2017 Yearbook (2)

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Minikahda Club - Minneapolis, Minn. U.S. Senior Amateur
Elliott and Billmeyer
represent at U.S. Senior
Gene Elliott of West Des Moines, and Sam Billmeyer of Ankeny,
represented Iowa in the 2017 U.S. Senior Amateur held at the
Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Minn.
Elliott played in his first ever U.S. Senior Amateur as a newly turned
55-year old. He was exempt into the field due to his ranking inside
the top-500 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Billmeyer made it
through the qualifying round held at Briarwood Golf Club and was
the sole qualifier into the championship.
Billmeyer shot rounds of 82-83 to miss making match play at the Championship proper. Elliott,
however, was able to earn the 15th seed into match play after shooting rounds of 77-69.
In Elliott’s opening round of match play he was able to get off to a quick lead and never looked back,
dispatching Virginia’s Patrick Tallent 6 & 4.
In the Round of 32, Elliott raced out to another quick lead, 3-up
through 7 holes, on Keith Decker of Virginia. Holding a 3-up lead
through 13 holes, Elliott would see his lead dwindle to all square
through 16 holes. Decker would ultimately win the 18th hole to win
the match 1 up.
Future Sites
2018
Eugene Country Club
Euguene, Ore.
2019
Old Chatham Golf Club
Durham, N.C.
2020
Country Club of Detroit
Goose Point Farms, Mich.
2021
The Honors Course
Ooltewah, Tenn.
One spot up for grabs at U.S.
Senior Amateur Qualifier
1 Sam Billmeyer -2 70 Qualifier
2 Joe Palmer -1 71 1st Alt
3 Thomas Norton E 72 2nd Alt
T4 Ron Peterson +2 74
T4 Todd Lohman +2 74
T6 Dee Sanders +4 76
T6 Rob Christensen +4 76
T8 David Waugh +5 77
T8 Brett Allen +5 77
10 Steve Moran +6 78
U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier
Briarwood Golf Club - Ankeny, Iowa
August 7, 2017
Sam Billmeyer of Ankeny, shot a 2-under
70 at the Briarwood Golf Club in Ankeny
to earn the lone qualifying spot into the
U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.
Billmeyer moves on to play the national
event August 26-31 at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Billmeyer, who played in the first group out, didn’t get off to a great start, but closed with a flourish.
After a birdie at 3, he made bogey at five, six & nine to turn at 2-over par 38. But then he tore up the
back nine, firing a 4-under 32 with birdies at 10, 12, 14 and 16 against no bogeys. That run was good
enough for 70, (-2) and a one shot win over Joe Palmer of West Des Moines.
Joe Palmer was the 1st alternate while Tom Norton, of Muscatine,
the 2nd alternate. Norton shot even-par 72. Billmeyer would join
fellow Iowan Gene Elliott at the Championship proper. You can read
more about how they did on the next page.
(left to right) Sam Billmeyer and U.S. Senior Amateur Committee
Member John Webb.
Links : Links : August 26-31, 2017
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