Three VSGA members qualified for match play at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, and one VSGA member advanced to match play in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.
Pat Tallent (Westwood CC), Matt Sughrue (1757 GC) and James Gallagher (Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour) were among the 64 men to advance at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis. Amy Ellertson (Farmington CC) was the lone woman from the VSGA contingent to make it to the round of 64 at Wellesley Country Club in Wellesley, Mass.
Tallent and Sughrue both posted two-day 145s to tie for 13th. Tallent shot 71 on Saturday and 74 on Sunday, with Sughrue posting a 74 on Saturday and rallying for a 71 on Sunday. Gallagher returned 75s on both days for a two-day 150 to tie for 48th.
Tallent is the No. 17 seed for match play and opened play on Monday morning against No. 48 seed George Marucci of Villanova, Pa. Sughrue secured the No. 14 seed and is on the opposite side of the bracket. He was set to face No. 51 seed Randy Mitchell of Wilmington, Del., at 12:30 p.m. local time on Monday.
Gallagher, the No. 50 seed, will see a familiar face in his match-play opener. He’ll take on No. 15 seed Steven Liebler, who spent time growing up Virginia but lives in Irmo, S.C. Liebler was recently inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame.
Past champion Vinny Giles (Kinloch GC) just missed the match-play cut, his 75-77—152 putting him one stroke back of the final qualifying spot. Gary Cicatiello (Brickshire GC) also qualified for the championship, but he shot 82 on the first day and withdrew.
Ellertson is the No. 48 seed in the Senior Women’s Amateur and will face No. 17 Susan West of Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Monday. Ellertson shot 86 on the first day but rallied for a 79 on Sunday to make match play. Only one player posted an under-par round over the weekend, Kim Eaton, who tied for second. Canada’s Judith Kyrinis returned an even-par 148 for stroke-play medalist honors.
Mary Cabriele (CC of Fairfax) just missed a playoff for the final spot in match play after shooting 169. Lindsay Wortham (CC of Virginia) shot 170; Joanne Kitusky (The Dominion Club) posted a 173 and Susan Podolsky (Mount Vernon CC) shot 177.