Area players compete at U.S. Senior Am & U.S. Senior Women's Am
UPDATE (September 20, 2016 - 3:00 p.m.) - After advancing to the Round of 32 at their respective U.S. Senior Amateur (Old Warson CC, St. Louis, Mo.) and U.S. Senior Women's Amateur (Wellesley CC, Wellesley, Mass.) championships, Adam Kugler and Sherry Herman's runs came to an end on Tuesday.
Kugler, of Closter, N.J., took a 1-up lead into the final nine holes, but No. 15 seed Steven Liebler of Irmo, S.C., won the next to to claim his first lead in the match. After three consecutive halves, Liebler won back-to-back holes once again on Nos. 15-16, defeating Kugler by a 3-and-2 margin.
Middletown, N.J.'s Herman dropped her first three holes against Lynne Cowan of Rocklin, Calif. She bounced back with a win on the par-5 sixth to trim the lead to two, but would not take another hole in the match. Cowan added victories on Nos. 9 and 10 before closing the match with a birdie-two on the 15th for the 5-and-3 win.
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UPDATE (September 19, 2016 4:30 p.m.) - Adam Kugler of Closter, N.J., and Sherry Herman of Middletown, N.J., have both advanced to the Round of 32 in their respective U.S. Senior Amateur (Old Warson CC, St. Louis, Mo.) and U.S. Senior Women's Amateur (Wellesley CC, Wellesley, Mass.) championships, following victories on Monday.
Though Kugler never trailed in his 1-up victory at Old Warson CC, he faced plenty of challenge from a relentless Mike Booker of The Woodlands, Texas. Kugler, the 2014 MGA Senior Open champion, earned 2-up advantages on multiple occasions, only to see Booker return the match to all-square twice. Kugler opened with wins on Nos. 1 and 3. The two traded holes on Nos. 6 and 7, but Booker won Nos. 9 and 11 to pull even. Kugler responded strongly though, capturing the next two holes to reclaim a 2-up edge. After a half on No. 14, Booker won back-to-back holes to return the match to all-square. Just as he had done throughout the match, Kugler responded with a win of his own, winning the 220-yard par-3 with a par. A halve on the home hole sealed the victory.
At Wellesley CC, Herman won Nos. 5 and 7 to turn a 1-hole deficit into a 1-up lead, but her opponent Sue Cohn of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., came right back with a win on No. 8 to square the match. The pair halved the following five holes, before Herman notched back-to-back victories on Nos. 14 and 15, including birdie-two on 15. Halves on Nos. 16 and 17 lead to the 2-and-1 win for Herman.
Anthony Fioretti of Sparta, N.J., also faced a back-and-forth match at the U.S. Senior Am, but fell by a 2-and-1 margin to No. 5 qualifier Randy Haag of Orinda, Calif. A birdie on the par-4 10th hole trimmed Fioretti's deficit to just one hole, but Haag claimed two of the next three to push the advantage to three. Going par-birdie on Nos. 15 and 16 kept Fioretti alive as he searched for a comeback, but Haag's par-three on the 17th led to the 2-and-1 defeat.
Play continues in the U.S. Senior Amateur and U.S. Senior Women's Amateur championships on Tuesday, with two scheduled rounds of match play.
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ELMSFORD, N.Y. (September 19, 2016) - Following 36 holes of on-site qualifying at both the U.S. Senior Amateur and U.S. Senior Women's Amateur championships, several area competitors have advanced to the match play portion of competition, which began Monday morning.
Related: U.S. Senior Amateur Scoring | U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Scoring
At Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, Mo., Adam Kugler of Closter, N.J., tied for 13th at 3-over following rounds of 73 and 72. The 2014 MGA Senior Open champion received the No. 18 seed for match play and takes on No. 47 Mike Booker of The Woodlands, Texas at 12:20 p.m., EDT. Anthony Fioretti of Sparta, N.J., also advanced, carding scores of 73-78 to make match play on the number at 9-over. He takes the No. 60 seed into match play, facing No. 5 qualifier Randy Haag of Orinda, Calif., at 11:10 a.m., EDT.
Meanwhile, in Wellesley, Mass., Sherry Herman of Middletown, N.J., tallied an 81 and 82 at Wellesley Country Club to finish tied for 32nd in the field of 132 competitors. Herman picks up play at 10:40 a.m., facing No. 28 qualifier Sue Cohn of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., in the Round of 64.