U.S. Senior Amateur Home

No. 1 seed Tim Jackson def. John McClure in 19 holes; faces Dave Ryan in the semifinals

Jackson, who squared the match with a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 17: “I was very fortunate. You just try to stay in the hole and hit a putt with good speed on it. That’s all I was really trying to do [on No. 17], just trying to get it to the 18th hole.”

“I’m struggling with my swing, and it’s just competing, that’s all it is. Keeping my head down and doing my best on every shot, that’s about all you can do. I’m hopeful that in this little break I can do something to tighten up my swing a bit. I think my short game and putting is in good shape."

McClure, who was 3 up with six holes to play: “You never think you have the match won, but after 12, I felt pretty good about how I was playing. Then he birdied 14, 17 and 1 (the 19th hole). That’s pretty good.
“I’ve played with him off and on over the years. He’s hard to beat in these USGA championships. I played him in the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Conway Farms Golf Club (Lake Forest, Ill.). It was the same thing as today. I felt pretty good there and ended up losing on the 19th hole. He’s a competitor. I hope he goes on and wins.”

No. 31 seed Kevin Cahill def. John McClure, 1 up; faces Matthew Sughrue in semifinals 

“I’d like to see the scorecard to see how many ups and downs there were. It wasn’t pretty golf at times, but it was a battle. I grew up playing college tennis and match play is a lot like tennis. Stroke play is so different, this is a lot more like an individual game like tennis than medal play is.”

No. 14 seed Matthew Sughrue defeated Doug Hanzel, 1 up; faces Kevin Cahill in semifinals

“Doug is a great player and the match could have gone either way. I birdied 16 and that was huge.”

“You have to be your best friend out here. There's so many ups and downs emotionally in these kind of matches especially when they mean more and more as you go along. Fortunately I’ve got [caddie] Pat [Bedingfield] to bounce some things off of. I'm just really proud of the fact that I could make that 5-footer on the last hole to win it.”

No. 29 seed Dave Ryan defeated Mike Dunsmore, 5 and 3; faces Tim Jackson in semifinals

“I just played solid golf. Fairways and greens. You do that on this golf course and it usually takes care of itself. But match play is a nerve-wracking experience.”