46th U.S. Senior Open Final Qualifying Medalist Brett Quigley
Rockville, Md. – The Maryland State Golf Association hosted final qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open at Manor Country Club on Monday, June 15. Six players earned spots in the 46th U.S. Senior Open.
Brett Quigley of Barrington, R.I., landed medalist honors after posting a three-under-par 67 finish. Fresh off a fourth-place finish at the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa, Quigley started fast with a birdie on the first hole. Despite a bogey on the 3rd hole, Quigley remained consistent for the rest of the front nine, adding two more birdies on the 6th and 7th holes to make the turn at two-under-par. His performance remained steady on the back nine, carding an additional birdie on the 17th, leading him to the top of the leaderboard and a spot in the 46th U.S. Senior Open.
John O’Leary of Sterling, Va., finished the day a stroke behind Quigley at two-under-par 68. He began his round identically to Quigley with a birdie on the 1st hole and a bogey on the 3rd, but O’Leary finished the front nine at even-par. He came out strong on the back nine, firing off a pair of birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. Bogeys on the 12th and 14th holes set him back slightly, but O’leary responded quickly with a birdie on the 15th. O’Leary remained steady the remainder of his round and wrapped up his qualifying spot in the 46th U.S. Senior Open with a birdie on the 18th.
Michael Stamberger (a) of Brielle, N.J., came in third on the leaderboard after shooting a one-under-par 69. The start of his round was consistent, remaining even for the first four holes. The 5th hole saw his first bogey, but Stamberger followed up with a birdie shortly after on the 7th, finishing the front nine at even-par. The back nine proved steady for Stamberger once again with pars on the first five holes. After a birdie on the 14th, Stamberger ran into a brief setback with a bogey on the 15th. He responded promptly with a birdie on the 17th, finishing his day at one-under-par 69 and securing a spot in the 46th U.S. Senior Open.
Andrew Sapp of West Lafayette, Ind., Tucker Sampson (a) of Gaithersburg, Md., and Stephen Nichols (a) of Lansing, Mich., each tied for fourth with an even-par 70, securing the final three qualifying spots.
Sapp’s front nine was consistent, shooting pars on every hole except the 3rd, where he rattled off a birdie, finishing at one-under-par at the turn. As he moved to the back nine, he carded a birdie on the 12th, but was stunted by two bogeys on the 14th and 16th. Sapp parred the final two holes, wrapping up his day at even-par 70.
Sampson came out strong on the front nine, carding four birdies and three pars against two bogeys, making the turn at two-under-par. Sampson held on to that momentum with a solid start on the back nine, carding back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th. However, he ran into four consecutive bogeys starting on the 14th. He settled on the final hole and was able to finish his match at even-par 70.
Nichols opened his round with a birdie on the 1st hole, but was set back by three bogeys on the 2nd, 5th, and 7th holes. He was able to finish with a birdie on the 9th and make the turn at one-over-par. Nichols built momentum to start the back nine, firing off birdies on the 10th and 14th to get to one-under-par. Despite running into consecutive bogeys on the 16th and 17th, Nichols finished on a high note with a birdie on the 18th to secure his spot in the 46th U.S. Senior Open at even-par 70.
Four players tied at one-over-par 71, leading to a 4-for-2 playoff to decide the two alternate positions.
Rick Stimmel (a) of Pittsburgh, Pa., Howard Clendenin (a) of Fairlawn, Ohio, Grant Leroux (a) of Vero Beach, Fla., and Artie Fink (a) of Altoona, Pa., entered a four-for-two playoff to determine the qualifier’s alternate positions. The four players remained tied through four playoff holes before the second trip through the par-3 11th hole proved decisive. Clendenin and Stimmel were eliminated after making bogeys on the fifth playoff hole, while Leroux and Fink secured the two alternate spots. Two additional playoff holes were needed to determine the alternate order. After both players carded pars on the sixth playoff hole, the playoff returned to the par-4 10th for a third time, where Leroux made bogey. Fink claimed first alternate status, while Leroux earned second alternate honors.
After making it through the 18-hole final qualifying match at Manor Country Club, Quigley, O’Leary, Stamberger, Sapp, Sampson, and Nichols will prepare for the 46th U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, July 2-5.
The MSGA would like to thank the staff and members of Manor Country Club for their hospitality in hosting this USGA championship qualifier.
MSGA Mission
To serve, grow, and advance the game of golf in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
