Jeff Wilson at The Broadmoor (USGA photo)
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (July 1, 2018) -
Jeff Wilson (Fairfield, CA) won the gold medal as the low amateur in the 39th U.S. Senior Open Championship, shooting rounds of 76-71-70-73 for a 10-over 290 total and a T31 finish at The Broadmoor.
Wilson has been in good form this year, winning the Southern California Mid-Amateur this spring. This week, he got off to a slow start, with a 76 in round one and three dropped shots in the first three holes of his second round.
From there, however, he was +1 for the rest of the tournament, going 2 under the rest of his second round to make the cut with a shot to spare, then shooting a solid even-par third round and a 73 to finish.
As the low amateur, Wilson is now exempt into the U.S. Amateur this summer at Pebble Beach, as well as next year's U.S. Senior Open which will be played at The Warren Course at Notre Dame in Indiana.
Wilson now becomes the second player to earn the low amateur honor in both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open, joining Vinny Giles. Wilson was the low amateur at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
24 amateurs started the championship on Thursday, but only three made the halfway cut. In addition to Wilson,
Mike Finster (St. Petersburg, FL) and
Robert Funk (Canyon Lake, CA) made the weekend.
Finster, in his fourth straight appearance in the event, finished T44 at 13 over par for the week. Funk, who was last year's low amateur and received an exemption into this year's championship, finished 60th at 23 over.
Final Amateur Leaderboard
76-71-70-73=290 (T31) Jeff Wilson
72-75-71-75=293 (T44) Mike Finster
72-76-75-80=303 (60) Robert Funk
73-76=149 (MC) Frank Vana
73-76=149 (MC) Robby McWilliams
73-76=149 (MC) Bob Harrington
76-74=150 (MC) Steve Sear
70-81=151 (MC) Tim Hogarth
75-76=151 (MC) Mike McCoy
79-72=151 (MC) Sean Knapp
77-76=153 (MC) Peter DeTemple
79-76=155 (MC) Jack Larkin
77-80=157 (MC) Tim Dunlavey
79-78=157 (MC) Daniel Owen
78-81=159 (MC) Ned Zachar
79-80=159 (MC) Brian Ferris
76-83=159 (MC) Jack Hall
82-78=160 (MC) Paul Simson
80-81=161 (MC) Jerry Slagle
81-80=161 (MC) Glenn Przybylski
82-82=164 (MC) Brad Wayment
87-78=165 (MC) James Camaione
83-86=169 (MC) Wayne Merich
93-84=177 (MC) Dennis Martin
ABOUT THE
U.S. Senior Open
The U.S. Senior Open is one of 15 national
championships conducted by the USGA. Open
to amateurs and professionals who have
reached
their 50th birthday as of the first day of the
championship.
The Senior Open was
first
played in 1980 with a purse of, get this, just
$100,000. Roberto Vincenzo of Argentina was
the
inaugural champion (winning $20,000), and
Arnold
Palmer was a popular winner the following year
in
1981 at Oakland Hills.
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