Richmond, Texas – Mike McCaffrey, 41, of League City, Texas, shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to take the lead in the first round of stroke-play qualifying at the weather-delayed 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
Play was suspended due to a dangerous weather condition at 2:58 p.m. and resumed at 5:30 p.m. Play was called for the day at 8:15 p.m. with 99 players yet to complete their first round.
McCaffrey, who played the par-72, 7,170-yard Shadow Hawk Golf Club, had eight birdies in his round, including four in a row from the seventh through 10th holes. His final birdie came on No. 17, when he made a 30-footer.
It was bittersweet, starting with a bogey and ending with a double, said McCaffrey. Everything in between was pretty decent, though. I drove it in play and I hit it very decent and I putted it really well. I rolled the ball real well today. I only missed a couple of putts all day long.
Playing in his first USGA championship, McCaffrey said his approach to the game has changed since he regained his amateur status in January.
Since I quit playing professionally, it’s become more of a calm out on the golf course, because I don’t have to perform, said McCaffrey. We have five little ones at home, from 23 to 4, so I don’t feel like I have to make a cut to make a check to please a sponsor or put bread on the table. It’s more calming for me.
One stroke off McCaffrey’s pace was David Noll Jr., 39, of Dalton, Ga., who also played at Shadow Hawk. Noll, playing in his sixth Mid-Amateur, had five birdies and two bogeys en route to a 69. Matching Noll’s 69 were Scott Kammann, 38, of Baneberry, Tenn., Scott Stevens, 42, of Encinitas, Calif., and Jimmy Chang, 41, of San Marino, Calif., who all played the companion stroke-play course, the par-72, 7,125-yard Houstonian Golf & Country Club, which is adjacent to Shadow Hawk.
Two-time defending champion Nathan Smith of Pittsburgh, Pa., opened with a 2-under 70 at Shadow Hawk. Smith, who played in the Walker Cup Match last weekend at Royal Aberdeen in Scotland, is the only three-time champion in Mid-Amateur history. But he said he doesn’t feel any additional pressure at Shadow Hawk this week.
As for my legacy and winning it three times, that’s something I’ve never really thought about, said Smith, who also won the championship in 2003 and 2009. I’m just like everybody else and we’re all kind of going after the same thing. But you realize how special it is to be a champion of this event and possibly have an invitation to the Masters. I just think that anytime you’re playing in a USGA event you’re just trying to put your best foot forward and make match play and then who knows what can happen.
Matching Smith’s 70 were Brett Williams, 30, of Circleville, Ohio, who played at Shadow Hawk, and Kevin Watford, 38, of Franklin, Tenn.
Paul Simson, 60, of Raleigh, N.C., was six under through 16 holes (he started on No. 10) at the Houstonian. Simson, the 2010 USGA Senior Amateur champion, will complete his round when the first round resumes Sunday at 7:30 a.m. CDT. He is a five-time USGA stroke-play medalist, including the 2004 Mid-Amateur when he shared the honor with Jeff Wilson.
After the second round of stroke play, the U.S. Mid-Amateur field will be reduced to 64 players for match play. The first round of match play is scheduled for Monday, the second and third rounds will be played Tuesday, the quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be played Wednesday, and the 36-hole championship final will be played Thursday.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association each year, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Story written by Beth Murrison, USGA Manager of Championship Communications. For questions or comments, contact her atbmurrison@usga.org.
