54th Senior Amateur Championship: Round Two

Fieger dominates way to fourth title

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SPRINGFIELD, Pa.–There is very little mystery when it comes to the Senior Amateur. This is Chris Fieger’s playground, stand clear.

The Heidelberg Country Club heavy hitter meticulously navigated a firm and fiery Rolling Green Golf Club (par 71, 6,485 yards) the last two days to finish the 36-hole tournament 2-over par; three shots clear of the field. It was his fourth Senior Amateur Championship (2019-20, 2022) in the last six years.

“It’s something to be proud out for sure,” said Fieger, 61, of Denver, Pa., who carded a closing-round even-par 71. “[The Senior Amateur] is just a tournament I love. It’s always a good test. I’m so glad to come out the victor.”

Fieger holds the second-most victories in the event’s history. Squires Golf Club’s Allan Sussel, the trophy’s namesake, has six titles. An interesting link between the two. Fieger occasionally caddied for Sussel back in the day when the latter visited The Springhaven Club. Sussel also passed down a set of Wilson Tour Blades to Fieger when he was a sophomore at Temple University.

Jeff Frazier of Carlisle Country Club; senior rookie David Liotta of Whitemarsh Valley Country Club and Paul Rogowicz of Yardley Country Club tied for second at 5 over.

Fieger, who with John Barry of Lancaster Country Club tied for the Round 1 lead, had no fear factor on a day when nerves were frayed. The field scoring average checked in at 80.8.

Fieger instead presented his foes with a sharp iron game and 15 of 18 greens hit in regulation.

A sublime number.

“Like I said yesterday, I just want to hit fairways and greens,” said Fieger, a regional sales manager for GARR TOOL. “That takes a lot of the pressure off. I hit the first eight greens and made a couple of birdies but I had a couple of three putts. I didn’t miss another green after the 10^th hole.

“It was fiery [out there]. I love the layout. It’s always been one of my favorite golf courses. It is different than when I played it 40­-plus years ago, because it was all very much tree lined, but it’s still got plenty of firepower to bring down golfers.”

All but Fieger.

He stated his intentions immediately with a crisp opening hole. On No. 1 (par 4, 404 yards), Fieger clipped a 58-degree wedge from 82 yards that stopped 12 feet right of the hole. In it dropped. Barry struggled and made seven. In the blink of an eye, Fieger had a three-shot lead. Adam Armagost of Little Mill Country Club was the closest challenger.

Fieger gave that shot back on No. 4 (par 4, 375 yards) with an eight-foot par miss, but responded two holes later with a scintillating 6-iron to four feet and subsequent birdie on No. 6 (par 3, 190 yards). A three-putt from 50 feet on No. 7 (par 5, 508 yards) resulted in bogey. Fieger made the turn in even-par 36.

It was pretty quiet for the next three holes. Three pars recorded.

However, a bogey on No. 13 (par 4, 400 yards) added some doubt to the title picture. A 4-iron tug into the left bunker on No. 14 (par 3, 214 yards) muddied the waters. Temporarily. The ensuing sand splash stopped inches from the cup for a tap-in par save.

On No. 15 (par 4, 365 yards), Fieger crystalized his trophy hoist with a nipped sand wedge from 75 yards to four feet. Birdie dropped. The lead extended to three strokes.

Three ho-hum pars followed.

“When I made birdie on 15, I’m thinking five or six more good swings. That’s all you really need,” said Fieger.

Liotta, of Broomall, Pa., who turned 55 years of age last Tuesday, birdied three of his final four holes to post the tournament’s only sub-par round at 1-under 70. Frazier, 59, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., finished eagle, birdie and Rogowicz, 60, of Yardley, Pa. posted three straight birdies on holes 15 to 17.

Frazier Defends Senior Silver Cross

Frazier claimed his second-consecutive Senior Silver Cross Award with a four-round total of 1-over-par 284. The Senior Silver Cross is made up of the Francis B. Warner Cup, Frank H. Chapman Cup and the two rounds of the Senior Amateur. Frazier won the Warner Cup and Chapman Cup this season.

He wrapped up his 2024 campaign by playing the final two holes in 3-under-par. He canned a 30-footer on No. 17 (par 5, 473 yards) for eagle and two-putted from 30 feet for birdie at the last (par 5, 521 yards).

“I played well and pretty consistently this season which leads to success in the Silver Cross race,” Frazier, 59, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., said. “Winning a few of the events this year was nice. There is a lot of room to improve for me. It comes down to the putter for me. If I can make putts, I will score well. Winning this award is a nice thing to have. I certainly feel like I am one of the most consistent players in GAP.”

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.