Jody Fanagan rallied from two down for the second time in two days to reach the quarter-finals of the US Senior Amateur Championship at Martis Camp Club in Truckee, California.

The 58-year-old, who came back from two down to beat Texan Chris Hartenstein in the round of 64, defeated Colorado’s Steve Ivan 5&3 in the round of 32 before coming back from two down after six holes to beat North Carolina’s Steve Harwell one up in the last 16.

Bidding to become the first international champion in Senior Am history, Fanagan won the eighth and 13th in pars to square the match with the number three seed, then rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt to win the 16th hole and go one up.

He then lipped out a 4-foot par putt to close out the match on 17 before executing an exquisite pitch from rough to the left of the 18th green.

Despite the sidehill lie and little green in which to work, Fanagan, competing in his first USGA championship, delicately launched his ball into the fringe and watched it trickle seven feet below the hole.

Harwell had a chance to force extra holes but saw his birdie attempt from 12 feet die short of the hole. Fanagan then calmly converted the par putt to seal the win.

It was reminiscent of his play in the 1995 Walker Cup when he teamed with future three-time major champion and countryman Padraig Harrington to defeat Tiger Woods and John Harris in foursomes, part of a 3-0 performance in a GB&I victory at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.

“That was nice,” said Fanagan of his final-hole execution. “It’s in there somewhere. Sometimes it comes out and sometimes it doesn’t. I got a lovely lie and I could just pitch it into the first cut and hope it comes out [right]. It came out beautiful.”

Asked if he would be following the 2023 Walker Cup Match at St. Andrews, Fanagan said: “Yes. Absolutely. I had hoped to be there, but I was coming here. Just can’t do everything. But I’ve got to go to the Czech Republic on Sunday [for the European Senior Team Championships]. Lots going on. Busy boy.”

Fanagan faces Curtis Holck from Iowa in today’s quarter-finals at 4 pm Irish time.

Scoring

The USGA writes:

Todd White teaches history at Spartanburg (S.C.) High School, but he might want to consider joining the theatre department. He has been involved in some drama-filled matches during the first two days of the 68th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Martis Camp Club.

Nearly eliminated twice – first in the Round of 64 when No. 64 seed Jerry Gunthorpe took the medalist and top seed to the 18th hole and then in the Round of 32 on Tuesday morning when he needed 21 holes to oust 2023 R&A Senior Amateur champion Brent Paterson – White, 55, of Spartanburg, managed to advance to the quarterfinals with a 5-and-4, Round-of-16 victory over Ken Wade, of Kennewick, Wash.

On yet another gorgeous day in the Lake Tahoe area – temperatures reaching into the 80s with no humidity and not a cloud in the blue sky – White turned around from a marathon second-round match to play bogey-free, 3-under-par golf with the usual match-play concessions to take out the No. 48 seed.

White was joined in the quarterfinals by 2019 champion Bob Royak, 61, of Alpharetta, Ga.; 2019 runner-up Roger Newsom, 59, of Virginia Beach, Va.; 2016 runner-up Matt Sughrue, 63, of Arlington, Va., Joe Palmer, 61, of Norwalk, Iowa, Mike Henry, 55, of Bloomington, Ill.; 1995 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cupper Jody Fanagan, 58, of the Republic of Ireland; and Curtis Holck, 59, of Ankeny, Iowa, who survived the 10-for-6 playoff on Monday morning to get into the draw.

When White took a 2-up lead on Wade with a par on the sixth hole, it was the first time in 45 holes of match play that he led by more than a hole. The 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion only lost one hole coming in – the par-5 10th when Wade was conceded his eagle putt – to earn his first final-eight berth in a USGA championship since the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur at John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, Fla.

“For me, I am a high-ball hitter and obviously with altitude I get a little bit more distance,” said White, the 2023 South Carolina Amateur champion who was a member of the victorious 2013 USA Walker Cup Team. “That’s something that I am having to calculate, so instead of a history teacher, I may go back and be a math teacher.”

