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see also: Dan Sullivan, View results for U.S. Senior Amateur, Baltimore Country Club: East
Sullivan may have lost to Louis Brown in the final match, but how he got there is a testimony to putting golf in perspective
Story by Paul Payne
For many years, Dan Sullivan was driven by an insatiable pursuit of achieving golfing excellence. There was a compulsion to reach some undefined pinnacle, constantly refining his swing, putting in endless practice sessions and a full schedule of competitions.
It became like a second career for Sullivan in addition to his paying job as a bank vice president in Southern California overseeing a portfolio of real estate holdings. Unmarried with few other obligations, Sullivan had the time and energy to embark on this quest in a guilt-free manner.
But everything changed when he met Lindsay Amstutz in 2009.
Sullivan was finishing a workout at his local gym when he and Amstutz first crossed paths. She was working for the NBA league office at the time, and a couple of nights later he found himself joining her for a Los Angeles Sparks contest the night legendary Lisa Leslie retired from the WNBA.
The couple married three years later, and now have a 10-year-son, Travis, and a daughter, Chloe, who is seven. Suddenly, Sullivan’s relentless commitment to the game of golf had competition, and it was a trade the Pasadena resident has gladly made.
Make no mistake – Sullivan is still serious about his golf pursuits. That has been fully evident as he won both of his matches on Wednesday at the 69th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship to advance to Thursday’s 18-hole championship match at The Honors Course. It’s just that the outcome of that match with Louis Brown of Marietta, Ga. will not define him.
“I have struggled with being able to put my golf game in perspective my whole competitive career,” Sullivan said. “I am very serious on the golf course and I'm out there to do a job. But if I get my behind handed to me tomorrow, I will still go home and I will be beyond happy to see my family who I haven't seen in nine days.”
Sullivan’s perspective has changed from the days when he used to beat himself up over not meeting his stratospheric expectations. He sees things through a different lens these days, and he recognizes that his love for the game has improved.
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Marietta, GA | 2000 | ||
| Runner-up | Pasadena, CA | 1500 | ||
| Semifinals | Arlington, VA | 1000 | ||
| Semifinals | Fairhope, AL | 1000 | ||
| Quarterfinals | , Canada | 700 |
The USGA Senior Amateur is open to those with a USGA Handicap Index of 5.4 or lower, who are 55 or older on or before the day the qualifying begins, usually in August. It is one of 15 national championships conducted annually by the USGA.

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