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Semifinals
Set At 2004 USGA
Senior
Amateur
Los
Angeles, Calif.
- Greg
Reynolds,
57, of Grand Blanc, Mich.,
moved a step closer to a second USGA Senior Amateur title
with a win over Jack
Vardaman,
64, of Washington,
D.C.,
in Wednesday's quarterfinals at the 2004 championship, being
conducted at the par-70, 6,491-yard Bel-Air Country Club.
Reynolds,
the 2002 champion, took a 2-up lead when Vardaman made back-to-back
bogeys to lose the fourth and fifth holes. The momentum swung
back and forth between the players but Reynolds seized control
on the par-4 15th hole, increasing his lead to 3 up after
a double bogey from Vardaman. Reynolds earned a 3-and-2 victory
when the two halved the 16th with pars.
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| 2002 Senior Amateur runner-up Mark Bemowski
watches his ball during his quarterfinal victory at Bel-Air
Wednesday. (Sam Greenwood/USGA) |
"Jack
got off to a kind of
a shaky start and he gave me a few chances," said
Reynolds. "He was playing
from a lot further back than I was to the hole and I always
feel like I have a pretty good advantage on a lot of guys
when that's the case."
Through
four matches this week, Reynolds has yet to trail and has
not played past the 16th hole.
"I've
really driven the ball well and that's given me a lot of chances,"
said Reynolds.
It
was the second consecutive match against a Senior Amateur
winner for Vardaman, a past member of the USGA Executive Committee,
who eliminated defending champion Kemp
Richardson
of Laguna
Calif.,
in Tuesday's third round.
In
Wednesday afternoon's semifinals, Reynolds
will face Michael
Walters,
56, of Tampa,
Fla.,
a 2-and-1 winner over Greg
Shaw,
55, of Little Rock,
Ark. Walters
struggled with eight
bogeys and just one birdie, but it was enough to outlast Shaw,
who had six bogeys and two double bogeys.
A
rematch of the 2002 USGA Senior Amateur final is possible,
as runner-up Mark Bemowski, 58, of Mukwonago, Wis., also advanced,
with a 2-and-1 victory over two-time USA Walker Cupper Marty
West 56, of Rockville, Md.
West
held a 3-up advantage
after six holes, but Bemowski won four consecutive holes,
starting at the 13 th, to take the lead. Bemowski advanced
despite six bogeys, including five in a row at one point.
"I
hacked my way around," said Bemowski. "I can't imagine being
more fortunate than to play like I did and win against a player
like Marty West."
Bemowski's
semifinal opponent will
be Alan Foster,
61, of Manilus,
N.Y.,
a 2-and-1 winner over Ted
Lyford,
60, of Redlands,
Calif.
With
the usual match-play concessions, Foster
was the equivalent of
three under par and never trailed against Lyford. The two
were all square after 13 holes, but birdies at the par-5 14th
and par-3 17th holes gave Foster
the match. Foster
had six birdies in the
match.
The
championship continues with the semifinal matches Wednesday
afternoon, and concludes with Thursday's 18-hole championship
final.
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 Wednesday's
quarterfinal 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 8
Upper
Bracket
Mark
Bemowski,
Mukwonago,
Wis.
(149) def. Martin West,
Rockville,
Md.
(152), 2 and 1
Alan
Foster,
Manlius,
N.Y.
(153) def. Ted Lyford,
Redlands,
Calif.
(154), 2 and 1
Lower
Bracket
Michael
Walters,
Tampa,
Fla.
(149) def. Greg Shaw,
Little Rock,
Ark.
(155), 2 and 1
Greg
Reynolds,
Grand Blanc,
Mich.
(151) def. Jack Vardaman,
Washington,
D.C.
(154), 3 and 2
Los
Angeles, Calif.
- Pairings for Wednesday's
semifinal round of match play at the 2004 USGA Senior Amateur
Championship at the par-70, 6,491-yard Bel-Air Country Club.
Round
of 4
Upper
Bracket
1:30
p.m. Mark
Bemowski,
Mukwonago,
Wis.
(149) vs. Alan Foster,
Manlius,
N.Y.
(153)
Lower
Bracket
1:45
p.m. Michael
Walters,
Tampa,
Fla.
(149) vs. Greg Reynolds,
Grand Blanc,
Mich.
(151)
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