In the morning, White needed to muster all of his vast USGA experience – this is his 35th event – to eliminate Paterson, of New Zealand. On 18, White had a chance to close out the match on the 18th hole but missed a 6-foot left-to-right, sliding par putt. Then on the first extra hole, Paterson remarkably stayed alive by converting an 18-foot par putt.

Both had chances on No. 20 – White came up a revolution short from the fringe and Paterson missed a downhill 10-footer – before White closed it out with a 6-foot par putt on the 201-yard, par-3 21st hole. Paterson failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker, missing a 20-footer for par.

Palmer, perhaps, received a little mojo from a memento he’s kept in his pocket this week. It’s a USA Walker Cup ball marker given to him by native Iowan Mike McCoy, who will captain his 10-man side this weekend against GB&I on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. Two down with three holes to play in his Round-of-16 match, Palmer, 61, won the 16th hole with a par, stuffed his tee shot on the 159-yard, par-3 17th to set up a winning birdie and then converted a 25-foot par putt on the closing hole to win, 1 up, over Randy Haag, of Orinda, Calif. In an attempt to tie the hole, Haag saw his 6-foot par putt do a near 360-degree turn around the hole. Both players had missed the green with their approach shots; Palmer finding the deep greenside bunker to the right of the putting surface.

“A lot of my friends call me ‘The Grinder,’” said Palmer, who won his morning match, 4 and 3, over David Hayes and will be making his first quarterfinal appearance in five Senior Amateur starts. “It’s why I enjoy match play. I grinded it out and we’re going on. I’m excited.”

Second-seeded Sughrue, fresh off a runner-up finish in the Virginia State Senior, also a match-play competition, also grinded out two victories on Tuesday to reach the final eight for the first time since 2017 at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis. Sughrue, who lost in the 2016 final to Dave Ryan at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, defeated Greg Sanders, of Anchorage, Alaska, 1 up, in the Round of 32 and then eliminated Scotland’s Ronnie Clark, 2 and 1.

Down the stretch, Sughrue hit a number of solid shots including an 8-iron to a challenging back-right hole location on No. 13 for what became a conceded birdie to go 2 up. Then on the par-5 15th hole, he matched Clark’s brilliant second shot as both reached the green in two to set up matching birdies. Sughrue drove the green at the 282-yard, par-4 16th hole for a two-putt birdie, but Clark got up and down for birdie to tie. A solid 9-iron tee shot on the par-3 17th hole enabled Sughrue to comfortably two-putt from 15 feet to close it out.

Henry, who rallied from an opening-round 84 to make match play with a 2-under-par 70 in Sunday’s second round, eliminated another past USGA champion on Tuesday morning when the 55-year-old defeated 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Tim Hogarth in the longest match of the championship, a 23-holes thriller. On Monday, he ousted 1979 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Jack Larkin Sr., 1 up, and he’ll get a third USGA champion in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (White) after knocking out James Sewell, of Cameron Park, Calif., 6 and 5, in the Round of 16, playing the equivalent of 4-under-par golf with match-play concessions.

After escaping with a 20-hole win over John Hornbeck in the morning, Newsom, an ophthalmologist who entered match play as the No. 5 seed, rolled to a 5-and-3 win over Jeff Mallette, playing 1-under golf over the 15 holes. He desperately wants to atone for a tough 1-down defeat in the championship match four years ago at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C., saying during stroke play that “he wants to get that monkey off my back.”

Royak eliminated fellow Georgian Tom Lape, 2 and 1, to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year and the third time since he won four years ago. A year ago, he lost to the eventual champion and fellow Peach State golfer Rusty Strawn. Earlier on Tuesday, he ousted 2015 champion Chip Lutz in 19 holes after trailing by three holes early in the match. He slowly chipped away before winning the 19th with a par.  

