U.S. Amateur Four-Ball: Groupings and Starting Times
WHO’S HERE – Among the 128 teams (or sides) and 256 golfers in the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball field, there are:
Oldest Competitors: Robert Polk (59, born 6-18-55), Brady Exber (59, born 3-29-56), Jim Williams (59, born 4-4-56)
Youngest Competitors: Ahmed Ali (15, born 12-22-99), Ashwin Arasu (16, born 1-4-99), Kyosuke Hara (16, 10-24-98), Kyle Suppa (16, 5-13-98)
Average Age of Field: 34.76
Oldest Teams: Iain MacDonald (58) & Robert Valerio (56), Kenneth Bakst (57) & Jonathan Doppelt (54), Robert Polk (59) & Bill Fowler (51)
Youngest Teams: Kyosuke Hara (16) & Kyle Suppa (16), Ashwin Arasu (16) & Sahith Theegala (17), Jacob Huizinga (17) & William Wrigley (17)
Largest Age Difference (Team Members): 36, Oliver Rheinfurth (55) & Marc Reyes (19); 35, Marc Apps (55) & Tyler Apps (20); 35, Michael Board (52) & Drew Jones (17)
U.S. States Represented – There are 42 states and the District of Columbia represented at the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball: California (30 players), Texas (22), Florida (13), New York (12), Pennsylvania (12), Illinois (10), North Carolina (10), Maryland (9), Arizona (8), New Jersey (8), South Carolina (8), Ohio (7), Alabama (6), Colorado (6), Georgia (6), Nevada (6), Virginia (6), Connecticut (5), Kansas (5), Massachusetts (5), Washington (5), Louisiana (4), Minnesota (4), Oregon (4), Nebraska (3), New Hampshire (3), Oklahoma (3), Utah (3), Wisconsin (3), Hawaii (2), Iowa (2), Maine (2), Michigan (2), Missouri (2), New Mexico (2), Rhode Island (2), Tennessee (2), Arkansas (1), Idaho (1), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), North Dakota (1) and District of Columbia (2).
International – There are five countries represented at the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball: United States (248), Canada (4), Australia (1), Germany (1) and Philippines (1).
USGA Champions (7): Ken Bakst (1997 Mid-Amateur), Austin Eaton III (2004 Mid-Amateur), Scott Harvey (2014 Mid-Amateur), Tim Jackson (1994, 2001 Mid-Amateur), Kevin Marsh (2005 Mid-Amateur), Michael McCoy (2013 Mid-Amateur), Nathan Smith (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 Mid-Amateur)
USGA Runners-Up (3): Todd Mitchell (2008 Mid-Amateur), Brad Nurski (2014 Mid-Amateur), Tim Spitz (2009 Mid-Amateur)
Played in 2014 U.S. Open: 1 (Maverick McNealy)
Played in 2014 U.S. Senior Open: 2 (Tom Brandes, Michael McCoy)
Played in 2014 U.S. Amateur: 20 (Will Betts, Sam Burns, Austin Connelly, Bryson DeChambeau, Kyosuke Hara, Andrew Lawson, Robert Leopold, Danny Lovell, Gus Lundquist, Brandon Matthews, Michael McCoy, Maverick McNealy, Ryan Riley, Evan Russell, Henry Shimp, Nathan Smith, Austin Smotherman, Mark Strickland, Todd White, Steven Zychowski)
Played in 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur: 28 (Zach Atkinson, Ken Bakst, Christopher Baloga, David Bartman, T.J. Brudzinski, Todd Burgan, Kyle Cox, Austin Eaton III, Jeffrey Fortson, Walter Gieselman, Mike Haack, Scott Harvey, Keith Humerickhouse, Tim Jackson, Ricky Jones, Andy Latowski, Kevin Marsh, Michael McCoy, Todd Mitchell, Brad Nurski, Trevor Randolph, James Scorse, Chadd Slutzky, Nathan Smith, Brad Valois, Michael Walton, Todd White, Andrew Wyatt)
Played in 2014 U.S. Senior Amateur: 5 (Ken Bakst, Tom Brandes, Brady Exber, Tim Jackson, David Nelson)
Played in 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur: 3 (Kyle Suppa, Ashwin Arasu, Sahith Theegala)
Played in 2014 U.S. Amateur Public Links: 5 (Bryson DeChambeau, Andrew Lawson, Brandon Matthews, Marc Reyes, Austin Smotheman)
Played in 2013 Walker Cup Match: 2 (Nathan Smith, Todd White)
TEAM NOTES:
Michael Affeldt, 38, of Chicago, Ill., & Erik Ciotti, 38, of Winfield, Ill.