Richmond, Texas – Results from Saturday’s first round of stroke play at the 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur at the par-72, 7,170-yard Shadow Hawk Golf Club and the par-72, 7,125-yard Houstonian Golf & Country Club (sh = Shadow Hawk; th = The Houstonian):
Mike McCaffrey, League City, Texas, 33-35--68sh
David Noll Jr, Dalton, Ga., 34-35--69sh
Scott Kammann, Baneberry, Tenn., 36-33--69th
Jimmy Chang, San Marino, Calif., 34-35--69th
Michael McCoy, West Des Moines, Iowa, 35-34--69th
Scott Stevens, Encinitas, Calif., 37-32--69th
Brett Williams, Circleville, Ohio, 33-37--70sh
Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh, Pa., 37-33--70sh
Kevin Watford, Franklin, Tenn., 35-35--70th
Jeff Knox, Augusta, Ga., 36-35--71sh
Kris Mikkelsen, Atlanta, Ga., 34-37--71sh
Kevin Quinn, Needham, Mass., 33-38--71th
Kevin Keller, Baldwin Park, Calif., 36-35--71th
Sean Knapp, Oakmont, Pa., 35-36--71th
Terence Begnel, Tulsa, Okla., 36-36--72sh
Camron Howell, San Tan Valley, Ariz., 36-36--72sh
Jeffrey Osberg, West Chester, Pa., 38-34--72sh
Corby Segal, Santa Clarita, Calif., 41-31--72th
Joseph Latowski, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 34-38--72th
Taylor Wood, Laguna Niguel, Calif., 35-37--72th
Anthony Barrera, San Jose, Calif., 35-37--72th
Josh Gregory, Dallas, Texas, 35-38--73sh
Chad Bolt, Bellefontaine, Ohio, 36-37--73sh
Todd Mitchell, Bloomington, Ill., 36-37--73sh
Gary Robinson, San Diego, Calif., 35-38--73sh
Robert F. Gerwin II, Cincinnati, Ohio, 36-37--73th
Chris Congdon, Foxboro, Mass., 38-35--73th
Chris Berens, Mount Dora, Fla., 36-37--73th
Clarke Kincaid, Trophy Club, Texas, 34-39--73th
Bryan Covar, Florence, S.C., 34-40--74sh
Jeff Champine, Rochester Hills, Mich., 38-36--74sh
Robby McWilliams, Bossier City, La., 35-39--74sh
Jon Peterson, Granite Bay, Calif., 38-36--74sh
Dan Horner, Sandy, Utah, 36-38--74sh
Brian Westveer, Charlotte, N.C., 37-37--74sh
Eberley Stonestreet, Deerfield Beach, Fla., 36-38--74sh
Erik Schleicher, Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich., 37-37--74sh
R.C. Orr, Sacramento, Calif., 35-39--74sh
Tyler Crawford, Indio, Calif., 39-35--74sh
Matthew Smith, Lubbock, Texas, 37-37--74sh
Barry Logar, Fairfield, Calif., 36-38--74sh
Christopher Herzog, Chico, Calif., 38-36--74sh
Spencer Provow, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 38-36--74th
John Moheyer, Baltimore, Md., 36-38--74th
Jeronimo Esteve, Puerto Rico, 37-37--74th
Matthew Fields, New York, N.J., 38-36--74th
Erik Bertrand, Pittsburgh, Pa., 39-35--74th
Michael Castleforte, Springboro, Ohio, 36-38--74th
George Zahringer, New York, N.Y., 39-35--74th
Kenny Cook, Noblesville, Ind., 38-36--74th
Jordan Carpenter, Bluffton, S.C., 37-38--75sh
Jeff Fujimoto, Phoenix, Ariz., 39-36--75sh
Troy Johnson, Maple Grove, Minn., 37-38--75sh
Jason Greiner, Cincinnati, Ohio, 35-40--75sh
Brad Jones, Augusta, Ga., 37-38--75sh
Paul Tucker, Waxhaw, N.C., 36-39--75sh
Matthew Williams, Albuquerque, N.M., 38-37--75sh
Mike Stamberger, Plainfield, N.J., 37-38--75sh
Mike Ignasiak, Saline, Mich., 35-40--75th
Chris Taylor, Houston, Texas, 39-36--75th
Joshua Rhodes, Paducah, Ky., 36-40--76sh
Scott Hovis, Jefferson City, Mo., 38-38--76sh
James Jasinski, Birmingham, Ala., 35-41--76sh
Dan Jennings, Los Angeles, Calif., 38-38--76sh
Frank Alafoginis, Arlington, Va., 39-37--76sh
Tom Sullivan, Grosse Pointe, Mich., 35-41--76sh
Darrin Overson, Provo, Utah, 37-39--76sh
Ricky Jones, Thomaston, Maine, 38-38--76sh
Steven Irwin, Golden, Colo., 38-38--76th
Richard Berkmeyer, St. Louis, Mo., 38-38--76th
Austin Hannah, Katy, Texas, 38-38--76th
Patrick Murphy, Glencoe, Ill., 37-39--76th
Keith Achman, Carlsbad, Calif., 43-34--77sh
Ryan Chin, Canada, 38-39--77sh
Duke Butler IV, Ponte Vedra, Fla., 38-39--77sh
Joe True, Milwaukee, Wis., 40-37--77sh
Trey Wilkinson, Houston, Texas, 38-39--77sh
Chris Clarke, East Hampton, N.Y., 37-40--77sh
