PINE VALLEY, NJ (September 22, 2017) -
Scott Harvey (Kernersville, NC) shot an even-par 70 to earn medalist honors and the #1 match play seed at the 93rd George A. Crump Memorial Tournament at Pine Valley Golf Club.
Harvey posted a 36-hole total of two-over 142 to top
Stewart Hagestad (Newport Beach, CA) by one shot. Harvey and Hagestad are quite familiar with each other, having staged an
epic 37-hole match at last year's U.S. Mid-Amateur when Hagestad made a huge comeback to deny Harvey a second title in three years.
Related: Williamson Leads the Crump Cup After Round OneRelated: Is the Crump Cup the Best Tournament in Amateur Golf?
48 match play spots were set on Friday, but only the top 16 advanced to the championship flight, and a chance to win the overall championship on Sunday.
As on Thursday, the weather was good for golf, with sunny skies and little wind. But Pine Valley was only slightly more forgiving than it was on Thursday when it allowed no par-or-better rounds in the 70-player Mid-Amateur Division.
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Scott Harvey (R&A photo) |
Three players matched par on Friday: Harvey, Hagestad and 54-year-old
Robert Funk (Canyon Lake, CA), who was the
low amateur in the U.S. Senior Open earlier this summer.
A four-man playoff was needed to determine the 16th and final spot in the championship bracket, with
Jeronimo Esteve (Windermere, FL) prevailing over
Scott Strickland (Birmingham, MI),
Arnie Cutrell (Greensburg, PA), and
John Sawin (San Francisco, CA). All four players finished 36 holes at 10-over 150.
First-round leader
Bill Williamson (Cincinnati, OH) flirted with missing match play in shooting an 8-over 78, but avoided the playoff by a single stroke. He will play Hagestad in the first round of match play Saturday morning.
Five of the last six Crump Cup champions have made the championship bracket. The defending champion
Jeff Knox (Augusta, GA) shot 72-75, while 2008 and 2014 champion
Michael Muehr (Potomac Falls, VA) shot 74-71 to take the #3 seed behind Harvey and Hagestad.
2006 and 2015 champ
Carlton Forrester (Atlanta, GA) shot 76-73, while 2012 winner
Michael McDermott (Bryn Mawr, PA) shot 75-74.
Stephen Summers, the 2011 champion, shot 73-76.
Muehr and Summers will play each other on Saturday morning.
Final 16 Matches
#1 Scott Harvey (Kernersville, NC) v. #16 Jeronimo Esteve (Windermere, FL)
#8 Jamie Miller (Silver Creek, NY) v. #9 Michael Brown (Maple Shade, NJ)
#4 Robert Funk (Canyon Lake, CA) v. #13 Derek Busby (Ruston, LA)
#5 Danny Simmermann (San Antonio, TX) v. #12 Michael McDermott (Bryn Mawr, PA)
#2 Stewart Hagestad (Newport Beach CA) v. #15 Bill Williamson (Cincinnati, OH)
#7 Jeff Knox (Augusta, GA) v. #10 Patrick Carter (Huntington, WV)
#3 Michael Muehr (Potomac Falls, VA) v. #14 Stephen Summers (Dallas, TX)
#6 Ryan Abbate (Weston, FL) v. #11 Carlton Forrester (Atlanta, GA)
Two rounds of match play will be held on Saturday, paring the field down to four players in each flight. The semifinals will follow on Sunday morning, with the championship final played on Sunday afternoon.
In the Senior Division,
John McClure (Austin, TX) shot a two-over 72 to finish at one-over 141, four shots ahead of first-round leader
Chris Lange (Bryn Mawr, PA). Lange, who opened with a two-under 68 on Thursday, stumbled to a 77 but still finished as the #2 match play seed.
Pine Valley was especially tough on the seniors on Friday, with only 3 of 30 players breaking 75. McClure and 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur champion
Dave Ryan (Taylorville, IL) shot the day's low round, a two-over 72.
16 match play spots were set for the Senior Division, 8 in the championship flight and 8 in the first flight.
No playoff was needed to round out the senior championship bracket, with
Steve Smyers (Lakeland, FL) posting a second straight 76 to claim the 8th and final spot. He and McClure will play in the quarterfinals Saturday morning.
Matthew Sughrue (Arlington, VA) overcame a 10 on the par-four 16th on Thursday to shoot 77, and followed it with a 74 to get into the senior championship flight. The 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up will play
Randy Haag (Orinda, CA), who is looking for a Senior Crump Cup win to go along with the two Crump Cup titles he won as a mid-amateur.
Senior Quarterfinal Matches
#1 John McClure (Austin, TX) v. #8 Steve Smyers (Lakeland, FL)
#4 Dave Ryan (Taylorville, IL) v. #5 Bob Kain (Cleveland, OH)
#2 Chris Lange (Bryn Mawr, PA) v. #7 Gene Elliott (W. Des Moines, IA)
#3 Randy Haag (Orinda, CA) v. #6 Matthew Sughrue (Arlington, VA)
>> CRUMP CUP ROUND 2 RESULTS
Notes on Round 2: Last year's runner-up John Sawin (San Francisco, CA) was eliminated from the four-man playoff and will play in the second match play flight.
The cutoff for the championship flight was 10-over 150; for the second flight it was 14-over 154, and for the third flight 16-over 156.
Pine Valley can be cruel on those whose game starts to slip. Peter Barron (Mays Landing, NJ) was a contender for medalist honors after an opening 72 left him one shot behind Bill Williamson. But an 84 in round two knocked him so far down the leaderboard that he missed all three match play brackets.
Two past champions missed match play: Four-time champion Mike McCoy (W. Des Moines, IA) and Skip Berkmeyer (Town & Country, MO).
They say that the field at the Crump Cup is so strong that one is likely to see USGA champions in the third flight. But two USGA champs fell out of match play altogether: McCoy and former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Austin Eaton III (Lakeville, MN).
The beauty of match play is that stroke play scores are erased and everyone starts over as equals. That's good news for Gene Elliott (W. Des Moines, IA), whose 82 on Friday would probably have killed his chances of winning a stroke play event, but after shooting 69 on Thursday he had enough cushion to still make the senior championship flight.