South Carolina Golfers Shine at US Senior Amateur Qualifying

By golfclubsc on August 25, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

The ageless Paul Simson from Raleigh, the Carolina’s all time winnigest amateur golfer was a co-leader in the first round and will be the seventh seed at age 73 when he tries to win his 3rd USGA Senior Amatuer. (USGA PHOTO)

It has been a good couple of days for Palmetto State golfers at the US Senior Amateur being played on the Honors Course near Chattanooga.

Five golfers from South Carolina qualified for the championship and after the two qualifying rounds of stroke play five South Carolina golfers will begin match play on Monday.

Defending champion Todd White (15) from Spartanburg had a 5-over par 77 in the first round, but got back on track in the second round to fire an even par 72 and move up into a tie for 12th place at 5 over par.

White will begin his attempt to repeat as champion taking on Curtis Holek from Iowa in a match at 11:30.

The rest of the South Carolina delegation all fell well within the top 64 to keep playing this week.

Spartanburg’s Tim Dunlavey (29) shot rounds of 77 and 76 to finish at 9-over par in a tie for 29th place. The Country Club of Spartanburg golfer will match up with Jeff Frazier from Pennsylvania at 9:40.

Rock Hill’s Rick Cloninger (37) recovered from a first round 81 to shoot on 1-over par 73 to finish at 10 over par 154 and in a tie for 35th place.

Cloninger will face 28th seeded Greg Sanders from Arizona at 10:10

Max Fain (52) from Boiling Springs, who made the field after being the first alternate at the South Carolina qualifying session at Green Valley also will keep playing.

The defending Spartanburg County Senior champion will be matched with Matt Sughrue (13) from Arlington, Virginia. Sughrue most recently won the prestigious Chanticleer National Senior Invitational at the Greenville Country Club last March.

Tied with Fain at 12-over par is Greenville’s Yancy Johnson.

Johnson (51), a former Greenville County Amateur champion and this year’s state senior champion, will face the 14th seeded player Paul Smith from California.

The ageless Paul Simson (8), from Raleigh. the Carolinas all time winningest amateur golfer was a first round co-leader and finished the 36 hole qualifying at 7 -over par in a tie for seventh.

Simson, at age 73, is a two time winner of the championship. His opponent will be determined in the playoff.

Tee times and live match scoring can be viewed at https://championships.usga.org/ussenioramateur/2024/scoring.html#