Manakin-Sabot, Va. – Paul Simson, 60, of Raleigh, N.C., continued his title defense with a victory in Tuesday morning’s second round of match play at the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur Championship, being conducted at 6,829-yard, par-72 Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va.
Also advancing was 56-year-old Chip Lutz, of Reading, Pa., who is attempting to join Simson as the only two people to win the USGA Senior Amateur, Canadian Men’s Senior and British Seniors Open Amateur Championships in the same season.
Simson handily dispatched Sam Till Jr., 58, of Fort Wayne, Ind., by a 5-and-4 margin. After the players halved the opening hole with birdies, Simson won the 371-yard, par-4 second hole with a par and cruised from there.
It was a pretty easy deal, said Simson, but most of them won’t be that way.
Simson will face Emile Vaughan in Tuesday afternoon’s round of 16. Vaughan, 55, of Pike Road, Ala., posted a 5-and-4 victory of his own, defeating Joe Viechnicki, 58, of Bethlehem, Pa.
Lutz needed the full 18 holes in his 2-up victory over Kent Frandsen, 60, of Lebanon, Ind. He started strong with consecutive birdies on the par-4 second and par-5 third to take an early 2-up lead.
It looked like I was really going to run him off, said Lutz of his early success. However, two bogeys from Lutz over the ensuing four holes erased the lead and let Frandsen back into the match, all square through eight.
Lutz was able to rebuild his advantage over the inward nine and the match was dormie with two holes remaining. But an errant tee shot and a missed putt led to a bogey on the par-3 17th and sent the match to the final hole.
I managed to get a whole round in again, so at least I’m getting my money’s worth, said Lutz, who needed 20 holes for win his first-round match with Ian Harris.
Philip Pleat, 55, of Nashua, N.H., eliminated the championship’s oldest competitor, 71-year-old Jack Vardaman, of Washington, D.C., 5 and 4.
I played well today, said Pleat, who caddied for his son, James, at the 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills. We both played pretty well on the front, but I ended up with three 2s on the scorecard, which is pretty rare.
Two-time USGA champion and Kinloch co-designer Vinny Giles, 68, of Richmond, Va., carded consecutive bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 to lose a 2-up lead, and fell in 20 holes to Ronald Kilby, 56, of McAllen, Texas.
"I don’t mind getting beat," said Giles, won the 1972 U.S. Amateur and the 2009 USGA Senior Amateur, the longest span between victories in USGA history. "I’ve been beaten plenty of times by somebody who played better than I did.
"When you beat yourself – it’s not the end of the world. As I said to (my wife) Key, ‘Other than the fact that I hate like heck to beat myself, I don’t mind at all playing golf this afternoon.’ But I would’ve much rather he had been four under par and I’d been three under par and the number been the same."
Houston’s Mike Rice, 71, who won the 2005 Senior Amateur, lost to Steve Poulson, 55, of Draper, Utah, 3 and 2.
In the morning’s battle of past USGA champions, 2007 Senior Amateur champion Stanford Lee, 59, of Heber Springs, Ark., defeated 2002 Mid-Amateur champion George Zahringer, 58, of New York, N.Y., 5 and 4. Lee’s brother, Louis, 55, also of Heber Springs, moved on with a 1-up victory over 2010 runner-up Patrick Tallent, 58, of Vienna, Va.
If Stanford Lee and Louis Lee both win their afternoon matches, they will meet in Wednesday morning’s quarterfinal round.
The next three rounds of match play will be conducted Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday, with the championship scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday.
The USGA Senior Amateur, open to golfers 55 and older, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Manakin-Sabot, Va. – Results from Tuesday’s second round of match play at the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur Championship, played at 6,821-yard, par-72 Kinloch Golf Club.
Upper Bracket
Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. (139) def. Sam Till Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind. (148), 5 and 4
Emile Vaughan, Pike Road, Ala. (146) def. Joe Viechnicki, Bethlehem, Pa. (146), 5 and 4
Andrew Congdon, Great Barrington, Mass. (144) def. Pat Vincelli, Rosemount, Minn. (147), 5 and 3
Philip Pleat, Nashua, N.H. (144) def. Jack Vardaman, Washington, D.C. (147), 5 and 4
Chip Lutz, Reading, Pa. (142) def. Kent Frandsen, Lebanon, Ind. (148), 2 up
Hunter Nelson, Houston, Texas (150) def. Pat O'Donnell, Happy Valley, Ore. (146), 7 and 6
Richard Marlowe, Canfield, Ohio (149) def. Raymond Thompson, Drexel Hill, Pa. (142), 2 up
Jeff Burda, Modesto, Calif. (147) def. Michael Booker, The Woodlands, Texas (150), 7 and 5
Lower Bracket
William Thomas Doughtie, Amarillo, Texas (151) def. Tim Miller, Kokomo, Ind. (148), 1 up
John Grace, Fort Worth, Texas (150) def. Bill Leonard, Kennesaw, Ga. (146), 3 and 1
Ronald Kilby, McAllen, Texas (143) def. Vinny Giles, Richmond, Va. (147), 20 holes
David Anthony, Jacksonville, Fla. (145) def. John Sajevic, Fremont, Neb. (149), 3 and 2
Steve Poulson, Draper, Utah (148) def. Mike Rice, Houston, Texas (151), 3 and 2
Louis Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. (150) def. Patrick Tallent, Vienna, Va. (146), 1 up
Stanford Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. (149) def. George Zahringer, New York, N.Y. (143), 5 and 4
Tony Green, Kingsport, Tenn. (147) def. James Pearson, Charlotte, N.C. (145), 1 up
Manakin-Sabot, Va. – Pairings for Tuesday’s third round of match play at the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur Championship, played at 6,821-yard, par-72 Kinloch Golf Club.
Upper Bracket
1:45 p.m.: Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. (139) vs. Emile Vaughan, Pike Road, Ala. (146)
1:55 p.m.: Andrew Congdon, Great Barrington, Mass. (144) vs. Philip Pleat, Nashua, N.H. (144)
2:05 p.m.: Chip Lutz, Reading, Pa. (142) vs. Hunter Nelson, Houston, Texas (150)
2:15 p.m.: Richard Marlowe, Canfield, Ohio (149) vs. Jeff Burda, Modesto, Calif. (147)
Lower Bracket
2:25 p.m.: William Thomas Doughtie, Amarillo, Texas (151) vs. John Grace, Fort Worth, Texas (150)
3:05 p.m.: Ronald Kilby, McAllen, Texas (143) vs. David Anthony, Jacksonville, Fla. (145)
2:45 p.m.: Steve Poulson, Draper, Utah (148) vs. Louis Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. (150)
2:55 p.m.: Stanford Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. (149) vs. Tony Green, Kingsport, Tenn. (147)