Scoring [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Match play bracket [icon name="external-link" class="" unprefixed_class=""] | Round 1 recap | Round 2 recap | Championship preview [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""]
By Arthur Utley
KESWICK — Last year’s runner-up, Rich Buckner (Robert Trent Jones GC, Clifton), won two matches Wednesday and led seven other competitors into the quarterfinals of the 70th Virginia State Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship at Keswick Golf Club’s Full Cry course.
Joining Buckner, 52, are last year’s VSGA Senior Mid-Amateur runner-up Jeff Flax (Cavalier G&YC, Virginia Beach); Allen Barber (James River CC, Yorktown); Neil Davis (Birdwood GC, Charlottesville); Jim Wright (Roanoke CC, Roanoke); Duncan Hardcastle (Magnolia Green GC, Midlothian); David Jordan (Willow Oaks CC, Glen Allen) and Philip Mahone (Farmington CC, Charlottesville).
Seven of the eight quarterfinalists are chasing their first VSGA championship. Barber has won five VSGA titles.
Higher seeds and past champions took it on the chin in Wednesday morning’s round of 32. The five players who made into match play via a playoff on Tuesday – Buddy Patch (Springfield G&CC, Fairfax Station), Scott Gilchrist (The Piedmont Club, Haymarket), Jordan, Mark Boedicker (Raspberry Falls G&HC, Great Falls) and Robert Slavonia (VSGA eClub Alexandria, Aldie) – eliminated the top five seeds.
Patch defeated medalist Michael Keating (Laurel Hill Golf Club, Fairfax) in 19 holes. Gilchrist edged two-time State Open of Virginia and Senior Open of Virginia winner Roger Newsom (Elizabeth Manor G&CC, Virginia Beach) 1 up. Jordan beat third seed Buck Brittain (The Virginian GC, Tazewell) 2 up; Boedicker knocked off fourth-seed and 2008 Senior Amateur winner Charles Green III (The Virginian, Bristol) 1 up; and Slavonia dispatched fifth-seed Marc Hogan (Woodberry Forest GC, Woodberry Forest) 3 and 2.
Jordan, who defeated Leon Roday (Kinloch GC, Henrico) 2 and 1, was the only one of the five to win in the afternoon. Roday won in the morning 4 and 3 against Pete DeTemple (Old Hickory GC, California, Md.) in a rematch of last year’s first round pairing.
In addition to Green, Virginia Golf Hall of Fame inductees Keith Decker (Chatmoss CC, Martinsville) and Vinny Giles (Kinloch GC, Richmond) lost in the first round. Decker, the defending champion and three-time Senior Amateur winner, lost to Davis 1 up. A year ago in the round of 16, Decker beat Davis. Giles fell to Flax 4 and 2. In the afternoon, two-time champion David Partridge (Hermitage CC, Manakin) lost to Mahone 3 and 2.
Buckner shot 81 in the opening round of stroke-play qualifying on Monday but rallied to shoot 69 on Tuesday and earn a spot in the match-play portion of the tournament. He defeated a pair of Midlothian residents on Wednesday: Scott Reisenweaver (Salisbury CC) 3 and 2 in the morning and Robert Nussey Jr. (Brandermill CC) 1 up in the afternoon.
Buckner, who lost to Decker in last year’s final, played well and never trailed in the morning against Reisenweaver, but the heat of the afternoon made it a long day. He won the first two holes and didn’t trail against Nussey, but wins by Nussey on the 12th and 15th holes brought the match to all square. Buckner won the par-5 17th with a par and they halved the last.
The difference in Monday’s 81 and his play since then?
“For some reason I could not putt the greens. I had seven three-putts. It just wasn’t there,” he said. “[Tuesday] I guess I came out with a different mindset and played a little earlier before everything got scuffed up. It’s all putting. I’ve been hitting the ball good.”
Buckner’s quarterfinal opponent Flax was 6-up through 11 holes against the 74-year-old Giles, who won three holes in a row (Nos. 13-15) to cut into the deficit, but Flax closed out the match with a par on the 16th. Flax and Patch were all square through 12 holes. Wins at Nos. 13 and 16 put Flax in the lead for good.
Barber, 58, is playing in the Senior Amateur for only the second time because it hasn’t fit his schedule in the past. His daughter and grandson live in Charlottesville so he made it fit this year. He defeated Joe Leightner (Springfield G&CC, Springfield) 4 and 3 in the morning, and Boedicker 2 up in the afternoon.
“I drove it well and I hit my irons really well. I wasn’t at my best with the putter at times. I continue to keep playing,” said Barber, the 1992 VSGA Men’s Amateur winner. “I don’t know the gentleman (Davis) I’m playing, but obviously he’s playing well to beat Keith and whoever else he beat.”
After taking out Decker, Davis eliminated Slavonia 3 and 2.
Wright advanced with victories over Jim Nirich (Stonewall GC, Catlett) in 19 holes and 3 and 2 against Gilchrist. Wright meets Hardcastle in the quarters. Hardcastle sent home Jim Woodson (Mill Quarter, Powhatan) 4 and 2 and Larry Collier (Piankatank River GC, Hartfield) 2 and 1. Hardcastle was dormie with four holes to play against Collier, but lost the next two holes. He closed out the match by halving the par-5 17th.
Mahone defeated Wade Biddix (Stonehenge G&CC, Richmond) 2 and 1 before eliminating Partridge in a match that featured nine birdies and an eagle (Partridge on the par-4 ninth). Mahone was 6-under for the match. Partridge, who beat Jon Zampedro (Chantilly National, Centreville) 2 and 1 in the morning, was 3-under.
Mahone’s opponent is Jordan, who finished with three birdies in a row in the second round of qualifying to make it into the playoff for the last match-play berths. Jordan missed match play in his first try a year ago.
Jordan was 1 up when he birdied the last hole to beat Brittain. In the match with Roday, they were all square through 15 holes before Jordan chipped in for a birdie on the par-3 16th and sank a 35-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 17th.
“Both matches were really fun. Close the whole day. I’m thrilled to be able to play on Thursday,” Jordan said.
Jordan and Buckner are best friends.
“Rich got me addicted to this game in college. I love him for it. We play lots of golf together. We looked at the brackets and said wow, if we have a good day [Thursday] we could have a date on Friday,” Jordan said. “It’s a long time until Friday and a lot of golf to be played.”
Retired Richmond Times-Dispatch staff writer Arthur Utley is a frequent contributor to VSGA championship coverage.