Fanagan, bidding to become the first international champion in Senior Am history, rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt to win the 16th hole and go 1 up in his Round-of-16 encounter with No. 3 seed Steve Harwell. Then he lipped out a 4-foot par putt to close out the match on 17 before executing an exquisite pitch from rough to the left of the 18th green. Despite the sidehill lie and little green in which to work, Fanagan, competing in his first USGA championship, delicately launched his ball into the fringe and watched it trickle 7 feet below the hole. Harwell had a chance to force extra holes but saw his birdie attempt from 12 feet die short of the hole. Fanagan then calmly converted the par putt to seal the win.

It was reminiscent of his play in the 1995 Walker Cup when he teamed with future three-time major champion and countryman Padraig Harrington to defeat Tiger Woods and John Harris in foursomes, part of a 3-0 performance in a GB&I victory at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.

“That was nice,” said Fanagan of his final-hole execution. “It’s in there somewhere. Sometimes it comes out and sometimes it doesn’t. I got a lovely lie and I could just pitch it into the first cut and hope it comes out [right]. It came out beautiful.”

Holck, the 2002 Iowa Mid-Amateur champion, produced a pair of 2-and-1 victories on Tuesday, first defeating Chris Fieger and then James Volpenhein to set up a quarterfinal matchup against Fanagan.

What’s Next

The quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be contested on Wednesday, starting at 7:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. PDT, respectively. The 18-hole championship match is set for Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to attend.

Notable

All of the quarterfinalists are exempt into the 2024 U.S. Senior Amateur that will be contested at The Honors Course, in Ooltewah, Tenn.

After just one match went extra holes in the Round of 64 on Monday, four went beyond No. 18 in the Round of 32. That included the longest match of the week with Mike Henry outlasting Tim Hogarth in 23 holes. The championship record is 27 holes, which was set 60 years ago at Sea Island Golf Club in the first round. No matches in the Round of 16 went beyond 18.

A pair of doctors met in the Round of 16 on Tuesday afternoon with Virginia Beach, Va., ophthalmologist and 2019 runner-up Roger Newsom beating Jeff Mallette, a dentist based in North Canton, Ohio. The last physician to win the U.S. Senior Amateur was Doug Hanzel in 2013. The late Dr. Ed Updegraff, a urologist based in Tucson, Ariz., won the 1981 championship and was the runner-up the following year.

Ken Wade, of Kennewick, Wash., was the 155th player into the field as the first alternate from the Garden City, Idaho, qualifier at Shadow Valley Golf Course. But he made the most of his second chance, advancing to the Round of 16 as the No. 48 seed.

Match play can be awfully fickle, but six of the top seven seeds advanced at least to the Round of 16, with only sixth-seeded Jon Brown failing to get out of the opening round against fellow Iowan Curtis Holck. Four of those seven are among the final eight competitors.

Quotable

“I was thinking going through the morning match today that I am striking the ball well enough to advance. I just hope it’s not my putter that sends me home.” – Todd White

“It’s nice to advance to the quarterfinals in my first Senior Am. I am already part of a winner because it exempts me to The Honors Course next year. For me, it’s almost like [Alabama] coach Nick Saban says, it’s a process. Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re hitting golf shots and obviously what your opponent does can change a little bit of the process. But right now, I am playing halfway decent, so I am just going to stay with it.” – White

“This field is incredible. There were some intestinal-fortitude moments, particularly this morning [in my Round-of-32 win over Greg Sanders] where I had to gather myself and pull it together and I did.” – Matt Sughrue

“Playing with a good friend (Randy Haag) makes it easy. He played well. He got off to a hot start. Birdie-eagle, just kick-ins [on Nos. 3 and 4]. And I just had to hang in there. I knew he wasn’t going away with his short game. Both of us didn’t hit the kind of shots we wanted into 18. I just got lucky [to make a 25-footer]. Golf is a little bit of that.” – Joe Palmer

“Yes. Absolutely. I had hoped to be there, but I was coming here. Just can’t do everything. But I’ve got to go to the Czech Republic on Sunday [for the European Senior Team Championships]. Lots going on. Busy boy.” – Jody Fanagan when asked if he would be following the 2023 Walker Cup Match at St. Andrews

