tournament preview and history, click
here.
View results for Anderson Memorial
ABOUT THE Anderson Memorial
Perhaps the most coveted best-ball
invitation in all of amateur golf. Created in 1933 to
honor Winged Foot founding member and two time
U.S.
Amateur runner-up John G. Anderson, the event
consists of a 36 hole qualifier followed by two days
of
match play competition in both Championship and
Senior divisions.
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