Affeldt, who works in sales for Hewlett-Packard, is a board member for The First Tee of Greater Chicago. He played at the University of Michigan. Ciotti is associate director of the Wildcat Fund at Northwestern University, where he was a member of the golf team. Ciotti was one of 36 players to advance through local and sectional qualifying for the 1999 U.S. Open and played a practice round at Pinehurst No. 2 with eventual champion Payne Stewart.
Ahmed Ali, 15, of Palo Alto, Calif., & Hussain Ali, 20, of Palo Alto, Calif.
Ahmed Ali, the youngest player in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball field, and Hussain Ali are one of nine sets of brothers among the 128 teams. Ahmed is a sophomore at Palo Alto High School. The left-hander tied for second at the AJGA Junior All-Star at Innisbrook on Feb. 14-16. Hussain attended Dominican College, an NCAA Division II school in California, in 2013-14.
Marc Apps, 55, of Phoenix, Ariz., & Tyler Apps, 20, of Phoenix, Ariz.
The father-son team will each be competing in their first USGA championship. Marc, a real estate broker, has won four state golf association events. His wife, René, will serve as his caddie. Tyler, a junior on the Grand Canyon University golf team, sank an 80-foot par putt on the second extra hole in a four-team playoff to help the duo advance out of sectional qualifying at Desert Forest Golf Club. Tyler took an unplayable lie and found the green with his third shot, a 200-yard approach from behind a tree.
Ashwin Arasu, 16, of San Diego, Calif., & Sahith Theegala, 17, of Chino Hills, Calif.
Arasu, a junior at Canyon Crest Academy, advanced to the Round of 32 at last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, losing to eventual runner-up Davis Riley after dramatically chipping in on No. 18 to win his Round-of-64 match with an eagle 3. He competed in the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt Championship at Augusta National in April 2014. Theegala is a senior at Diamond Bar High who recently decided to enroll at Pepperdine University in 2015-16. Theegala has qualified for match play at the last two U.S. Junior Amateurs (2013, Round of 32 & 2014, Round of 16).
Cory Bacon, 25, of Cave Creek, Ariz., & Matthew Simone, 30, of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Bacon and Simone are both employed by Ping Golf and each will play in their first USGA championship after surviving a playoff in sectional qualifying. Bacon, a design engineer and graduate of the Colorado School of the Mines, was the 2012 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference runner-up. Simson, an innovation engineer out of Carnegie Mellon University, was the 2006 University Athletic Association champion.
Virhat Badhwar, 19, of Australia, & Maverick McNealy, 19, of Portola Valley, Calif.
Badhwar and McNealy are both sophomores on the Stanford University golf team. Badhwar, who hails from Australia but was born in India, has a pair of top-10 finishes this season and tied for 16th at last year’s Pacific 12 Conference Championship. McNealy has won two college titles this season. He qualified for both the 2014 U.S. Open and 2014 U.S. Amateur. McNealy advanced to match play at two U.S. Junior Amateurs (2012, quarterfinalist & 2013, Round of 32).
Ken Bakst, 57, of Riverhead, N.Y., & Jonathan Doppelt, 54, of Great Neck, N.Y.
Bakst, who is playing in his 23rd USGA championship, and Doppelt, who is making his 12th USGA championship appearance, are the second-oldest team in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball field. Bakst won the 1997 U.S. Mid-Amateur by defeating Rick Stimmel, 1 up, in the final. Bakst is a developer and managing member at Friar’s Head, a golf club on Long Island. Doppelt owns a jewelry manufacturing company in Manhattan.
Christopher Baloga, 31, of Baltimore, Md., & Jeffrey Castle, 31, of Parkville, Md.
Baloga and Castle are both coaching golf at the collegiate level. Baloga is in his fifth year as head coach at Loyola University in Maryland. Baloga, the 2014 Patriot League coach of the year, advanced to the Round of 64 in last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur. Castle is a first-year assistant coach at his alma mater, Towson (Md.) University, and was a two-time Colonial Athletic Association player of the year for the Tigers. He reached the Round of 32 at both the 2006 U.S. Amateur and 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links.
Brian Bardier, 46, of Dayville, Conn., & David Jones, 53, of Norwich, Conn.
