Top-seed Tim Jackson in action during the Round of 64
(USGA Photo)
ST. LOUIS, MO (September 19, 2016) -- Tim Jackson
earned U.S. Senior Amatuer medalist honors on
Sunday at Old Warson Country and then he kept the
good times rolling in Monday's Round of 64. Facing
64-seed John Madden, Jackson won the first two
holes of his match and never looked back as he won
5&3.
Madden got as a close as 1 down after he won
the 4th hole but Jackson was just to tough. The two-
time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion extended his lead
back to 2 up on the ensuing hole and then stretched
it to 3 up on No. 7.
After Madden won the 10th, Jackson put the
match away with victories on Nos. 11, 12 and 15.
“It was a struggle compared to yesterday. I hit it
all
over the place. Fortunately, my short game was
really
good,” said Jackson following his round. “I only hit
two
or three greens on my front nine and shot even par,
so
my short game kept me in there.”
Defending champion Chip Lutz almost didn't
reach match play but after finding his form on
Sunday he kept his title defense going with a 2&1
triumph over No. 20 Jeff Burda. Playing as the 45-
seed, Lutz jumped out to a 3 up lead thanks to three
birdie winning holes in the first seven.
Burda, the winner of the 2016 Golfweek Senior
Amateur, would claw his way back into the match
with
wins on the 10th and 12th holes and moved himself
within 1 down with still six holes to play. However,
Lutz was able to right the ship with a series of halves
and then put the match away with a win on No. 17.
The most notable upset in the Round of 64 was
two-seed Joe Russo falling to No. 63 Vance Antoniou.
Russo, who admitted to being nervous each of the
first two days, won his first and only hole of the day
on No. 1 and then watched as Antoniou methodically
pulled away. Antoniou evened the match on the 2nd
and then took a lead he wouldn't relinquish on No. 6
before going onto win 4&3.
In a battle of former U.S. Senior Amateur
winners, 2014 winner Patrick Tallent was able to
defeat 2008 champion George "Buddy" Marucci 2&1.
Tallent, the 17-seed took a 2 up lead early but it was
Marucci winning the 7th and 8th holes to square the
match. After a halve Tallent again began to stretch
his lead as he tallied victorious on the 10th, 14th and
15th holes.
Trailing 3 down Marucci tried to rally by winning
the 16th, however it was to little to late as Tallent
put an end to things with a halve on No. 17.
Two-time champion Paul Simson survived one of
the
more entertaining matches from the Round of 64.
Trailing 2 down to No. 52 Mitch Wilson with two
holes remaining Simson, the 13-seed, won the last
two holes of regulation to square the match and then
won it on the 19th hole with a par. Simson tied the
match with a birdie on No. 18 after he knocked is
approach shot for four feet.
“I really felt that we were going home. I missed
a
few putts, and it just wasn’t going well,” said
Simson.
“I’ve been given a reprieve. To win six matches
playing
superlatively just doesn’t happen. This is one of
those
where I wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be but
somehow
I persevered. I feel very fortunate.”
Simson will now face Lutz in a match up
between
former champions in the Round of 32.
Another former champion, Doug Hanzel had to
overcome a deficit in his Round of 64 match. The
2013 winner and 11-seed was 2 down after three
holes against No. 54 Steve Groom before winning
five of six holes from Nos. 5-10 to flip the match and
take a 3 up advantage. Hanzel went onto win 3&1.
With match play continuing Tuesday will feature
the Round's of 32 and 16.
How the Top-10 Fared:
No. 1 Tim Jackson defeated No. 64 John
Madden
(5&3)
No. 63 Vance Antoniou defeated No. 2 Joe Russo
(4&3)
No. 3 Randal Lewis defeated No 62 Pat O'Donnell (2
up)
No. 61 Noland Mills defeated No. 4 Tim Sheppard (2
up)
No. 5 Randy Haag defeated No. 60 Anthony Fioretti
(2&1)
No. 6 Mike Peck defeated No. 59 Brian Secia (4&3)
No. 7 Buzz Fly defeated No. 58 Frank Ford (3&2)
No. 8 Bob Royak defeated No. 57 Kip Estep (4&3)
No. 9 Thomas Brennan defeated No. 56 John
McClure (3&1)
No. 10 Ken Palladino defeated No. 55 Roger Dean
(19 holes)
-The USGA contributed to this story
ABOUT THE
U.S. Senior Amateur
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
championship begins. It is one of 15 national
championships conducted annually by the
USGA.
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