UPDATED: July 11 - 8:20 pm : After the first round of the U.S. Senior Open at Omaha Country Club, Peter Busch and Mark Mielke are  leading the Met contintengent and are both tied for 33rd after rounds of 1-over 71. Bruce Zabriski is one shot back at 2-over, and amateur George Zahringer and Nelson Long are also still right in the mix after shooting 3-over.

The current leaders finished at 3-under par, but Friday's second round provides a chance to for the Met Area favorites to make their way to the top of the leaderboard. For full scores, CLICK HERE.

 

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ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 9, 2013) – Five of the 156 players headed to Omaha Country Club in Omaha, Nebraska for the U.S. Senior Open Championship have long lists of accomplishments in the Met Area. Leading the way is amateur George Zahringer of New York, N.Y., who is no stranger to USGA competition as he finished as the low amateur twice in this event (2007 and ’05).

Zahringer, a 10-time MGA Player of the Year, recently competed in the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur (he won in 2002) and U.S. Senior Amateur, and was also the runner-up in the 2008 U.S. Senior Amateur.

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Peter Busch of Westfield, N.J., advanced to the U.S. Senior Open at the same site (medalist at Garden City CC) where he won the MGA Senior Open a year ago. Busch has a number of top-10 finishes in both the MGA Senior Open and NJPGA Senior Championship and is the head professional at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth, N.J.

Two-time Met Open champion Mark Mielke of Oyster Bay, N.Y., recorded three top-ten finishes on the Met PGA circuit in 2012 and is another strong player to watch for in Nebraska. Just recently, he finished tied for low club pro honors at the Senior PGA Championship in St. Louis. Mielke is also a New York State Open winner and captured the 2011 Long Island PGA title. 

More than 2,700 entries were accepted for this year’s edition of the U.S. Senior Open, and with 78 players exempt into the field, it was highly competitive to advance through sectional qualifying. The championship will take place July 11-14 and is the USGA’s first visit back to Nebraska since the 1996 Women’s Amateur. The field of 156 players, all age 50 and over, will be cut after 36 holes to the low 60 players (and ties) for the final 36 holes.

Longtime head professional at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., Nelson Long, also advanced through sectionals at Garden City CC to earn his trip to Nebraska. Long has been a PGA member since 1976 and has been honored with numerous awards throughout his career, including the 1999 Met PGA Teacher of the Year, the 2005 Horton Smith Award, and most recently the 2010 PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award for leadership in golf.

Although Bruce Zabriski now resides in Jupiter, Fla., he too has strong ties to the Met Area. The former PGA TOUR member and winner of the PGA Professional National Championship has won 22 Met Area events in his career, including two Met Opens and the 2007 MGA Senior Open, and has worked at both Winged Foot Golf Club and Westchester Country Club when he lived up North. Zabriski played in the 2008 U.S. Senior Open and qualified at the Garden City site as well. Currently, Zabriski is working full time back at Westchester Country Club.