Bardier and Jones have played golf as a team for 15 years and will be competing in their first USGA championship. Bardier was a volunteer firefighter for nearly 18 years and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Jones is a teacher and three-sport coach at a local elementary school. His right lung was removed in 2002 after he suffered complications from a viral infection.
David Bartman, 44, of Los Angeles, Calif., & Edward Fryatt, 44, of Las Vegas, Nev.
Bartman, an assets manager, and Fryatt, a State Farm Insurance agent, are both reinstated amateurs. Bartman, who has played in five USGA championships, qualified for the Nike Tour (now Web.com Tour) but was reinstated in 2003. Fryatt won six times as a professional before being reinstated two years ago. He played in three U.S. Opens and tied for 24th in 1997 at Congressional Country Club.
Richard Berkmeyer, 41, of St. Louis, Mo., & Brad Nurski, 36, of St. Joseph, Mo.
Berkmeyer is playing in his 26th USGA championship and led Missouri to a fourth-place finish in the 2014 USGA Men’s State Team Championship. He owns All-Star Distributing, which manufactures awards and recognition products. Nurski, a conductor and switchman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), was the runner-up to champion Scott Harvey in the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Chris Brooks, 47, of Columbus, Ohio, & T.J. Brudzinski, 53, of Columbus, Ohio
Brooks, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1985 to 1990, is competing in his first USGA championship. His son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 2. Brooks was motivated to play golf competitively due his son’s battle with the disease. Brudzinski is competing in his ninth USGA championship. His brother, Bob, was an NFL linebacker for 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins who played in two Super Bowls.
Todd Burgan, 46, of Knoxville, Tenn., & Tim Jackson, 56, of Memphis, Tenn.
Burgan, a pharmacist at Kroger Company, is playing in his 12th USGA championship. He advanced to the U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinals in 2010 and the quarterfinals in 2009. Jackson has captured two U.S. Mid-Amateur championships (1994, 2001). Jackson, who owns a car wash company, is competing in his 51st USGA championship, including five U.S. Senior Opens. He played on two USA Walker Cup Teams (1995, 1999). The duo has represented Tennessee in three USGA Men’s State Teams.
Sam Burns, 18, Shreveport, La., & Austin Connelly, 18, of Dallas, Texas
Burns and Connelly will play college golf in the same conference (SEC) at LSU and Arkansas, respectively, as freshmen in 2015-16. Burns, who has won three consecutive Louisiana high school state titles, qualified for the 2013 Junior Amateur and 2014 U.S. Amateur. Connelly advanced to match play in the 2013 and 2014 Junior Amateurs. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.
Jordan Byrd, 38, of Greenville, S.C., & Michael Sims, 34, of West Columbia, S.C.
Byrd and Sims have Clemson University connections. Byrd is in his 10th year as the Tigers’ assistant golf coach. He played as a collegian at Furman University and was a quarterfinalist in the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur. His brother, Jonathan, is a five-time PGA Tour winner. Sims, who owns a watch company, played on Clemson’s 2003 NCAA national championship squad. He has played in three USGA championships.
Kyle Crawford, 26, of Coos Bay, Ore., & Tim Tucker, 46, of Coos Bay, Ore.
Crawford and Tucker are caddies at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, site of this year’s inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Crawford graduated from Oregon State University and earned an Evans Scholarship. He has played in several Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) events. Tucker, who has competed in three U.S. Mid-Amateurs, spent four years in the U.S. Air Force and another three years working as a security officer for the U.S. State Department.
Brian Csipkes, 43, of Omaha, Neb., & Jay Csipkes, 38, of McKinney, Texas
The Csipkes brothers qualified for the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship by winning a four-team playoff with an eagle on the third extra hole. Brian, who was a professional bowler in the 1990s, works as a certified public accountant. He has played in three USGA championships. Jay, a sales manager, played in the 1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links and 2004 U.S. Amateur.
Benjamin Day, 33, of North Haven, Conn., & Daniel Day, 30, of Clemson, S.C.
The Day brothers grew up in Connecticut and each played golf on the collegiate level. Benjamin, who attended Xavier University in Ohio, qualified for match play in the 1998 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He works as a financial advisor. Daniel, an accountant, was a member of Guilford College’s 2005 NCAA Division III national championship squad. He advanced to the Round of 64 in the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Bryson DeChambeau, 21, of Clovis, Calif., & Austin Smotherman, 20, of Loomis, Calif.
