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Defending
Champion Advances, Medalist Ousted
At
2004 USGA
Senior
Amateur
Los
Angeles, Calif.
- Defending champion
Kemp Richardson's
quest for another title will continue, but stroke-play medalist
Ronald Vannelli
was ousted in second-round
action Tuesday at the 2004 USGA Senior Amateur Championship,
being conducted at the par-70, 6,491-yard Bel-Air Country
Club.
Richardson,
58, of Laguna Niguel,
Calif.,
who also won the 2001 USGA Senior Amateur, is trying to join
Lewis Oehmig
as just the second person
in the championship's 50-year history to win three Senior
Amateurs. With a victory, Richardson
would also become just
the fourth to win consecutive titles.
Against
Van Salmans of Chicago, Ill., Richardson fell behind briefly
when he bogeyed the eighth hole. But Richardson made back-to-back
birdies on the next two holes to take a 1-up edge and built
the cushion to two holes after the 12th. Salmans cut the deficit
to one when Richardson bogeyed the 14th hole but could get
no closer, and Richardson held on for a 1-up victory.
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| Martin West chips out of a bunker during
his second-round victory over stroke-play medalist Ronald
Vannelli Tuesday at Bel-Air Country Club. (Sam Greenwood/USGA) |
Vannelli,
58, of Edison, N.J., was trying to become the first stroke-play
medalist to win the title since Richardson's late father,
John, did so in 1987. In his second-round match against two-time
USA Walker Cupper Martin West, 56, of Rockville, Md., Vannelli
took a brief lead when West bogeyed the second hole. But West
won the fourth and fifth holes with pars and never trailed
again en route to a 3-and-1 victory.
"You
can't play bad and keep winning in this world," said Vanelli,
who had four bogeys and one birdie in the match. "You have
to play solid."
Despite
the loss, Vannelli wholeheartedly enjoyed his first Senior
Amateur.
"It
couldn't have been any better," said Vannelli. "I'm thrilled
and honored just to be here playing with all these great players.
You can't do this in any other sport - there's no Super Bowl
for 55-year-old guys. We still get to play in major events.
It's wonderful."
In
other second-round action, Ernie Newton, 57, of High Point,
N.C., earned a 3-and-2 win over Jim
Ruschioni, of Leominster, Mass. Newton is trying to become
part of the first father-daughter combination to earn USGA
titles - his daughter Marcy won the 2000 U.S. Women's Amateur.
Ironically, the Richardsons are the only father-son tandem
to win USGA titles.
Also
advancing to Tuesday afternoon's third round of match play
were the two finalists from the 2002 Senior Amateur - champion
Greg Reynolds, 57, of Grand Blanc, Mich., a 4-and-3 winner
over Ronnie Tumlin of St. Augustine, Fla., and runner-up Mark
Bemowski, 58, of Mukwonago, Wis., who moved on with a 3-and-1
win over Spencer Sappington of Alpharetta, Ga.
The
championship continues with the third round of match play
Tuesday. The quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be played
Wednesday, and the 18-hole championship final will be held
Thursday.
The USGA Senior Amateur is one of 13 national championships
conducted annually by the United States Golf Association,
10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Story
written by Beth Murrison
of USGA media relations.
You can reach her at bmurrison@usga.org.
Los
Angeles, Calif. - Results from the Tuesday's second round
of match play at the 2004 USGA Senior Amateur Championship,
being conducted at the par-70, 6,491-yard Bel-Air Country
Club.
Round
of 32
Upper
Bracket
Martin
West, Rockville, Md. (152) def. Ronald Vannelli, Edison, N.J.
(144), 3 and 1
Edward
Fletcher, Mashpee, Mass. (150) def. Roger Gunderson, Aurora,
Colo. (154), 3 and 2
Tony
Lehman,
Santa Barbara,
Calif.
(153) def. David Boesel,
Winter Park,
Fla.
(149), 4 and 3
Mark
Bemowski,
Mukwonago,
Wis.
(149) def. Spencer Sappington,
Alpharetta,
Ga.
(151), 3 and 1
Stephen
Yavorsky,
Capistrano Beach,
Calif.
(152) def. Timothy Miller,
Kokomo,
Ind.
(155), 3 and 2
Ted
Lyford,
Redlands,
Calif.
(154) def. Chip Stewart, Dallas,
Texas
(149), 1 up
Alan
Foster,
Manlius,
N.Y.
(153) def. Roy Smethurst,
England
(155), 3 and 2
Kent
Christopher,
Farmington,
Utah
(149) def. Gregory Scurlock,
Augusta,
Ga.
(154), 3 and 2
Lower
Bracket
Ernie
Newton,
High Point,
N.C.
(145) def. Jim Ruschioni,
Leominster,
Mass.
(152), 3 and 2
Greg
Shaw,
Little Rock,
Ark.
(155) def. Rick Weihe,
Bellingham,
Wash.
(151), 3 and 2
Alex
Tarumianz,
Lookout Mountain,
Tenn.
(155) def. Joseph Keller,
Osterville,
Mass.
(153), 19 holes
Michael
Walters,
Tampa,
Fla.
(149) def. David Brookreson,
Huntingdon Valley,
Pa.
(151), 3 and 2
Kemp
Richardson,
Laguna Niguel,
Calif.
(146) def. Van Salmans,
Chicago,
Ill.
(152), 1 up
Jack
Vardaman,
Washington,
D.C.
(154) def. Joseph Cristillo,
Crystal River,
Fla.
(155), 3 and 2
Steven
Hakes, San Diego, Calif. (147) def. Steven Hoffman, Savannah,
Ga. (151), 19 holes
Greg
Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich. (151) def. Ronnie Tumlin, Saint
Augustine, Fla. (149), 4 and 3
Los
Angeles, Calif. - Pairings for Tuesday's third round of match
play at the 2004 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at the par-70,
6,491-yard Bel-Air Country Club.
Round
of 16
Upper
Bracket
1:00
p.m. Martin West, Rockville, Md. (152) vs. Edward
Fletcher, Mashpee, Mass. (150)
1:10
p.m. Tony Lehman, Santa Barbara, Calif. (153)
vs. Mark Bemowski, Mukwonago, Wis. (149)
1:20
p.m. Stephen Yavorsky, Capistrano Beach, Calif.
(152) vs. Ted Lyford, Redlands, Calif. (154)
1:30
p.m. Alan Foster, Manlius, N.Y. (153) vs. Kent
Christopher, Farmington, Utah (149)
Lower
Bracket
1:40
p.m. Ernie Newton, High Point, N.C. (145) vs.
Greg Shaw, Little Rock, Ark. (155)
1:50
p.m. Alex Tarumianz, Lookout Mountain, Tenn. (155)
vs. Michael Walters, Tampa, Fla. (149)
2:00
p.m. Kemp Richardson, Laguna Niguel, Calif. (146)
vs. Jack Vardaman, Washington, D.C. (154)
2:25
p.m. Steven Hakes, San Diego, Calif. (147) vs.
Greg Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich. (151)
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