Orlando, Fla. – Top seeds Pat Tallent and Paul Simson continued their march toward a possible championship-final meeting by posting a pair of victories on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the 2010 USGA Senior Amateur Championship, being conducted at the 6,691-yard, par-72 Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.
Tallent, 57, of Vienna, Va., defeated Marvin Vinny Giles, 67, of Richmond, Va., in 20 holes, while Simson, 59, of Raleigh, N.C., defeated David Anthony, 55, of Jacksonville, Fla., by a 2-and-1 margin. Earlier on Tuesday, Tallent, the stroke-play medalist, edged David Szewczul of Farmington, Conn., 1 up. Simson, the No. 2 seed, cruised to a 4-and-3 win over Logan Jackson of Winston-Salem, N.C.
Neither golfer held more than a 1-up lead the entire match.
Giles, the defending champion, and Tallent both had chances to win at the par-4 18th hole. Giles missed from 5 feet and Tallent then missed from a similar length. Tallent eventually prevailed on the 20th hole after Giles sent his second shot on the par-5 second hole into the right-hand trees and was unable to locate his ball within his allotted five minutes.
It was certainly a bittersweet victory for Tallent, who considers Giles his hero and a true gentleman.
I don’t feel good about it at all, to be honest with you, said Tallent, shaking his head. I’m glad I’m exempt next year and I get to go play Vinny’s golf course [Kinloch Golf Club, site of the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur] without having to qualify. But I’m not happy that I had to beat Vinny to get there.
Tallent’s Wednesday quarterfinal opponent will be Frank Ford III of Charleston, S.C., who defeated Dave Ryan of Taylorville, Ill., 4 and 2, in the third round. Ford also beat Rick Woulfe of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 2 up, in the second round.
Simson, the winner of this year’s British Seniors Amateur Championship, never trailed against Anthony, taking the lead at the first hole, thanks to an Anthony bogey. Simson stretched the margin to as many as 3 up, though Anthony was able to cut the deficit to 2 down before being eliminated at the 17th hole.
A conceded par putt on the par-3 17th hole gave Simson the win and a spot in Wednesday’s quarterfinals against Tim Miller of Kokomo, Ind., who has yet to play beyond the 16th hole in three matches. Miller eliminated 2007 champion Stanford Lee of Heber Springs, Ark., 5 and 4. Earlier in the day, he beat Michael Kelly of Odenton, Md., 4 and 2.
I’ve been playing well all year and I’ve played well this week, said Simson, who won the 2010 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship by 15 strokes. I seem to have a good feel for the greens and the speeds. If that continues, I’m very hopeful.
Past USGA Senior Amateur champion Greg Reynolds of Grand Blanc, Mich., defeated Indiana’s Randy Nichols, 2 and 1.
Also moving into Wednesday’s quarterfinal round are Don Thames of Rancho Murieta, Calif.; Chip Lutz of Reading, Pa.; and Jeff Burda of Modesto, Calif. Lutz edged University of Florida men’s golf coach and 1986 U.S. Amateur champion Stewart Alexander in 19 holes. Thames also went 19 holes to beat David Williamson of Ladoga, Ind., and Burda ousted 2007 runner-up Sam Farlow of Birmingham, Ala., 2 and 1.
All the quarterfinalists receive an exemption from qualifying into the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va.
The quarterfinal and semifinal matches of the USGA Senior Amateur Championship are scheduled for Wednesday starting at 8:30 a.m. EDT, while the 18-hole championship final will be played Thursday morning.
Christina Lance is the USGA’s coordinator of championship communications. Contact her with questions and comments at clance@usga.org.
Orlando, Fla. – Results from Tuesday’s second and third rounds of match play at the 2010 USGA Senior Amateur being contested at the 6,691-yard, par-72 Lake Nona Golf & Country Club:
Round of 32
Upper Bracket
Pat Tallent, Vienna, Va. (140) def. David Szewczul, Farmington, Conn. (149), 1 up
Marvin Vinny Giles, Richmond, Va. (150) def. Bev Hargraves, Helena, Ark. (147), 1 up
Rick Woulfe, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (144) def. Frank Ford III, Charleston, S.C. (148), 2 up
Dave Ryan, Taylorville, Ill. (150) def. Bruce Scamehorn, Winter Haven, Fla. (145), 1 up
Don Thames, Rancho Murieta, Calif. (143) def. Jim Knoll, Sunnyvale, Calif. (148), 4 and 3
David Williamson, Ladoga, Ind. (145) def. Bill Zylstra, Plymouth, Mich. (147), 2 up
Chip Lutz, Reading, Pa. (143) def. George J. Zahringer III, New York, N.Y. (149), 1 up
Stewart Alexander, Gainesville, Fla. (147) def. Douglas Pool, Las Vegas, Nev. (145), 2 and 1
Lower Bracket
Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. (141) def. Logan Jackson, Winston-Salem, N.C. (149), 4 and 3
David Anthony, Jacksonville, Fla. (150) def. Terry Werner, Dyer, Ind. (146), 2 and 1
Stanford Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. (144) def. Dan Bieber, Alamo, Calif. (148), 2 and 1
Tim Miller, Kokomo, Ind. (148) def. Michael Kelly, Odenton, Md. (145), 4 and 2
Randy Nichols, Brookville, Ind. (142) def. Chuck Palmer, Dallas, Texas (149), 19 holes
Greg Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich. (151) def. Steve Smyers, Lakeland, Fla. (147), 19 holes
Sam Farlow, Birmingham, Ala. (150) def. Tom Knapp, Tequesta, Fla. (144), 4 and 3
Jeff Burda, Modesto, Calif. (148) def. Robert Allshouse, Greensburg, Pa. (145), 4 and 2
Round of 16
Upper Bracket
Tallent def. Giles, 20 holes
Ford III def. Ryan, 4 and 2
Thames def. Williamson, 19 holes
Lutz def. Alexander, 19 holes
Lower Bracket
Simson def. Anthony, 2 and 1
Miller vs. Lee, 5 and 4
Reynolds def. Nichols, 2 and 1
Burda def. Farlow, 2 and 1
Orlando, Fla. – Pairings and starting times for Wednesday’s quarterfinal round of match play at the 2010 USGA Senior Amateur being contested at the 6,691-yard, par-72 Lake Nona Golf & Country Club. (All times EDT)
Quarterfinals
Upper Bracket
8:30 a.m. – Pat Tallent, Vienna, Va. (140) vs. Frank Ford III, Charleston, S.C. (148)
8:40 a.m. – Don Thames, Rancho Murieta, Calif. (143) vs. Chip Lutz, Reading, Pa. (143)
Lower Bracket
8:50 a.m. – Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. (141) vs. Tim Miller, Kokomo, Ind. (148)
9 a.m. – Greg Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich. (151) vs. Jeff Burda, Modesto, Calif. (148)