Spike Smith of Pinehurst, N.C. rolls his birdie putt on No. 9 (par 5, 532 yards).

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North Carolina’s Smith tops U.S. Senior Amateur Qual. at Galloway

  GALLOWAY, N.J. — If Spike Smith plans on earning a spot in the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, then Galloway National Golf Club must host a qualifying event annually. Both of his appearances come courtesy of medalist performances at the Jersey Shore layout.

  Smith, of Pinehurst, N.C., carded a 1-over-par 72 to earn medalist honors in a U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia at Galloway National (par 71, 6,681 yards) Monday. He achieved the same feat five years ago.

  A trio of GAP stalwarts — Sandy Run Country Club’s Christopher Clauson, Lookaway Golf Club’s Roc Irey and Laurel Creek Country Club’s Joseph Russo — also qualified Monday. As did Duke Delcher of Bluffton, S.C. and Allan Small of Florham, N.J. The cut line fell to 75.

  The U.S. Senior Amateur Championship will take place Sept. 13-18 at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif.

  “I can maneuver my way around this golf course,” Smith, 65, a Country Club of North Carolina member, said. “The fairways are nice and generous, and the putting doesn’t really bother me. I really like a challenge on the putting greens.”

  Challenging hole locations on Galloway’s treacherous terrain contributed to a field scoring average of 83. Smith shined despite the circumstances, though he labeled his effort “weak from tee to green,” due in large part to a bad back.

  “That being said, I hit enough good shots on the holes where you need to have a good shot to get me through it,” he said.

  Good shots aplenty. On No. 3 (par 4, 350 yards), Smith lifted a 9-iron from 119 yards over a dangerous bunker and watched his golf ball trickle into tap-in territory. He drilled an 8-iron 129 yards to 10 feet below the No. 12 (par 4, 363 yards) hole location for birdie. Smith’s hybrids stood trial for his bogeys on the day. He failed to get up-and-down on No. 4 (par 4, 437 yards) after leaving a 22-degree short left. On the par 3, 177-yard No. 5, Smith spun that same 22-degree off the false front. He caught right greenside bunker with a 19-degree hybrid on No. 14 (par 3, 195 yards).

  Smith is a former golf professional who’s competed in three British Senior Opens. He regained his amateur status in 2007. Smith is a Northfield, N.J. native who cut his competitive golf teeth at Atlantic City Country Club.

  “I’ve always been able to putt these greens at the seashore. Somehow I cannot sweat when I have a 10-footer for par,” Smith said.

  Despite a double and triple bogey on the scorecard, Irey, 62, of Furlong, Pa., posted a 3-over-par 74 to qualify. The aforementioned blemishes occurred in consecutive holes. On No. 15 (par 4, 409 yards), Irey sent an 8-iron from 148 yards into the green’s front hump, causing it to beeline to the back. A “chili-dip” forced a lengthy par putt. He missed a seven-footer to save bogey. Irey’s drive on the par 5, 532-yard 16th hole avoided a dangerous water hazard to the left; his second shot — a 7-iron out of a stifling lie — didn’t. Irey took a drop, only to again splash another 7-iron. He ultimately carded a triple bogey to stand at 6 over through seven holes. Irey played his last 11 in 3 under. He hit a rescue to 20 feet on No. 17 (par 3, 230 yards), an 8-iron to eight feet on No. 2 (par 3, 141 yards) and a wedge 45 yards to 18 inches on No. 9 (par 5, 532 yards).

  “It was good that I didn’t get pissed off [following the double and triple bogeys],” Irey said. “I said ‘if you could get two more birdies and shoot 75 maybe, you never know with the course playing the way it is.’”

  Irey will compete in his first U.S. Senior Amateur. He advanced to the U.S. Amateur in 1973 and U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1991 and 2010.

Joseph Russo

  Like Irey, Russo, 56, of Washington Township, N.J., used three birdies to counter big numbers. He points to a clutch par save on No. 7 (par 4, 393 yards) as a key moment in the round.

  “I snap-hooked my tee shot in the water,” he said. “I took a drop. I had 175 yards left, but I had that big tree in my way. I hit an 8-iron over the tree and just got it onto the front edge of the green. I made a 50-footer from there.”

  “I hit the ball well. I had three really bad driver swings all day.”

  Russo heads to his second national championship in three years. He qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur in 2012, his first year of eligibility.

  “Other than watching my son being born, that was the best week of my life so far,” Russo, who made a run to the Round of 16, said. “One of the coolest things for me was, and I get choked up talking about it, having my wife and son up there with me. We just had a graduation party [for my son Joey]. I brought his picture with me today for some inspiration.”

  The Russo’s will see their son off to Wilmington University tomorrow.

Golf Association of Philadelphia
  Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 150 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.