54th Senior Amateur Championship: Round One

Barry, Fieger, Sr. out in front

SPRINGFIELD, Pa. – Three-time champion Chris Fieger, Sr. (2019-20, 2022) and reigning GAP Senior Player of the Year John Barry of Lancaster Country Club share the lead after the first round of the 54th Senior Amateur Championship Tuesday at Rolling Green Golf Club (par 71, 6,397 yards). Both fired rounds of 73.

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The real winner was Rolling Green. The William Flynn design sharpened its teeth with firm, fast and blustery conditions. The scoring average was 81.82. A total of 70 players made the cut at 81.

“The greens were really difficult and if you got above the hole you had a hard time stopping the ball,” Fieger said. “I hit the ball great but I misclubbed a few times and I paid the price. I had a lot of wedges in hand and was making bogeys. You can’t do that.”

Fieger got off to a wild start. He holed a 9-iron from 140 yards for an eagle on No. 2 (par 4, 413 yards). He ripped a 6-iron from 177 yards to five feet on No. 7 (par 5, 496 yards) for his second eagle on the front. He made three bogeys to make the turn in 1 under.

The Heidelberg Country Club member’s back nine was more of the bogey and not birdie variety. A 3-over back nine got him to his magic number but not without frustration.

Fieger’s game travels and travels well. He qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur that he got back from last week. He claimed the Lancaster County Golf Association Mid-Amateur and Amateur Championships this summer.

“This event always brings the best seniors together so you have to play well to compete,” Fieger said. “I love playing in this event. I wish I could play more GAP events but sometimes work gets in the way.”

A win for Fieger on Wednesday would put him with four titles, second-most in the history of the event. Squires Golf Club’s Allan Sussel, the trophy’s namesake, has six titles.

“Fairways and greens will be a priority for me tomorrow,” Fieger said. “With the greens being elevated, you can’t bounce the ball on the green. Your approaches have to be precise. I love to play the game and compete. Whether it is in competition or in a casual round at Heidelberg, I am just looking to shoot the lowest score I can.”

Barry held it together for his round of 73.

“I thought I drove it really well but didn’t hit a lot of fairways,” Barry, 58, of Lancaster, Pa., said. “Playing from the rough made it hard out there with the firmness of the greens. It wasn’t the strongest round of golf I have played, but I was happy to get the round in the clubhouse.”

He made the turn in even par but found a little bit of adversity on the back nine after making a double bogey on the lengthy 10th (par 3, 205 yards). He bounced back with a birdie on No. 11 (par 4, 401 yards). He stoned a pitching wedge from 120 yards to 15 feet to get back on track. He would finish the round with two bogeys and one birdie to round out his 73.

“Rolling Green and Lancaster have a lot of similarities since Flynn also designed Lancaster,” Barry said. “The greens are firm and fast and are elevated for the most part. Tomorrow I need to hit some more greens and fairways. You can’t run the ball up, you have to fly it there.”

Barry, the 2023 Frank H. Chapman Cup champion, would be the first player from Lancaster to win the Senior Amateur. He said patience and perseverance will be the name of the game for the final round. 

“I don’t see the winning score being really low for two days,” Barry said. “I see it as a survival of the fittest type event here at Rolling Green.” 

Senior Silver Cross Update

Carlisle Country Club’s Jeff Frazier holds a two-shot lead over Lancaster’s Ken Phillips with one round remaining in the Senior Silver Cross race. The Senior Silver Cross is made up of the Francis B. Warner Cup, Chapman Cup and the two rounds of the Senior Amateur. Frazier won the Senior Silver Cross in 2023.

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 110,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.