Medalist Ousted In USGA Senior Amateur's Third Round

Andover, Kan. – Ireland’s Arthur Pierse ousted stroke-play medalist Steve Bogan of Placentia, Calif., in 19 holes during Tuesday’s third round at the 2007 USGA Senior Amateur Championship, being played at the 6,502-yard, par-71 Flint Hills National Golf Club.

It was the second extra-hole match of the day for the 59-year-old Bogan, who earlier Tuesday earned a 19-hole victory over David Lind of Burr Ridge, Ill.

Against the 56-year-old Pierse, Bogan took the lead with a birdie on the par-4 first hole. He held that lead until a double bogey on the 12th allowed Pierse to square the match.

Bogan had several chances to increase his lead early but Pierse kept it close.

Vinny Giles follows his shot during his third-round victory at Flint Hills National Golf Club Tuesday. (Fred Vuich/USGA)

“He should have been 3 or 4 up on me but I kept holing out and getting up and down,” said Pierse, who represented the Great Britain and Ireland at the 1983 Walker Cup Match.

Pierse took a temporary lead when Bogan bogeyed the par-3 14th, but Bogan squared it one hole later after a bogey from Pierse. After matching pars on the final three holes, the two headed to the par-5 first hole. Bogan hit his third shot into the rough and above the green and was unable to get up-and-down, allowing Pierse to win the match with a two-putt par.

“I was just kind of sloppy again, and that doesn’t make me very happy,” said Bogan, who was trying to become the first stroke-play medalist to win the Senior Amateur since 1987. “I just couldn’t sustain any sort of momentum. There were too many give-aways.”

For Pierse, the win keeps his hopes of winning the British Senior Amateur and USGA Senior Amateur in the same year alive. He said he recognized how fortunate he was to advance past Bogan.

“It was a match no one deserved to lose,” said Pierse. “Both players were really tough out there. It was just nice to come out on the right end.”

Logan Jackson, 57, of Winston Salem, N.C., got off to a sizzling start against 2002 Senior Amateur champion Greg Reynolds, 60, of Grand Blanc, Mich. Jackson won four holes in a five-hole stretch and played the equivalent of five under par for the match.

“I have been playing pretty well, but hat was the best I’ve played,” said Jackson, who is playing in his third Senior Amateur. “It just kind of came together. I hit it well and I putted pretty well.”

Reynolds mounted a comeback with pars on the ninth and 11th holes to cut the deficit to 2 down, but Jackson chipped in from the rough just off the green to win the 12th and went on to a 4-and-3 victory.

“After he chipped in, I was thinking this might not be my day,” said Reynolds.

Vinny Giles, 64, of Richmond, Va., kept his hopes of his first USGA championship since the 1972 U.S. Amateur alive with a 3-and-1 victory over Bill Zylstra of Westland, Mich.

Giles was pleased with his play, particularly given his struggles in stroke play, when he avoided the playoff by a stroke after rounds of 75-74.

“I played really well tee to green today,” said Giles, who advanced to the Senior Amateur quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. “I didn’t putt the ball well, but I’m not fussing because I putted well enough to get out of jail in places.”

Rounding out the quarterfinalists are: Alistair Catto, 55, of South Hadley, Mass.; Frank Ford III, 55, of Charleston, S.C.; Stu Grendahl, 56, of Mcfarland, Wis.; Stanford Lee, 55, Heber Springs, Ark.; and Sam Farlow, 60, of Birmingham, Ala., who advanced to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.

The 2007 USGA Senior Amateur continues with the quarterfinal and semifinal matches Wednesday. The championship concludes with the 18-hole final match Thursday.

The USGA Senior Amateur is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association each year, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Story written by Beth Murrison of USGA Media Relations. For questions or comments, contact her at bmurrison@usga.org.

Andover, Kan. – Results following Tuesday’s second and third rounds of match play at the 2007 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at the 6,502-yard, par-71 Flint Hills National Golf Club:

Round of 32

Upper Bracket

Steve Bogan, Placentia, Calif. (137) def. David Lind, Burr Ridge, Ill. (146), 19 holes

Arthur Pierse, Ireland (144) def. Roger Clement, Little Rock, Ark. (148), 2 and 1

David Stanfield, Lanett, Ala. (141) def. Paul Quigley, Warren, R.I. (148), 3 and 2

Stu Grendahl, Mcfarland, Wis. (145) def. Michael Puls, Irving, Texas (141), 6 and 4

Greg Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich. (146) def. Kim Schwencke, Bend, Ore. (150), 19 holes

Logan Jackson, Winston Salem, N.C. (144) def. Jim Knoll, Sunnyvale, Calif. (144), 4 and 3

Stanford Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. (146) def. Thomas McGraw, Montgomery, Texas (141), 3 and 2

James Butler, Fort Madison, Iowa (143) def. William Boles, Wilson, N.C. (145), 2 and 1

Lower Bracket

Bill Zylstra, Westland, Mich. (138) def. Tom Grady, Marshall, Va. (146), 3 and 2

Vinny Giles, Richmond, Va. (149) def. Brian Sachs, Gainesville, Fla. (148), 3 and 2

Sam Farlow, Birmingham, Ala. (150) def. Thomas Bartolacci, Washington Crossing, Pa. (146), 1 up

Donald Marsh, Alpharetta, Ga. (142) def. Mark Bemowski, Mukwonago, Wis. (145), 23 holes

Alistair Catto, South Hadley, Mass. (147) def. Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. (138), 1 up

Larry Grant, Long Beach, Calif. (144) def. John Pigg, Austin, Texas (144), 2 and 1

Frank Ford III, Charleston, S.C. (146) def. Bill McDonald, Troy, Mich. (141) 3 and 1

Donald Bliss, Chesterfield, Mo. (148) def. Jerry Siemons, Jefferson City, Mo. (143), 2 and 1

Round of 16

Upper Bracket

Pierse def. Bogan, 19 holes

Grendahl def. Stanfield, 19 holes

Jackson def. Reynolds, 4 and 3

Lee def. Butler, 5 and 4

Lower Bracket

Giles def. Zylstra, 3 and 1

Farlow def. Marsh, 6 and 5

Catto def. Grant, 3 and 2

Ford def. Bliss, 3 and 1

Andover, Kan. – Pairings for Wednesday’s quarterfinal round of match play at the 2007 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at the 6,502-yard, par-71 Flint Hills National Golf Club:

Round of 8

Upper Bracket

8:30 a.m.          Arthur Pierse, Ireland (144) vs. Stu Grendahl, Mcfarland, Wis. (145)

8:40 a.m.          Logan Jackson, Winston Salem, N.C. (144) vs. Stanford Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. (146)

Lower Bracket

8:50 a.m.          Vinny Giles, Richmond, Va. (149) vs. Sam Farlow, Birmingham, Ala. (150)

9:00 a.m.          Alistair Catto, South Hadley, Mass. (147) vs. Frank Ford III, Charleston, S.C. (146)