Joe Palmer of West Des Moines claimed the lone qualifying spot into the USGA Senior Amateur Championship on Monday, July 30th at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo.  Palmer defeated Tom Norton of Muscatine in a playoff after both finished on 1-under par 71.

Both Palmer (right) and Norton got off to rough starts but then battled back with excellent play down the stretch.  Palmer made bogey on his first two holes, birdied #3, then managed 13 pars and 2 birdies the rest of the way.  Norton, meanwhile, made bogey on the first three holes then, after pars on 4 thru 7, he started making birdies.  He birdied 8, 11, 12, 15 & 18 while making a lone bogey at 9 to storm into a tie with Palmer and force the playoff.

In the playoff, Palmer made a par on the first playoff hole (which was #15) while Norton made a bogey.

Don Peterson of Wayzata, MN earned 2nd alternate status after he and Sam Billmeyer each shot 73.

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JULY 30, 2018 – WATERLOO, IA

20 golfers will be competing for a single spot into the USGA Senior Amateur Championship on Monday at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo.

In what is a bit of a sprint rather than a marathon, players will play a single round to try and earn the coveted spot.  The winner will advance to compete at the national championship at Eugene Country Club in Oregon from August 25-30.  There they will face 36-holes of stroke play qualifying to try and make the 64-person match play draw.

Iowans Mike McCoy and Gene Elliott are exempt from qualifying.  Scores from the qualifier will be updated after 9 holes.

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It was a marathon day at Beaver Hills Country Club during Monday’s U.S. Amateur Qualifier. Players battled high temperatures and fatigue over 36 holes of golf in Cedar Falls.

Harrison Ott (Brookfield, WI) and Cedar Rapids’ Frank Lindwall (pictured above – Ott on the left) would share medalist honors at 141 (-3). Both players shot 73 (+1) in the morning round and followed that back up with 68s (-4) in the afternoon. Scores were not as low as some, including Lindwall, predicted in the morning round

“I figured four or five-under on this course would be leading in the morning,” Lindwall said. “When I saw 70 was low, I thought if I could shoot a few under on the second round, I would have a chance. It feels good to qualify. I just tried to stay positive and patient. I felt a little off, I didn’t drive it real well. I was able to make some key putts in the second round. I’ve been playing well the last few months and knew I was good enough. I tried to control what I could control.”

Dennis Bull (right), of Norwalk, captured the final qualifying spot in the playoff over Dusty Drenth, of Davenport. Both players posted 142 (-2). A birdie on the first playoff hole would be the difference for Bull and punch his ticket to the U.S. Amateur. This year’s U.S. Amateur will be contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course in California.

Bull admitted after his playoff victory he didn’t have his best stuff for most of the day.

“I was not playing well today, but just tried to hang on this morning,” Bull said. “It was manageable in the afternoon, I just didn’t make many putts. This day, you have to remember, is a shot here and a shot there. When I found out I was in the playoff it was energizing. I am exhausted, but it was awesome. It was a gritty day, I thought if I could shoot even in the morning, I might have a chance in the afternoon. A day like this is a marathon. I am not 20 anymore, I remember those days, you feel like you can run through a wall at that age.”

Drenth will be 1st alternate and Wes Buntenbach earned the 2nd alternate spot with his own playoff win over Sam Vincent.

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Ames’ Britta Snyder (right) posted a 69 (-3) to capture medalist honors at the U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifier at Pioneer Creek Golf Course, Maple Plain, MN. Snyder made five birdies on the day against only two bogeys.

The 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior is to be contested at Poppy Hills Golf Course, Pebble Beach, Calif.

Click here for a recap of scores from the qualifier

With overnight rain and windy conditions to start the day, players had to grind at Monday’s U.S. Senior Open Qualifier at Briarwood Golf Club.

Tim Petrovic (right), thanks to a hot start, earned medalist honors with a round of 67 (-5). Petrovic started five under par through five holes and would make a total of six birdies and an eagle on the day.

“I got off to a quick, quick start,” Petrovic said. “That’s what you need in a one-day event. I just tried to keep it in front of me, I think I had three three-putts, but I played really solid overall. With not playing yesterday (Principal Charity Classic) I was ready to go. I just tried to post a number, have them come shoot at it and see if they could beat me.”

Todd Hamilton (below right), with a 32 (-4) on the back nine, finished just a shot off of Petrovic. Hamilton, winner of the 2004 Open Championship at Troon, also made six birdies on the day.

Larry Mize (below left), the other major champion in the field (1987 Masters), made a 50’ putt on #18 for birdie, good enough for 70 (-2) and the final qualifying spot into the U.S. Senior Open to be played at The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“I thought I might need to make a birdie (on #18),” Mize said. “You just have to go out and do the best you can. You hear -1 is a playoff, but you never know. Fortunately I made the putt for birdie. I just tried to take it one hole and a time and with the conditions it was hard to get a number in mind (of what to shoot). I couldn’t get anything going to start and then I made a couple birdies.”

Jon Petersen, who shot 70 (-1), earned the 1st alternate position, while Joe Palmer was second alternate. Palmer was also low amateur in the field.

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