Jody Fanagan, 58, of the Republic of Ireland 

• No. 1,187 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® 

• Competing in his first U.S. Senior Amateur 

• Rallied from 2 down to defeat Steve Harwell in the Round of 16 

• Tied for second in this year’s European Senior Championship on June 17 

• Tied for fifth in the 2023 English Senior Stroke Play at Alwoodley G.C. in Leeds, United Kingdom 

• Won the 2022 Irish Senior Men’s Amateur with a 72-hole score of 219 

• Posted a 3-0 record as a member of the victorious 1995 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup Team 

• He and partner Padraig Harrington defeated Tiger Woods & John Harris in Sunday foursomes 

• Serves as director for Fanagans Funeral Homes 

Road to the Quarterfinals 

• Shot 75-74–149 in stroke play to earn the No. 19 seed 

• R64: Def. Chris Hartenstein, 2 up 

• R32: Def. Steve Ivan, 5 and 3 

• R16: Def. Steve Harwell, 1 up 

 

Mike Henry, 55, of Bloomington, Ill. 

• Not ranked in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® 

• Competing in his first U.S. Senior Amateur 

• Eagled the par-4 16th in the second round of stroke play en route to a 2-under 70 following a first-round 84 

• Defeated 1979 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Jack Larkin in the Round of 64 

• Won in extra holes against 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Tim Hogarth in the Round of 32 

• Claimed the 2019 Illinois Senior Open following a three-hole playoff 

• Recorded a three-stroke victory in the 2013 Illinois Public Links Championship 

• His father, Patrick, was a career U.S. Air Force pilot 

• Attended nine schools through college and was a walk-on golfer at Western Illinois University 

• Works as an analyst for an insurance company 

Road to the Quarterfinals 

• Shot 84-70–154 in stroke play to earn the No. 56 seed 

• R64: Def. Jack Larkin Sr., 1 up 

• R32: Def. Tim Hogarth, 23 holes 

• R16: Def. James Sewell, 6 and 5 

 

Curtis Holck, 59, of Ankeny, Iowa 

• No. 2,672 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® 

• Competing in his second U.S. Senior Amateur 

• Survived a 10-for-6 stroke-play playoff to reach match play 

• Won a 2-for-1 playoff to earn medalist in the Dakota Dunes, S.C., qualifier on July 20 

• Runner-up to Joe Palmer in this year’s Iowa Mid-Amateur Senior 

• Tied for second in the 2021 Iowa Senior Amateur behind champion Michael McCoy 

• Two-time Northwest Iowa Amateur champion (2004, 2005) 

• 2002 Iowa Golf Association Mid-Amateur champion 

• Works as a letter carrier for United Parcel Service 

Road to the Quarterfinals 

• Shot 78-77–155 in stroke play to earn the No. 59 seed 

• R64: Def. Jon Brown, 5 and 4 

• R32: Def. Chris Fieger, 2 and 1  

• R16: Def. James Volpenhein, 2 and 1 

 

Roger Newsom, 59, of Virginia Beach, Va. 

• No. 4,181 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® 

• Competing in his 11th USGA championship and fourth U.S. Senior Amateur 

• Runner-up to Bob Royak in the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur at Old Chatham G.C., in Durham, N.C. 

• Advanced to the U.S. Senior Amateur quarterfinals last year and has played in three U.S. Senior Opens 

• Two-time State of Open Virginia champion (2008, 2011) 

• Won 2014 Virginia State Golf Association Senior Open 

• His brother, Tim, is director of operations at Riverfront G.C., in Suffolk, Va. 

