Simson’s record is unassailable. He’s won 45 Carolinas Golf Association events and is one of three players to win the U.S. Senior Amateur, R&A Senior Amateur, and Canadian Senior Amateur. He has a staggering 36-12 record in the U.S. Senior Amateur and has never lost in the Round of 64; he won’t know his opponent until the 9-for-8 playoff is settled on Wednesday morning. 

Honors Course creates quite the spread

Since 2019, the typical medalist score in the U.S. Senior Amateur is around 2-under par. The only outlier is the 2021 event at CC of Detroit, where 10-under-par won medalist honors. Last year at Martis Camp, the medalist, Todd White, shot even par. He ended up winning the event. 

What does stand out about The Honors Course is the spread from medalist to the 64 seed. It’s 15 shots, as 13-over par made the playoff. 

Now that the event shifts to match play, it will be interesting to see if the players who were successful in medal play can make that transition. Last year, Todd White was able to win as a No. 1 seed at a tough course.

Related: Roger Newsom and John Kemp Share Medalist Honors

Former runner-ups in the mix

There are four players who have finished as runner-ups who finished in the top 12 after stroke play: Doug Hanzel (2022), Jerry Gunthorpe (2021), Roger Newsom (2019), and Matthew Sughrue (2016). Former champion Paul Simson also finished as runner-up in 2017 when he lost to Sean Knapp. 

That’s quite a collection of players hoping to break through and win a USGA event.