U.S. Senior Open: Ams Mark Strickland and Christian Raynor poised to play the weekend

June 30, 2023 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Mark Strickland (USGA photo)

Both players posted 8-over, just under the projected 36-hole cut of 9-over at Wisconsin's Sentry World

It's a story we've seen play out many times before at the U.S. Senior Open.

25 or more amateurs advance through the 18-hole qualifying to earn a berth in the national championship for players aged 50 and over. But usually, just one or two make the cut.

The same could also be said of PGA professionals with no PGA Champions Tour or other exemption status -- they advance to the tournament alongside the amateurs at various qualifying sites around the U.S., but aren't able to survive the USGA setups. That's especially true this week where Sentry World in Wisconsin is yielding so few good scores.

If you want to learn more take a look at our in-depth analysis of why amateurs have a tough time competing against senior pros. But enough negativity for now. Let's talk about two guys that will play the weekend - Mark Strickland from California and Christian Raynor from Georgia.

The duo posted 8-over totals for 36 holes, and will fight it out for low amateur honors over the weekend. That will give us someone to cheer for, besides emotional favorite Bernhard Langer, who is defying any definition of getting old with his play in Wisconsin.

Results: U.S. Senior Open

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
T42	Mark Strickland	Rancho Santa Fe, CA	600	76-74-73-73=296
T60	Christian Raynor	Kennesaw, GA	500	77-73-75-79=304
MC	Joey Gullion	Spring, TX	0	78-74=152
MC	Mike Finster	St. Petersburg, FL	0	78-75=153
MC	Miles McConnell	Tampa, FL	0	80-74=154

View full results for U.S. Senior Open

About the U.S. Senior Open

U.S. Senior Open: Ams Mark Strickland and Christian Raynor poised to play the weekend

The U.S. Senior Open is one of 15 national championships conducted by the USGA. Open to amateurs and professionals who have reached their 50th birthday as of the first day of the championship.The Senior Open was first played in 1980 with a purse of, ...