Trimble makes cut, Newton makes ace at U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sand Valley
Bobby Massa has won a few tournaments, but he had never bested a field in the stroke-play portion of a USGA competition.
That drought ended on Sunday at the Sand Valley Resort when he backed up his first-round, 7-under 64 on The Lido with a 2-under 69 at Sand Valley, the stroke-play co-host venue, to earn medalist honors in the 45th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship with a 36-hole total of 133.
The athletic trainer, who works out of the SandersFit Performance Center in downtown Dallas, finished three strokes ahead of former University of Oregon standout Zach Foushee, of Lake Oswego, who carded a second-round 67 on The Lido.
Finishing four strokes back were Matthew Paradis, of Naples, Fla., Andrew Bailey, of Cleveland, Ohio, and left-hander Phillip Mollica, of Charleston, S.C. Bailey and Mollica posted 67 and 71, respectively, at The Lido, while Paradis, who caddies at Calusa Pines in Naples, registered the only bogey-free round at Sand Valley with a 3-under 68.
Of the four Oklahomans in the field, only current Oklahoma Golf Association Mid-Amateur Champion Blake Trimble of Oklahoma City made the cut for match play. Trimble shot rounds of 72-71 at Sand Valley and The Lido to finish 33rd at 1-over. He was facing Aaron Hickman of Tyler, Texas in the first round.
Bryce Newton of Edmond made the playoff for the final spots in the field after rounds of 71-74 that included a hole-in-one on the eighth hole of his second round.
Heath Myers missed the playoff by a shot after rounds of 75-71. Ian Davis of Edmond did not make the cut as well after rounds of 78-72.
As a first-time USGA championship venue, Sand Valley Resort more than held.
The Lido, modeled after the classic Charles B. Macdonald design that closed during World War II on Long Island (N.Y.), and stroke-play co-host Sand Valley, the first layout to open at the central Wisconsin golf destination developed by Mike Keiser and now overseen by his two sons, Mike and Chris, provided a stern test for the world’s best 25-and-older competitors.
Even on an idyllic early fall day, where temperatures rose from the mid-40s at first ball to the upper 60s by the late afternoon, the firm and fast conditions combined with the nuances of both venues made for a challenging opening round.
Scoring averages on the first day Saturday at both venues were quite similar: 75.42 for The Lido and 76.13 for Sand Valley.
