U.S. Senior Amateur NotebookThe Golf Association of Philadelphia is well-represented at Hidden Creek Golf Club, site of this week’s U.S. Senior Amateur. Ten players with ties to the organization are competing at the Egg Harbor Township, N.J. A few GAP staff members are on-site assisting the USGA as well. The journal below will chronicle the event as it unfolds.
Thursday, Oct. 111:33 a.m.: Chip Lutz of LedgeRock Golf Club is a national champion. In an 18-hole Final Match vs. Tom Brandes (Bellevue, Wash.), Lutz prevailed, 5 and 3, to take home the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur title at Hidden Creek Golf Club, a Golf Association of Philadelphia member club. Just like many of his other Senior Amateur duels this week, Lutz was in control from the beginning and never looked back. As we speak to Lutz here in the media room, it is incredible to think of the ups and down of Chip's week (though, mostly ups). Emotional is the only way to describe Thurday's Final Match. With Lutz's mother in attendance -- the first time she has seen him play competitively -- along with many other family members, friends, and LedgeRock members on hand, Lutz broke down on the 15th green when it was all said and done. Much more to come in our game story and video recap, so stay tuned with us on here on gapgolf.org and on our social media outlets for more coverage of Lutz's Senior Amateur victory.
Wednesday, Sept. 304:25 p.m.: What. A. Match. Chip Lutz advances to the U.S. Senior Amateur Final Match after defeating Tim Jackson, 1 up. The 18-hole battle went down to the wire after Lutz gave up most of his 3-up advantage late, but was able to hold on to the one that mattered most when he matched Jackson's par on the par-4 closing hole at Hidden Creek. Lutz, who has reached the semifinals three times prior to this year, clinched his first berth in a Senior Amateur Final. Tomorrow's Final Match, where Lutz will square off against No.10 seed Tom Brandes (Bellevue, Wash.), a five-time Washington State Golf Association Senior Player of the Year, is scheduled for 7:15 a.m. The GAP Communications team will be on hand once again to cover the five-time GAP Senior Player of the Year's chance at a USGA national championship. Stay tuned. 1:48 p.m.: Play suspended here at Hidden Creek. Dangerous weather and heavy rains, but not expected to last long at all. Lutz currently holds a 3-up advantage thru 7, and has a chance to make that 4 up when play resumes. Jackson is just off the front of the green, while Lutz has a long look. Play to resume shortly. 10:46 a.m.: Lutz is moving on to the seminifinals after defeating medalist Lewis, 4 & 2. There isn't much going wrong with Lutz's golf game at the moment. Pure ball striking, accurate tee shots, clean play around the greens. It seems it is all clicking for Lutz at the perfect time, and he will need it, as quite the test lies ahead of him in the semis. Next up is Tim Jackson, who is quite battle tested in USGA national championships. The winner of the 1994 and 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur championships, Jackson was a member of the 1995 and 1999 Walker Cup teams. He is also a six-time Tennessee Player of the Year. The clash between Lutz and Jackson, two amateur golf legends, is set for noon today. 8:50 a.m.: Quick update from Lutz's quarterfinal match: it is going to be a good one. Lutz got off to a great start thanks to a birdie on No. 1. Lutz and Lewis traded pars on Nos. 2-4, followed by Lewis taking one back on No. 5 with a birdie of his own. Heading back out now -- you'll want to stay tuned for this one. Tuesday, Sept. 295:05 p.m.: Chip Lutz is moving on! After a few missed opportunities late in the round to put the Round of 16 match away, Lutz dropped a 15-foot birdie on No. 18 to defeat Curtis Skinner, 2 up. The win secured his quarterfinal ticket. An overall brilliant performance thus far from the Ledge Rock member. Next up for Lutz is this week's medalist, Randal Lewis (Alma, Mich.). Lewis is the oldest champion in U.S. Mid-Amateur history, having won at the age of 54 in 2011. The match is set for tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m., although heavy rains and thunderstorms are in the forecast for most of the day. As always, stay tuned for more action from Hidden Creek. 1:25 p.m.: Some unfortunate endings for GAP players today at Hidden Creek. First Ray Thompson, now Five Ponds' Brian Rothaus. After going 3 down to Kevin Cahill (Waukesha, Wis.), Rothaus stormed back to get to All-Square heading to the 18th tee. His tee shot on the 18th found heavy trouble left, followed by more trouble on Rothaus' approach shots. He ultimately conceded the hole and fell to Cahill. Chip Lutz is the lone GAP connection left in the field. His Round of 16 match vs. 2012 runner-up Curtis Skinner teed off just a few minutes ago. Stay tuned for frequest updates. 11:45 a.m.: Fresh off the course from following the Lutz and Thompson matches. In what may have been the match of the week so far, Thompson fell to Bill Leonard in a 19-hole thriller. Thompson's driver became errant down the home stretch, and he left a 12-foot birdie look an inch short of the cup on the first extra hole. Great showing for Overbrook's Thompson this week. In the other match we followed, Lutz rode his steady game to a 3&2 victory in the Round of 32 over Kenneth Coutant. Little Mill's Tom Hyland fell to No. 3 seed Don DuBois, 7&6, while Five Ponds' Brian Rothaus is currently on the course. Rothaus is 2-down to Kevin Cahill after 13. Headed back on the track now. 10:10 a.m.: Overcast morning here at Hidden Creek with some rain making a guest appearance. Chip Lutz is currently hanging on to a 2-up lead over Kenneth Coutant (Dallas, Texas) thru 10, while Ray Thompson has pulled back to All-Square vs. Bill Leonard (Dallas, Ga.) thanks to a birdie on the par-3 11th. Going to be an exciting finish to the Round of 32 for both players, to say the least. Stay tuned. Monday, Sept. 285:30 p.m.: Thomas Hyland, Chip Lutz, Brian Rothaus and Raymond Thompson all advanced to the Round of 32. Below is a synopsis of how Monday unfolded for each player. Lutz fashioned an early 2-up lead after a hole-out for eagle on the par 5, 504-yard No. 3. He landed a gap wedge from 93 yards slightly above the hole location and watched it reverese into the cup. "It was pretty exciting. It was a good shot and an unexpected result," Lutz, 60, of Reading, Pa., said. "Fortunately I started gaining momentum in my tempo and built up a nice lead over Ken. It's always tough to face a good friend in this competition. I was hopeful to play well. I've been struggling with my approach shots and tempo but I managed to get a better feel today." Thompson sparred with Ben Brundred of Potomac, Md. before posting wins on the final two holes for a 2-up victory. "Today I hit it as well as I've hit it all week," Thompson, 63, of Drexel Hill, Pa., said. "All in all, I'm feeling pretty good about my game. Maybe I'm going to peak at the right time. On this golf course, you have to get the ball to the right sides of the greens. Where some of the pins were today, it was tough to get them close. You really had to be spot on with your approach shots." If Lutz and Thompson notch two wins apiece tomorrow, then they will meet in the quarterfinals. Playing in his third U.S. Senior Amateur, Hyland is making the most of his first match play appearance. He ousted Mills Brown of Scottsdale, Ariz., 4&3, in the Round of 64. "I played really well for me," Hyland, 59, of Marlton, N.J., said. My opponent Mills Brown didn't have his best round. I think his back was hurting him. I made a couple of good putts early and just sort of hung on." Hyland moved to dormie with a wicked par save on the 14th hole (par 3, 219 yards). A sly 10-footer tumbled on the last revolution. "The last few days, I seem to have had a nice rhythm. I get in bad streaks and good streaks, and fortunately I'm on a good streak right now," he said. I'm very happy to be where I'm at now." Like Hyland, Rothaus is new to the USGA match play fray. He'll forever remember his debut: a 4&3 win over Gary Carpendale of Las Vegas, Nev. in the Round of 64. Rothaus fired birdies on Nos. 9 (par 5, 585 yards) and 11 (par 3, 106 yards) to seize a stable 3-up edge. "I was excited about trying out because it's close to home," Rothaus, 59, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., said. "I went onto the USGA Web site and because I'm a procrastinator, I see the qualifier [administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia at White Manor Country Club] is closed, so I was kind of bummed out. Then I decided to go up to [a qualifier at Garden City Country Club in Garden City, N.Y.]. My daughter lives in Brooklyn. I went in blind, shot 71 and made it through in a playoff. It's been a great experience." Rothaus carded an 88 in a practice round Thursday. He returned to the office Friday to press the reset button. With victories tomorrow morning, Hyland and Rothaus will meet in the Round of 16.
17. Thompson vs. 16. Bill Leonard of Dallas, Ga., 7:25 a.m. Signing off from Hidden Creek. See you back here tomorrow. 1:50 p.m.: Caught up with GAP Hall of Famer and 2008 U.S. Senior Amateur Champion Buddy Marucci following his 4&3 loss to Jim Holtgrieve of St. Louis, Miss. Holtgrieve is the inaugural U.S. Mid-Amateur champion (1981) and a two-time Walker Cup captain (2011, 2013). "Jimmy played really well. Even if I played really well, I'm not sure I could have beaten him," Marucci said. "That's all there is to it. We kind of traded in the beginning for five or six holes, and then he made a couple of really good shots on Nos. 7, 8 and 9. It was fun to watch. I haven't been playing very much, and I actually played pretty well over the weekend, so I was pleased with that. Today was a little disappointing. The golf course couldn't have been better. Conditions were fabulous. Edwina and Roger (Hansen) should be congratulated. Their whole staff did a great job." 12:56 p.m.: Two players with GAP ties through to the Round of 32 after the morning action. LedgeRock's Chip Lutz wins the GAP battle over Lancaster's Ken Phillips, 6 & 4. Lutz, the No. 8 seed, was the first player in the field to advance to the next round. One group ahead of the Lutz-Phillips showdown was the match between Overbrook's Ray Thompson and Ben Brundred of Potomac, Md. Thompson, who has advanced to the match-play portion of the Senior Amateur the last five of six years, grinded out an impressive 2-up victory over Brundred. Other GAP players in action this morning included Buddy Marruci, who fell to two-time Walker Cup captain Jim Holtgrieve, 4 & 3. Still on the course is Mercer Oak's Glenn Smeraglio, who currently finds himself with a 3-down deficit heading to the 14th tee. Little Mill's Thomas Hyland and Five Pond's Brian Rothaus are now on the course as well. Follow along here, as well as the @GAofPhilly Twitter account, for more updates from Hidden Creek. 10:55 a.m.: Lutz fires back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 (par 4, 284 yards) and 9 (par 5, 585 yards) to move 3-up over Phillips thru nine holes. Headed back out to catch more of the action. 9:25 a.m.: Hazy start to the day here at Hidden Creek. Raymond Thompson is the first competitor with GAP ties to begin his match play march today. He stands All-Square against Ben Brundred of Potomac, Md. thru three holes. The group behind showcases the lone GAP match-up: Chip Lutz v. Kenneth Phillips. Lutz holds an early 1-up lead thru two holes. Headed onto the course shortly.
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