DeChambeau and Smotherman are juniors on the Southern Methodist University golf team. DeChambeau, a second-team All-America selection last year, is playing in his ninth USGA championship and was a quarterfinalist in the 2014 U.S. Amateur Public Links. He helped the USA to victory in the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship. Smotherman tied for 29th in the 2014 NCAAs and was a first-team American Athletic Conference selection. A product of The First Tee of Sacramento, Smotherman advanced to the 2013 Amateur Public Links quarterfinals.
Alistair Docherty, 21, of Vancouver, Wash., & Lee Gearhart, 20, of Roseville, Calif.
Docherty and Gearhart are both juniors on the California State University-Chico golf team. Docherty was a first-team Division II All-America selection who finished fifth in the 2014 NCAA Championship. Gearhart, who played at Woodcreek High School and won the 2011 Sacramento City East title, was a 2014 honorable mention All-America selection at Chico State.
Gene Elliott, 51, of West Des Moines, Iowa, & Mike McCoy, 52, of Des Moines, Iowa
Elliott and McCoy led Iowa to a third-place finish in the 2014 USGA Men’s State Team Championship. Elliott is playing in his 21st USGA championship and was a 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist. Elliott, who owns a sanitation and street equipment company, had open-heart surgery in 2000. McCoy is playing in his 43rd USGA championship. He won the 2013 Mid-Amateur as the second-oldest champion and was low amateur in the 2014 U.S. Senior Open. McCoy and Elliott are members of the Iowa Golf Association Hall of Fame.
Brady Exber, 59, of Las Vegas, Nev., & Kevin Marsh, 42, of Henderson, Nev.
Exber and Marsh will each be playing in their 18th USGA championship. They have partnered in other events and won three Champions Cup Invitationals. Exber won the 2014 Senior British Amateur Championship and tied for 41st in the 2007 U.S. Senior Open. Marsh, a commercial real estate developer, won the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
Jeffrey Fortson, 41, of Palm Desert, Calif., & Michael Walton, 39, of Indian Wells, Calif.
The lives of Fortson and Walton have been connected since their junior golf days. They were the Nos. 1 and 2 golfers on the Palm Desert High School squad. They have caddied for each other and were grouped together (with Jason Day) in 2006 PGA Tour Qualifying School. They were groomsmen at each other’s weddings and their wives teach at the same school. Fortson, a Callaway demonstration day representative, and Walton, who works in real estate, are reinstated amateurs. Walton advanced to match play in the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur and Fortson accomplished the same feat last year.
William Gordon, 18, of Davidson, N.C., & Steve Harwell, 52, of Mooresville, N.C.
Gordon and Harwell shot a 9-under 62 in sectional qualifying at Pinehurst’s Pinewild Country Club, just their second time playing as a competitive team. Gordon, who will enroll at Vanderbilt University in 2015-16, is a two-time all-state selection who advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur. Harwell is playing in his 13th USGA championship. He works as a financial professional for New York Life and was inducted into the Guilford College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
Kyosuke Hara, 16, of Honolulu, Hawaii, & Kyle Suppa, 16, of Honolulu, Hawaii
Hara and Suppa form the youngest team in the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Hara, who qualified for last year’s U.S. Amateur, is a member of the Monanalua High School team. He has studied karate for seven years and has advanced to black belt. Suppa, who qualified for the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur, is the current Hawaii State Amateur champion and plays for the Punahou School team. He started snow skiing at age 3.
Scott Harvey, 36, of Greensboro, N.C., & Todd Mitchell, 36, of Bloomington, Ill.
Harvey won the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur, which earned him an invitation to the 2015 Masters Tournament. Harvey is a property manager for S&K Triad Properties. His late father, Bill, played in 23 USGA championships. Mitchell was the runner-up to Steve Wilson in the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur and is playing in his 20th USGA championship. Mitchell was an all-conference shortstop at Illinois State. He was chosen in the 14th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees.
Nick Higham, 31, of Shelley, Idaho, & Tanner Higham, 24, of Logan, Utah
The Highams are one of nine sets of brothers in the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball field. Nick, who played as a collegian at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, is a sales manager for a packaging company. Tanner was a member of the Utah State University golf team and earned all-academic recognition while studying nutrition and food science.
Jason Higton, 35, of Fresno, Calif., & Ryan Higton, 32, of Fresno, Calif.
The Higton brothers were both collegiate golfers. Jason, a Johnson & Johnson sales representative, was the 2002 Big West Conference player of the year at the University of the Pacific. He has played in three USGA championships. Ryan, who works as a real estate agent, was a two-time NAIA All-America selection at The Master’s College in California.
