Top Seeds Get through 1st Round Matches, as Usual; Peterson Departs

USGA

TRUCKEE, Calif. -- After shooting 75-80--155 in the stroke-play qualifying part of the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, and tying for 59th place, Jerry Gunthorpe had to survive a 10-for-6 playoff on Monday morning just to earn a spot in the first round of matches at Martis Camp Club. Pars on the first four holes of the playoff kept him alive, and a par on the fifth playoff hole, the 198-yard, par-3 17th, secured the sixth -- and last--  spot for him.

So he was the No. 64 seed, and would play the No. 1 seed, medalist Todd White, in the Round of 64. As it turned out, two more pars at the end of that match would have gotten Gunthorpe -- who was the runner-up in this tournament two years ago -- through to the second round, because he was 1 up after 16 holes. But he three-putted the 17th green and bogeyed the hole that had gotten him into match play. He also bogeyed the formidable, 468-yard, par-4 18th, missing an 8-foot par putt. White parred each of the last two holes, two-putting from 50 feet for a par at the 18th, and claimed with a 1-up victory.

"When I saw the draw after the playoff, I thought: 'This is the reward I get for being medalist?' " White said after his narrow escape. "But you expect that. Almost every guy you see on the board for match play, they're all tested. And you know you're going to have to play."

This was the second time that White, a former Walker Cupper (2013) who put together a pair of even-par 72s over the weekend to win the Senior Am medal, has knocked a Gunthorpe family member out of a USGA event. He defeated Jerry's son Nicholas 4&3 during the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur.   

It was also the second year in a row that Jerry Gunthorpe has been the No. 64 seed and lost a close match to the No. 1 seed. Last year, he lost to top-seeded Miles McConnell in 19 holes at The Kittansett Club in Maarion, Mass.

"Not good enough," Gunthorpe lamented after his loss Monday. "I've been struggling all week, and it never went away. I've had putting woes, and my pace has been off. Uphill, downhill, sidehill. I just never got it right, and today kind of showed it throughout the round."

The higher seeds generally manage to get through the Round of 64 in USGA tournaments and then begin to encounter more resistance in the Round of 32.  We'll se about the Round of 32 on Tuesday at Martis Camp, but the top five seeds, and six of the top seven won on Monday. No. 3 Steve Harwell, who was part of a four-way tie for second at 145 in the stroke-play qualifying, had to birdie three of the last four holes just to survive with a 1-up victory, and No. 7 Bob Royak also won 1 up. No. 4 Randy Haag had the easiest time. He won 6&5.

At the bottom of the top 10, things didn't go nearly as well. No. 56 Mike Henry and No. 55 Dave Ryan both won 1 up, over the No. 9 and 10 seeds, and No. 57 Pete Betzold beat No. 8 Joe Jaspers 4&2. 

The lone Minnesotan in the tournament, Tim Peterson, got off to a bad start in his match. Seeded No. 44 after shooting 152 (77-75) in stroke play, he bogeyed his first three holes in match play and lost two of them. Peterson was 3 down to No. 21 Jeff Mallette after five holes. The MGA Player of the Year in 2021 won the 476-yard, par-4 11th with a par to narrow the deficit to 2 down, but he lost the 13th and 14th with bogeys, and Mallette went on to win 4&2.

He will take on No. 53 Mike Finster on Tuesday morning. Finster knocked off No. 12 Louis Brown 2&1 on Monday.

White will face No. 32 seed Brent Peterson, who won 6&5 over No. 33 Alen Mew.     


U.S. Senior Amateur

At Martis Camp Club

Par 72, 7,251 yards

Truckee, Calif. 

Stroke play

Final results

1. Todd White, Spartanburg, S.C.              72-72--144

T2. Randy Haag, Orinda, Calif.                 70-75--145

T2. Matt Sughrue, Arlington, Va.               71-74--145

T2. Steve Harwell, Mooresville, N.C.        72-73--145

T2. Roger Newsom, Virginia Beach, Va.   73-72--145

T6. Bob Royak, Alpharetta, Ga.                 71-75--146

T6. Joe Jaspers, Huntersville, N.C.           74-72--146

T6. Jon Brown, Adel, Iowa                         72-74--146

T9. Craig Davis, Chula Vista, Calif.            74-73--147

T9. Jack Larkin, Atlanta                              75-72--147

T38. Tim Peterson, Minneapolis              77-75--152

Missed cut 

John Husband, Ontario, Canada               80-81--161


Match play

Round of 64

No. 1 White def. No. 64 Jerry Gunthorpe 1 up

No. 2 Matt Sughrue def. No. 63 John Barry 3&2

No. 3 Steve Harwell def. No. 62 Paul Royak 1 up

No. 4 Randy Haag def. No. 61 Mark Sanchez 6&5

No. 5 Roger Newsom def. No. 60 Doug Banks 5&3

No. 59 Curtis Holck def. No. 6 Jon Brown 5&4

No. 7 Bob Royak def. No. 58 David Levan 1 up

No. 57 Pete Betzold def. No. 8 Joe Jaspers 4&2

No. 56 Mike Henry def. No. 9 Jack Larkin 1 up

No. 55 Dave Ryan def. No. 10 Craig Davis 1 up

No. 21 Jeff Mallette def. No. 44 Tim Peterson 4&2