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Quarterfinals set at U.S. Senior Amateur
Tim Jackson during his Round of 32 match <br>(USGA Photo)
Tim Jackson during his Round of 32 match
(USGA Photo)

ST. LOUIS, MO (September 20, 2016) -- In a U.S. Senior Amateur Round of 16 battle between two of the top USGA amateur players in recent memory it was top-seed Tim Jackson outlasting No. 17 Patrick Tallent 2&1.

Jackson, a two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, won the 1st and 6th holes at Old Warson Country Club to take command of the match early. Tallent, the 2014 champion from Vienna, VA, won the 8th hole to get within 1 down, but that was as close as he would get.

Unfazed by losing No. 8, Jackson, from Germantown, TN, pushed his lead to 3 up with a birdie on the 9th and a victory on No. 10. From there he was able to maintain his lead and close out the match on the 17th.

In his morning Round of 32 match, Jackson defeated No. 33 Bryan Norton, of Mission Hills, KN, 2 up. Jackson led much of the way and sealed the deal with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Another notable to advance to the quarterfinals is Savannah, GA native and 2013 champion Doug Hanzel. Playing as the 11-seed, Hanzel defeated No. 38 Mike Brummer (Rapid City, SD) 2&1 after winning four out of five holes between holes 7 and 11. Hanzel, currently the 2nd ranked senior in the AmateurGolf.com Rankings, already has five senior titles to his name this year including the Lupton Senior Invitational, the Hesler, and the National Senior Hall of Fame.

“I'm hitting it really well, I'm just having a little bit of trouble with the green speed,” said Hanzel, who is advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time since his title. “Because they have so much break, your speed has to be right, and my speed on some short putts wasn't so good today. I just have to tighten up.”

One of the more surprising matches of the round was the turnaround in the Dave Ryan (Taylorville, IL) and Paul Simson (Raleigh, NC) match. Simson, the 13-seed and two-time champion, led 2 up with three holes remaining but with his back against the wall Ryan, the 29-seed, won the 17th and 18th holes to square the match and then he won it on the 20th hole.

The highlight of the match came on the par-4 14th hole when Ryan recorded a hole-in-one, only the third such recorded score in USGA championship history.

“I was trying to drive the green,” said Ryan, who recorded the 20th ace in Senior Amateur history and the first since 2011. “I was down, and I was lucky it went in. When you do something like that, it’s all luck.”

Simson had made his way to the Round of 16 after handling defending champion Chip Lutz of Reading, PA 5&3 in the Round of 32.

“It has been a great year, but it’s disappointing to not carry on here,” said Lutz after his title defense came to an end. “I didn’t play well today, which is unfortunate, but Paul played pretty steady and I couldn’t find much tempo.”

The most lopsided match in the Round of 16 was Matthew Sughrue's (Arlington, VA) 5&4 upset of 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur winner and three- seed Randal Lewis (Alma, MI). Sughrue, the 14- seed playing in his first U.S. Senior Amateur, turned a tie match after five holes into runaway with wins on six of the next holes.

“My mindset is I have to knock them down one at a time,” Sughrue said of his match play approach. “It takes luck and a lot of patience to get through six matches and be the winner. I think I have enough game, but the field is so strong that you need some luck to go your way.”

56-seed John McClure is the highest remaining seed following his 1 up triumph over No. 8 Bob Royak (Alpharetta, GA). McClure, from Los Angeles, CA, squared the match on the 12th and it wasn't until he won the decisive 18th did anyone else win a hole.

Following the completion of the quarterfinals in the morning will be the semifinals in the afternoon. All quarterfinalist are exempt into next years U.S. Senior Amateur.


Quarterfinal Matches
-All times are Central Time

No. 1 Tim Jackson vs. No 56 John McClure (8:00 a.m.)
No. 29 Dave Ryan vs. No. 37 Michael Dunsmore (8:10 a.m.)
No. 31 Kevin Cahill vs. No. 39 John Hornbeck (8:20 a.m.)
No. 14 Matthew Sughrue vs. No. 11 Doug Hanzel (8:30 a.m.)
-The USGA contributed to this story

Results: U.S. Senior Amateur
WinILDave RyanTaylorville, IL2000
Runner-upVAMatt SughrueArlington, VA1500
SemifinalsTNTim JacksonGermantown, TN1000
SemifinalsWIKevin CahillWaukesha, WI1000
QuarterfinalsCAJohn McClureLos Angeles, CA700

View full results for U.S. Senior Amateur

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.

View Complete Tournament Information

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