Jacob Huizinga, 17, of Orlando, Fla., and William Wrigley, 17, of Winter Garden, Fla.
Huizinga and Wrigley were both born in England and are in their senior year of high school in Florida. Huizinga attends Dr. Phillips High in Orlando and plans to enroll at the University of West Florida in 2015-16. He tied for fifth in last year’s Florida State Golf Association (FSGA) Junior Amateur and was a semifinalist in FSGA Junior Match Play. Wrigley, who has also lived in Spain, led West Orange High to a fifth-place finish in the Class 3A state championship. He advanced to the Round of 32 in the FSGA Junior Match Play. Each player competed in the 2014 FSGA state amateur.
Gus Lundquist, 20, of Parker, Colo., & Trevor Sluman, 21, of Rochester, N.Y.
Lundquist and Sluman are members of the University of Louisville golf team. Lundquist, a junior, was a 2014 Colorado Match Play quarterfinalist and has qualified for two U.S. Amateurs. Sluman, a senior, is the nephew of Jeff, the 1992 U.S. Open runner-up and 1988 PGA Championship winner. Sluman tied for third in the 2013 New York State Amateur and won the 2012 Rochester District Golf Association Match Play.
Andrew Lawson, 32, of Dallas, Texas, & James Lawson, 32, of Los Angeles, Calif.
The twin brothers were born in Little Rock, Ark. Andrew has competed in seven USGA championships, including the 2013 and 2014 U.S. Amateurs. Andrew, a NAIA All-America selection at The Master’s College (Calif.) in 2005, works in the oil and gas industry. James is playing in his first USGA championship.
Robert Leopold, 30, of Coventry, R.I., & Brad Valois, 28, of Warwick, R.I.
Leopold and Valois have combined to win six Rhode Island State Amateurs and led the Ocean State to a tie for second in the 2010 USGA Men’s State Team Championship. Leopold, who works in the insurance industry, is playing in his 12th USGA championship. Valois, a financial planner for New York Life, is competing in his 11th USGA championship. He also won three junior state amateur titles.
Brandon Matthews, 20, of Dupont, Pa., & Patrick Ross, 23, of Dunmore, Pa.
Matthews and Ross are teammates on the Temple University golf team. Matthews tied for fourth in last year’s American Athletic Conference Championship and was an All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection as a freshman. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 U.S. Amateur. Ross, who transferred from the University of Hartford, has four top-15 finishes this year for the Owls.
Iain MacDonald, 56, of Fullerton, Calif., & Bob Valerio, 58, of Hawthorne, Calif.
MacDonald and Valerio comprise the oldest team in the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. MacDonald, who was born in Scotland, is competing in his ninth USGA championship. He works in sales for a publishing company and has survived two strokes. Valerio, who is retired after working for a global security company, played competitively on the junior and collegiate levels before he stopped playing for 10 years. He is competing in his 10th USGA championship.
James Mastaglio, 39, of Garden City, N.Y., & Timothy Schmitt, 44, of Garden City, N.Y.
Mastaglio was an All-Ivy League basketball guard at Princeton University who played on three NCAA Tournament squads. The Tigers won a pair of first-round games, including a 1996 upset of defending champion UCLA. Mastaglio, who works in the hedge-fund industry, is a four-time club champion at Cherry Valley Club. Schmitt has played in two U.S. Amateurs (1997, 2004). His father, John, was the starting center on the New York Jets’ Super Bowl III championship team.
Ryan McCarthy, 25, of Rockville, Md., & Patrick McCormick, 25, of Baltimore, Md.
McCarthy and McCormick were college roommates and teammates for four years at Loyola (Md.) University. The tandem played on four consecutive conference championship squads. McCarthy, a certified public accountant, caddied for his brother, Denny, in the 2014 U.S. Amateur when he advanced to the semifinals. McCormick, a financial analyst, competed in last year’s USGA Men’s State Team and uses an insulin pump to control diabetes.
Greg Melhus, 38, of West Fargo, N.D., & Mike Melhus, 38, of Rogers, Minn.
The Melhus twins grew up in Portland, N.D., a town with a population of 500, and played on a nine-hole course (Mayville Golf Course). Greg, who is three minutes older, has played in seven USGA championships. He works as a consultant for Auto Solutions. Mike, a corporate trainer for the same company, is competing in his first USGA championship.
Tim Mickelson, 37, of Scottsdale, Ariz., & Jake Yount, 28, of Washington, D.C.
