55th Senior Amateur Championship: Round 1

Frazier sets sights on first Senior Amateur title

READING, Pa.– Jeff Frazier is in a similar but different position after Round 1 of the 55th Senior Amateur Championship.

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In the event’s last five years, he’s occupied a spot inside the Top 5 following the conclusion of Round 1. In each of those starts, he’s never finished the job. His best finishes are reflected in two runner-up crystals (2023-24). 

At a pleasant Berkshire Country Club Tuesday, Frazier, a Carlisle Country Club member, carded a 3-under-par 68 to set his first Senior Amateur trophy in his crosshairs. 

“It’s one of the biggest senior events,” Frazier, 60, of Mechanicsburg, Pa. “I’d say it’s one of the top two senior events and I haven’t won, so I’d like to win it.” 

The Senior Amateur is a two-day, 36-hole stroke-play event. The field was cut to the low 70 and ties for Wednesday’s Final Round. The cutline stopped at 81. A total of 77 players made the cut. Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Frazier leads four-time Senior Amateur Champion Chris Fieger, Sr. of Heidelberg Country Club and 2010 Middle-Amateur Champion Thomas Gramigna of Tavistock Country Club by a shot. Jack Carrigan of Hartefeld National sits in fourth at 1 under and rounds out the host of competitors in red figures.    

“I played well,” Frazier said. “I made some putts early, and I just made a bonehead move on 18. Other than that I played really solid.” 

Starting on Berkshire’s back nine, Frazier wasted no time getting into red figures. He played his first six holes 3 under. On No. 10 (par 4, 415 yards), Frazier’s pitching wedge from 126 yards landed 10 yards short of the green, but bounded onto the putting surface thanks to firm and fast conditions. He drained the ensuing 8-footer. On No. 12 (par 5, 554 yards), his 3-wood approach landed five yards short of the green. After a “tough chip,” he canned the 15-foot putt. Frazier’s putter continued to warm. On No. 15 (par 4, 405 yards), he jarred an 18-footer after steering an 8-iron from 145 yards.

A bogey on No. 18 (par 4, 313 yards) after his drive found the face of the left fairway bunker eclipsed an otherwise perfect card. He corrected his mistake with another birdie on No. 1 (par 5, 480 yards) after his second shot, a 6-iron from 185 yards, settled 30 feet away. He two-putted for his final red number.        

Frazier is a steely senior contender. The two-time GAP Senior Player of the Year (2024, 2022) has a burgeoning trophy case. He’s won three Brewer Cups (2020-21, 2025), two Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cups (2022, 2024) and a Francis B. Warner Cup (Senior) (2024). A year ago, he added the Pennsylvania Senior Amateur trophy to his collection. A Frazier win Wednesday would add his name to the illustrious list of players who have completed the GAP Senior Slam (Francis B. Warner Cup, Chapman Cup, Brewer Cup and Senior Amateur). 

Frazier also competes on a national level. To date, he’s played in a handful of USGA events. More recently, he played in the Sunnehanna Senior Amateur Championship at Sunnehanna Country Club and the North & South Senior Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort. He finished T10 and T5, respectively.   

“I like this. It’s something you don’t grow out of,” Frazier said. “I was pretty competitive in my younger days and [I] played a lot of sports. You just can’t turn it off.” 

The tournament leader, known for his penetrating ball flight, will adjust his strategy for tomorrow. 

“Fairways and greens, and I need to drive it well. If you drive it well, you can attack,” Frazier said. “There are several holes that I need to lay up on.”

Fieger is searching for his fifth Senior Amateur title. Allen Sussel of Squires Golf Club, the trophy’s namesake, holds the record with six.  

Senior Silver Cross
With one round remaining in the Senior Silver Cross race, Frazier leads by four shots over Gramigna. The Senior Silver Cross includes the Warner Cup, Chapman Cup, and the two rounds of the Senior Amateur. Frazier won the Senior Silver Cross in 2023 and 2024.

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 130,000 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.