Michael Kelly, from Odenton, birdied three of his last five holes to complete a 4-under-par 32-36–68 at Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club in Columbia and earn the medal in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur championship, July 31. He previously had medaled in 2013 and this will be his sixth appearance at the national site.
With four places available, there was a 4-for-3 playoff (using parallel holes No. 1 and 9) for the other spots. David Nocar, Jr., of Millersville, and Stu Strang, of Silver Spring, each got in with a par at the first extra hole, and Rand Mendez, of Wilmington, finally got the last space when he made par to outlast Jim Winner, of Churchville, on the fifth playoff hole.
Kelly capped a four-birdie front side by running in three in a row, beginning at the sixth. At the par-3 eighth, he struck a 5-iron shot to six inches. “I hit it great for the first nine holes,” he said, then promptly lost three strokes on the next two holes. He 3-putted 10 for bogey and hit his tee shot in the water at the par-3 11th, leading to a double-bogey.
“I was still 1-under,” he said, “so I reorganized and wound up getting those three shots back,” with birdies at Nos. 14, 15, and 18.
Nocar, 55, set up his round when he went eagle-3-birdie-2 at the seventh and eighth holes. At the 515-yard seventh, he hit driver-hybrid to four feet, and at the 200-yard eighth, he hit a 7-iron shot to seven feet. After that, he fashioned nine pars and a bogey and finished hitting 15 greens. “I wasn’t trying to be conservative,” he said. The former Maryland State Amateur champion has now qualified for every USGA event for which he has been eligible except the U.S. Open. Additionally, a British Amateur start is in his resume.
Strang, 59, was even par on the opening nine, then posted three birdies in the first five holes on the back, then dropped back with a bogey at 17. He now adds a Senior Amateur to a USGA resume that lists an Amateur and a Mid-Amateur.
Mendez, 57, who shot 79 a year ago at Prospect Bay, got to 3-under when he birdied 15-16, but admitted to some nervousness. “I missed an easy 3-footer for par at 17. Nerves. At the par-5 18th, I was short in three but hit a flop shot to 6 inches and saved par. Definitely nerves.”
He hit what he called his worst drive of the day at the first playoff hole and when he and Winner both made 5’s, they moved over to the ninth. On 9-1-9 both went par-bogey-par to set up the climactic finish. Winner became the first alternate.
Notes — The leaders were followed by four players at 71 and five each at 72 and 73. . .Leon Roday, from Richmond, finished with an eagle-3 at the 515-yard 18th to end at 72. . .The championship will be conducted August 26-31 at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.