Craig Erickson, Henderson, Nev., 38-39--77sh
James Kurtenbach, Denver, Colo., 38-39--77sh
Chris Igawa, Hilo, Hawaii, 40-37--77th
Steven Colwick, Glen Rose, Texas, 39-38--77th
Jason Pridmore, Ventura, Calif., 38-39--77th
Daniel Ragsdale, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 38-39--77th
Scott Weeks, Savannah, Ga., 37-40--77th
Jeff Holzschuh, Greenwich, Conn., 39-38--77th
Brian Whitman, Bloomfield, N.J., 38-40--78sh
Gene Elliott, West Des Moines, Iowa, 40-38--78sh
Nicholas Biesecker, Staunton, Va., 38-40--78sh
Pat Thompson, Asheville, N.C., 41-37--78sh
Ryan Sloane, Campbell, Calif., 39-39--78sh
Adam Baxter, Fairbanks, Alaska, 41-37--78sh
Craig Miyamoto, Sacramento, Calif., 40-38--78sh
Randy Haag, Orinda, Calif., 39-39--78th
Dave Womack, McDonough, Ga., 37-41--78th
William Shriver, Baltimore, Md., 38-40--78th
Michael Standard, McDonough, Ga., 39-39--78th
Jerry Ledzinski, Carmel, Calif., 35-43--78th
Patrick Carter, Huntington, W.Va., 40-38--78th
Joseph Nichols, Little Rock, Ark., 40-39--79sh
Dudley Payne III, Warrenton, Va., 41-38--79sh
Marc Grinberg, Morganville, N.J., 40-39--79sh
Cory Gladstone, San Diego, Calif., 40-39--79sh
Mark Harding, Hermosa Beach, Calif., 42-37--79sh
Daniel Hurley, Leesburg, Va., 40-39--79th
Josh Anderson, Sunbury, Ohio, 42-37--79th
Steve Owens, Philadelphia, Pa., 42-37--79th
Tim Spitz, Rochester, N.Y., 38-41--79th
Matt Keyser, Lake Oswego, Ore., 40-39--79th
David Brown, Pittsburgh, Pa., 39-40--79th
Kyle Flodder, Katy, Texas, 40-39--79th
Casey Baker, Ann Arbor, Mich., 36-43--79th
Theodore Meyer, Scottsdale, Ariz., 41-38--79th
Chris Hartenstein, Austin, Texas, 37-42--79th
Joshua Chamberlain, Amherst, N.H., 37-42--79th
Grant Goltz, Dekalb, Ill., 39-40--79th
Drew McMahon, Little Falls, N.J., 39-41--80sh
Jason McKenzie, Augusta, Ga., 42-38--80sh
Craig Davis, Chula Vista, Calif., 41-39--80sh
Michael Henry, Bloomington, Ill., 38-42--80sh
Todd Burgan, Knoxville, Tenn., 38-42--80sh
Brad Clark, Chapel Hill, N.C., 39-41--80sh
Matt Heestand, Cleveland, Ohio, 38-42--80sh
Rudy Hermstadt, Waterbury, Conn., 38-42--80sh
Bucky Coe, San Diego, Calif., 43-37--80th
Cody Sundberg, Chicago, Ill., 41-39--80th
David Reynolds, Roanoke, Texas, 40-40--80th
Alan Hampton, Donalsonville, Ga., 39-41--80th
Casey Magner, Wilmette, Ill., 41-39--80th
Philip Mahone, Charlottesville, Va., 40-40--80th
Mark Hannon, Bolingbrook, Ill., 39-42--81sh
Ryan Baucom, East Rockingham, N.C., 39-42--81sh
Victor Galvani, Hopkinton, Mass., 39-42--81sh
Daniel Griffiths, Eugene, Ore., 42-39--81sh
Paul Buttafuoco, Enfield, Conn., 42-39--81sh
Jeremy Defalco, Tucson, Ariz., 40-41--81th
Michael Barbosa, St. Petersburg, Fla., 42-39--81th
Jared Eglowsky, New York, N.Y., 40-41--81th
Chance Holmes, Phoenix, Ariz., 40-41--81th
Scott McLaughlin, Harleysville, Pa., 44-38--82sh
Chris Shelton, Ocoee, Fla., 42-40--82th
Travis Carpenter, Albuquerque, N.M., 41-41--82th
Rick Ten Broeck, Chicago, Ill., 40-42--82th
Rob Cowan, Canada, 41-42--83sh
Albert Oh, New York, N.Y., 42-41--83sh
Danny Riskam, Broomfield, Colo., 43-40--83sh
Lew Mitchell, Troy, Ala., 41-42--83sh
Matthew Cannan, Chicago, Ill., 38-45--83sh
Jim McNelis, Gig Harbor, Wash., 38-45--83th
Andy Lucas, Tulsa, Okla., 40-43--83th
Tristan Sanders, Denver, Colo., 40-44--84sh
Scott Scudder, Erlanger, Ky., 42-42--84th
Cliff Martin, Los Angeles, Calif., 45-39--84th
Brien Gerber, Naperville, Ill., 41-43--84th
Cory Huss, Evans, Ga., 40-44--84th
Tom Broderick, Redwood City, Calif., 41-44--85th
Charlie Schorgl, Leawood, Kan., 40-45--85th
Shannon McWilliams, Tallahassee, Fla., 42-43--85th
Mark McCormick, Hanover, Mass., 39-47--86sh
Derek Meinhart, Mattoon, Ill., 42-44--86th
Brian Fehr, Lavista, Neb., 43-44--87th
Tim Rypien, Spokane, Wash., 39-48--87th
Paul Rice, Redlands, Calif., 44-44--88sh
Dave Fardon, Center Valley, Pa., 46-42--88th
Steve Tarulli, Rockville Centre, N.Y., 44-45--89th