• Full-time ophthalmologist who performs 20 to 30 eye surgeries on a weekly basis 

• Board-certified and specializes in laser and refractive cataract surgery 

Road to the Quarterfinals 

• Shot 73-72–145 in stroke play to earn the No. 5 seed 

• R64: Def. Doug Banks, 5 and 3 

• R32: Def. John Hornbeck, 20 holes 

• R16: Def. Jeff Mallette, 5 and 3 

 

Joe Palmer, 61, of Norwalk, Iowa 

• No. 1,265 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® 

• Competing in his eighth USGA championship and fifth U.S. Senior Amateur 

• Advanced to the quarterfinals for first time after reaching the Round of 32 twice 

• Defeated 2018 U.S. Senior Amateur champion Jeff Wilson in Round of 64 

• Won the 2023 Iowa Mid-Amateur Senior title in a playoff with Curtis Holck 

• Runner-up in this year’s Iowa Senior Masters with a 54-hole score of 213 

• Rallied to win his fourth Iowa Senior Amateur in 2022 

• 2021 Iowa Golf Association Senior Player of the Year 

• Competed in the 2014 U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree National, in Edmond, Okla. 

• Restaurant owner of Palmer’s Deli and Market (four locations in the Des Moines area) 

Road to the Quarterfinals 

• Shot 78-75–153 in stroke play to earn the No. 45 seed 

• R64: Def. Jeff Wilson, 5 and 3 

• R32: Def. David Hayes, 4 and 3 

• R16: Def. Randy Haag, 1 up 

 

Bob Royak, 61, of Alpharetta, Ga. 

• No. 554 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® 

• Competing in his 24th USGA championship and seventh U.S. Senior Amateur 

• Won the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur, defeating Roger Newsom, 1 up, in the final match 

• Attempting to become the 15th player to win multiple U.S. Senior Amateurs 

• Reached the U.S. Senior Amateur semifinals in 2022 and played in three U.S. Senior Opens 

• Advanced to match play in all seven U.S. Senior Amateurs and has a 17-5 record 

• Four-time Georgia State Golf Association Senior Player of the Year 

• His brother, Paul, also competed in this year’s U.S. Senior Amateur 

• He and his wife, Patricia, are involved with a Russian Orphan program for children 

• Serves as vice president of an executive search firm 

Road to the Quarterfinals 

• Shot 71-75–146 in stroke play to earn the No. 7 seed 

• R64: Def. David Levan, 1 up 

• R32: Def. Chip Lutz, 19 holes 

• R16: Def. Tom Lape, 2 and 1 

 

Matt Sughrue, 63, of Arlington, Va. 

• No. 844 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® 

• Competing in his 22nd USGA championship and seventh U.S. Senior Amateur 

• Runner-up to Dave Ryan in the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur at Old Warson C.C., in St. Louis, Mo. 

• Has compiled a 14-6 match-play record in U.S. Senior Amateurs 

• Competed in three U.S. Senior Opens and two U.S. Amateurs 

• Runner-up in the 2015 British Senior Amateur at Royal County Down 

• Worked in insurance for 25 years before attending graduate school at Virginia Tech 

• Became a family therapist at SERVE, a 90-bed home shelter for families in Manassas, Va. 

• Now in private practice where he assists elite athletes with their mental approach 

Road to the Quarterfinals 

• Shot 71-74–145 in stroke play to earn the No. 2 seed 

• R64: Def. John Barry, 3 and 2 

• R32: Def. Greg Sanders, 1 up 

• R16: Def. Ronnie Clark, 2 and 1 

 

Todd White, 55, of Spartanburg, S.C. 

• No. 3,710 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® 

• Competing in his 35th USGA championship and first U.S. Senior Amateur 

• Attempting to become the eighth player to win this championship as the stroke-play medalist 

• Member of the victorious 2013 USA Walker Cup Team 

• He and partner Nathan Smith won the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in 2015 

• Played in one U.S. Open (1995) and two U.S. Senior Opens (2021, 2022) 

• Advanced to the U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinals in 2012 and quarterfinals in 2014 and 2015 

• Has also qualified to play in this year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow C.C. & Fenway G.C. 

• History teacher and golf coach at Spartanburg High School 

Road to the Quarterfinals 

• Shot 72-72–144 in stroke play to earn the No. 1 seed 

• R64: Def. Jerry Gunthorpe, 1 up 

• R32: Def. Brent Paterson, 21 holes 

• R16: Def. Ken Wade, 5 and 4