Overbrook GC’s Thompson heads U.S. Senior Open Qualifier

  DOYLESTOWN, Pa.–Andy Thompson of Newtown Square, Pa. carded an even-par 72 at Doylestown CC (par 72, 6,514 yards) on Friday to earn medallist honors in a Qualifier for the U.S. Senior Open Championship. George Forster of Villanova, Pa. would be the second qualifier earning a spot after surviving a six-hole, four-man playoff.

  A field of 73 players (23 pros, 50 amateurs) competed in the qualifier with hopes of advancing to the U.S. Senior Open Championship set for July 6-9 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.

  An amateur from Overbrook GC, Thompson now sets his sights on his first appearance at the Championship next month.

  Riding his accurate play off the tees, the 57-year-old would hit all but three fairways, carding two birdies and as many bogeys during his field-low round.

  “There’s a premium to hitting the ball in the fairway here,” Thompson said. “That’s probably one of my strengths. [Accuracy] is obviously a necessity here with the rough being as thick as it is.”

  Even on that rare occasion when Thompson found himself in the thick rough, lady luck would come to his aid.

  With his ball in the rough 175 yards from the pin on No. 7 (par 4, 381 yards), Thompson would lace a 5-iron that skipped across the water hazard much like a rock on a calm lake.

  “I caught a huge break there,” he exclaimed.

 And although he avoided penalty there, the hole would still prove to be a challenge, as his third shot sailed over the green leaving him a difficult chip. A shot that he would then drain for par.

  Forster, 50, of Radnor Valley CC, who said he has never had much luck in playoffs, outlasted a feisty Robin McCool of Bethlehem, Pa., in a six-hole playoff for the final qualifying spot.

  “I really just felt like if I hit the fairway and kept the ball below the hole I would have a shot,” Forster said.

  Forster earned a spot in the Championship after he birdied the sixth playoff hole (No. 18, par 5, 519 yards) when he hit his 9-iron from 129 yards out to within 5-feet of the pin.

  The U.S. Senior Open dates back to 1980 on the East Course of Winged Foot Golf Club. The event is open to any professional or amateur with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 3.4, who turns 50 on or before the first day of the championship.