Mickelson is the head golf coach at Arizona State University and the brother of Phil Mickelson, who won the 1990 U.S. Amateur and is a six-time U.S. Open runner-up. Tim advanced to the U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinals in 2007 and 2010. Yount was coached by Tim Mickelson at the University of San Diego, where he was the 2008 West Coast Conference player of the year. Yount advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur, contested at The Olympic Club.
Nolan Mills Jr., 18, of Charlotte, N.C., & Henry Shimp, 17, of Charlotte, N.C.
Mills, a senior, and Shimp, a junior, are teammates at Myers Park High School. The squad tied for ninth in last year’s NCHSAA Class 4A state championship. Mills plans to enroll at North Carolina State for 2015-16. His father, Nolan Sr., was an All-America player for the Wolfpack and reached the Round of 16 in both the 1978 U.S. Junior Amateur and 1980 U.S. Amateur. Shimp, the 2014 Carolina Junior Boys champion, played in last year’s U.S. Amateur and failed to advance to match play from a 17-for-4 playoff.
Jordan Nasser, 31, of Irvine, Calif., & Taylor Wood, 31, of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Wood and Nasser were teammates on the University of Southern California (USC) golf team. Wood, who qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open, earned All-America recognition, while Nasser, who advanced to Round of 32 in the 2004 U.S. Amateur, was chosen All-Pacific 10 Conference. Wood is vice president of Cresa, a commercial real estate services firm. Nasser is vice president for sales and marketing for Nasco Gourmet Foods.
Drew Olson, 32, of Piedmont, Calif., & David Reneker, 46, of Santa Monica, Calif.
Olson and Reneker are both UCLA graduates. Olson is third on UCLA’s all-time passing list and played for the NFL’s Baltimore, Carolina and San Francisco franchises as an undrafted free-agent quarterback. He qualified for the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships. Reneker, who played in the 2009 Mid-Amateur, was a Bruins’ golf team walk-on (teammates were Scott McCarron and Brandt Jobe) and is a three-time club champion at Bel-Air Country Club.
Marc Reyes, 19, of Philippines, & Oliver Rheinfurth, 55, of Encino, Calif.
The team of Reyes and Rheinfurth features the largest age difference between partners. Reyes, who is 36 years younger, is a native of the Philippines and played at Venice High School and Orange Coast College. Rheinfurth, a dual citizen of Germany and the United States, is the CEO of a finance company. He was a teammate of Corey Pavin’s at UCLA and he has qualified for two U.S. Amateurs.
Clark Rustand, 35, of Tucson, Ariz., & Eric Rustand, 46, of Tucson, Ariz.
The brothers each served a church mission following college in the Philippines and Spain, respectively. Eric met Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal during his mission. Clark, an Allstate Insurance agent, is the head golf coach at Pima Community College. Clark played collegiately at Brigham Young and Utah Valley, and won the 2004 Utah State Amateur. Eric, an insurance consultant, reached match play in the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur and was an All-America player at BYU.
Andy Sajevic, 24, of Fremont, Neb., & John Sajevic, 58, of Fremont, Neb.
The father-son team, which shot 10-under 62 to earn medalist honors in sectional qualifying, has plenty of USGA championship experience. Andy, a three-time Nebraska State Amateur champion, has competed in two U.S. Amateurs and one U.S. Junior Amateur. He played as a collegian at Charlotte and North Carolina. John, an automotive salesman, has played in 10 USGA championships, including seven USGA Men’s State Teams.
Nathan Smith, 36, of Pittsburgh, Pa., & Todd White, 47, of Spartanburg, S.C.
Smith and White, one of three teams who were fully exempt into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four Ball Championship, were members of the victorious 2013 USA Walker Cup Team. Smith is a four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012). Smith, an investment advisor, is playing in his 33rd USGA championship. White, a high school history teacher, is playing in his 16th USGA championship. He advanced to the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinals and reached the quarterfinals in 2014.
Jim Williams, 59, of Orinda, Calif., & Scott Williams, 25, of San Francisco, Calif.
The Williamses are one of three father-son teams in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball field. Jim, a partner in a private equity firm, was a member of the USGA Executive Committee from 2010 through 2012 and worked as a Rules official. Jim, who is a Golden State Warriors minority owner, served on the USGA Championship Committee when the Amateur Four-Ball championships were proposed. Scott, who like his brother and sister, played golf at the University of Pennsylvania, won the 2010 Ivy League individual title and led the Quakers to the league championship in 2012. A Fulbright Scholar, Scott is a project manager for an energy company.