USGA and Senior British Amateur Champions Meet

in Senior Amateur Semifinals

Kemp Richardson, the 2001 champion, blasts from the sand in his quarterfinal round win over Bruce Richards Wednesday. (USGA/Sam Greenwood)

Bristol, Va. – Champions from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean meet in the USGA Senior Amateur Championship semifinals Wednesday at The Virginian Golf Club.

Kemp Richardson, 57, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., the 2001 USGA Senior Amateur champion faces Roy Smethurst, 61, of Crewe, England, the 2003 British Senior Amateur winner at 12:45 p.m. In the other semifinal at 12:30 p.m., Frank Abbott, 60, of Napa, Calif., meets David Boesel, 55, of Winter Park, Fla.

“It’s far more than we ever expected,” said Smethurst, who earned an exemption into the field with his British Senior victory. “We were just hoping to get through to the match play. To get through to the semifinals is unbelievable.”

Roy Smethurst, the 2003 British Senior Amateur champion, follows through in his quarterfinal victory over Bob Hullender Wednesday. (USGA/Sam Greenwood)

Smethurst, who also won the 2000 and 2001 British Seniors, defeated Bob Hullender, 66, of San Antonio, Texas, 3 and 2 in the morning’s quarterfinal round. Smethurst, who is attempting to become the first foreign-born champion in 49 Senior Amateurs, credits his match play experience for part of his success.

“We play lots of county, club representative-type matches,” said Smethurst, the oldest remaining competitor. “It’s exactly what we play.”

Richardson, a stock broker, who also won the 2001 British Senior Amateur, beat Bruce Richards, 60, of Bellevue, Wash., who is a member of the USGA Executive Committee, 3 and 2.

“I got a good start because Bruce had a bad start,” said the long-hitting Richardson . “I kind of fell asleep a little but then I got a lucky break on 14. I kind of stumbled it in.”

Frank Abbott, 60, of Napa, Calif., a quarterfinalist at 2003 Canadian Senior Match Play, defeated Edward Craig, 60, of Orlando, Fla., 3 and 2.  David Boesel, 55, of Winter Park, Fla., a quarterfinalist at 1993 U.S. Amateur and the 4th seed, topped Sam Farlow, 56, of Birmingham, Ala., by the same score.

Craig, a pilot for a corporate aviation firm, had defeated Bill Ploeger, 63, of Columbus, Ga., the 1999 champion and 2001 runner-up, in the third round.

All semifinalists are exempt from qualifying for the 2004 Championship at Bel-

Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif, from October 9-14.

The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of match play Wednesday and Thursday’s final round will be televised on ESPN from 2-4 p.m. Eastern.

The USGA Senior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Results

Bristol, Va. – Results from Wednesday’s quarterfinal round of match play at the 2003 USGA Senior Amateur played at The Virginian Golf Club (6,914-yards, par 71):

Frank Abbott, Napa, Calif., (146) def. Edward Craig, Orlando, Fla. (143), 3 and 2

David Boesel, Winter Park, Fla., (141) def. Sam Farlow, Birmingham, Ala. (149), 3 and 2

Roy Smethurst, England (146) def. Bob Hullender, San Antonio, Texas (145), 3 and 2

Kemp Richardson, Laguna Niguel, Calif. (144) def. Bruce Richards, Bellevue, Wash. (139), 3 and 2