The Round of 64 in the 35th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship is set. Four past champions – Scott Harvey (2014), Kevin Marsh (2005), Mike McCoy (2013) and Nathan Smith (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012) – survived two rounds of stroke play, along with two other USGA champions (Pat Tallent and Todd White).
Here are a few other fun facts about the field:
- The average age of the match-play draw is 35.6. The average age for the entire 264-player field is 37.1.
- Six players over the age of 50 advanced to match play, including McCoy (52) and Tallent (62). The others are Bob Royak (54), Dave Ryan (61), Matthew Sughrue (56) and Jeff Wilson (52).
- A total of 13 players are between 25 and 29, including two who recently turned 25, the minimum age. Dale Smith is the youngest player, having turned 25 on Aug. 8. Justin Tereshko, the men’s golf coach at Guilford College, turned 25 in March.
- California and Texas lead the way with eight players each. Florida, Georgia and Illinois are each represented by five competitors. Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia are next with three apiece. Twenty-two states have one player, including Vermont, with Bryan Smith, whose round of 68 tied for the low score on Saturday.
- Two international golfers advanced to match play: Hyuncheol Lee, of the Republic of Korea, and Stephen Marland, of England.
- Co-medalist Matt Parziale, of Brockton, Mass., is a second-generation firefighter.
- Marc Dull, of Lakeland, Fla., is a full-time caddie at the Streamsong (Fla.) Resort, site of the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
- Jeff Wilson, of Fairfield, Calif., is a car dealer.
- Wes McNulty, of White Hall, Ark., is a farmer.
- Patrick Tallent, of Vienna, Va., was drafted by the Washington Bullets out of George Washington University, where he was an academic All-America guard for the Colonials.