Anyone who has ever tried to play golf knows it isn’t easy, but Spartanburg’s Todd White is making it look that way.

The defending USGA Senior Amateur champion defeated two more opponents on Tuesday to land a spot in the quarter finals of the national championship being played at the Honors Course near Chattanooga.

In the round of 16 White eliminated co-medalist and No. 2 seed Roger Newsom, 60, of Virginia Beach, 5 and 4, in a rematch of last year’s semifinals at Martis Camp Club.

Earlier in the day, White, who won the 2023 South Carolina Amateur against the “kids,” took out the last remaining Tennessean, Todd Burgan, a pharmacist from Knoxville, in his most difficult match so far, 1 up.

“It’s great to be in the final eight and to have an opportunity,” said White, who is still sending in lesson plans to his substitute teacher at Spartanburg High School. “That’s all anybody can ask for is an opportunity and that’s what I have tomorrow morning.

White will match up with Robert Nelson in the quarter-final round at 8 am.

Nelson had a very good day on Tuesday taking out a pair of former champions to reach the final eight.

The Fairhope, Alabama golfer is 63 and has won three Alabama state Senior titles. He is competing in his second USGA Senior Amateur championship. A win over White would mean Nelson eliminated three former champions to advance to the semi-finals.

“There are a bunch of guys out here with a resume a lot longer than mine. My caddie (Walker Grant) was a huge help. He kept telling me, ‘Robert you can play with these guys,” said Nelson.

While White has an obvious advantage from his experience winning the USGA Senior Amateur and just last month winning the British Senior Amateur, the South Carolina Golf Association Hall of Famer knows everyone has experience if they get to this level.

“Competing in USGA events and being in the finals last year and winning, there is a lot of experience factor that carries in. But at the Senior Amateur everyone here has experience at some level. The number beside the name you throw it all out because everybody in the final eight is playing well.,” said White.

Two other South Carolina golfers were eliminated on Tuesday.

Rick Cloninger, from Rock Hill lost out in his morning match to Rick Stimmel 3&2.

Tim Dunlavey from Spartanburg won his first match of the day with a 3&2 decision over Gene Elliott of Iowa.

In the round of 16 match the Country Club of Spartanburg golfer dug a pretty big hole for himself early in the round and was 5 down after his first seven holes.

Dunlavey fought his way back to get to only one down to Matt Sughrue by the 15th hole.

Sughrue, who won the 2024 Chanticleer National Senior Invitational at the Greenville Country Club, birdied 16 nd 17 to close out the match with Dunlavey 3&1.

The USGA contributed to this report

Complete Scoring and Tee Times are available at https://championships.usga.org/ussenioramateur/2024/scoring.html