Semifinals are set at U.S. Senior Amateur
The U.S. Senior Amateur is down to four players following the completion of the quarterfinal matches Wednesday morning at the Country Club of Detroit.
Jerry Gunthorpe (Ovid, Mich.), Dave Bunker (Canada), Craig Davis (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Gene Elliott (West Des Moines, Iowa) are onto the semifinals after winning their matches on Wednesday morning.
Gunthorpe scored a 2 and 1 victory over Rusty Strawn (McDonough, Ga.). The match was all square through 12 holes before Gunthorpe won holes 13 and 15 with pars to gain the advantage he needed to secure a spot in the semifinals.
In the only match that went to the 18th hole, Bunker ended Billy Mitchell's title hopes with a 1 up victory over the Atlanta native. Mitchell enjoyed a 1 up lead after making a birdie on the 11th, but Bunker tied the match with a par on 13. After the players halved the next four holes, Bunker won the match with a par on the 18th hole.
Davis has yet to see the 18th hole in match play, as he scored a 3 and 2 victory over Chip Lutz (Reading, Pa.). Davis, the 2019 British Senior Amateur champion, won holes 5, 6 and 7 to take a 2 up lead in the match. Nursing a 1 up lead through 15, Davis won holes 15 and 16 with pars to close out the match.
Elliott is one step closer to adding the U.S. Senior Amateur title to his impressive resume after taking out local favorite Tom Gieselman, 2 and 1. The reigning British Senior Amateur champion, who survived two grueling matches on Tuesday against Mike McCoy and Doug Hanzel, still had plenty left in the tank on Wednesday morning as he won the first three holes in a match in which he never trailed. Elliott closed out Gieselman, who resides in nearby Commerce Township, with a birdie on the 17th hole.
Wednesday afternoon's semifinal matches will feature Gunthorpe vs. Bunker at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Davis-Elliott match at 1:45.
AmateurGolf.com will have a recap of the semifinal matches later today.
ABOUT THE U.S. Senior Amateur
The USGA Senior Amateur is open to those
with a USGA Handicap Index of 7.4 or lower,
who are 55 or older on or before the day the
championship begins. It is one of 14 national
championships conducted annually by the
USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
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