U.S. Mid-Amateur Home

Keith Decker, 57, of Martinsville, Va., has competed in 20 USGA championships, including five U.S. Mid-Amateurs. He reached the Round of 16 in this year’s U.S. Senior Amateur and was member of the winning Virginia team in the 1995 USGA Men’s State Team Championship. In 2017, he was inducted into the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame along with Donna Andrews and J.C. Snead. Decker, who is a furniture salesman, is a seven-time Virginia State Golf Association player of the year. He was a two-time All-American at Elon College and is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame.

Marc Dull, 31, of Lakeland, Fla., was the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, losing to Sammy Schmitz in the 36-hole final. Dull, who is a caddie at Streamsong (Fla.) Resort, advanced to the semifinals with partner Chip Brooke in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. He is also the great grandson of two-time U.S. Senior Amateur champion Dexter Daniels. Dull has played in six USGA championships.

Gene Elliott, 55, of West Des Moines, Iowa, is competing in his 29th USGA championship and 13th U.S. Mid-Amateur. Elliott, who has reached match play in 11 of 12 U.S. Mid-Amateurs played, won this year’s Trans-Mississippi Senior Amateur by four strokes with a 54-hole score of 4-under 209. Elliott, who was a 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist, owns a sanitation and street equipment company, and underwent open-heart surgery in 2000. He was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.

John Engler, 38, of Augusta, Ga., has played in nine USGA championships and was a 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist. He endured a horrific auto accident in 2003, a head-on collision that killed two people in another vehicle and severely injured his right foot. Engler, who was reinstated as an amateur in 2010 after playing on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour, had six surgeries over a nine-month period following the accident. Engler, a three-time All-American and 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference champion at Clemson University, won last year’s Georgia State Golf Association Mid-Amateur.

Jeronimo Esteve, 36, of Puerto Rico, is the general manager of an auto dealership and a driving instructor for high-performance racing cars. He is playing in his sixth USGA championship and fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur. Esteve, who lives in Windermere, Fla., has competed in all three Latin American Amateur Championships and two World Amateur Team Championships (2012, 2014). He was captain of the Dartmouth College golf team and earned All-New England recognition in 2003.

Finley Ewing IV, 27, of Dallas, Texas, is one of two players in the U.S. Mid-Amateur field (Stewart Hagestad) who played in the 2013 NCAA Championship held at Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course. Ewing, who is a sales manager for an auto dealership, earned All-Region and All-Big 12 Conference honors as a senior at Texas Tech University. He qualified for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica in 2014, playing in eight events before being reinstated as an amateur.

Raymond Floyd Jr., 43, of Old Greenwich, Conn., is playing in his 10th USGA championship, including seventh U.S. Mid-Amateur. He is the son of World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Raymond Floyd, who won the 1986 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills (site of the 2018 U.S. Open) and three other major professional titles. Floyd Jr., a sales trader, caddied for his father in his last Masters appearance. He had never made a hole-in-one until notching two in a span of 10 days in August 2016.

Ross Frankenberg, 27, of Barrington, Ill., was a member of the University of Illinois team which finished second in the 2013 NCAA Championship held at Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course. Frankenberg’s teammates included future three-time PGA European Tour winner Thomas Pieters. Frankenberg, who works as an insurance broker, was member of four consecutive Big Ten Conference championship teams. He competed in the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur and worked as a caddie at Barrington Hills Country Club from 2003-12.

Robert Funk, 54, of Canyon Lake, Calif., was the low amateur in the 2017 U.S. Senior Open with a 72-hole score of 8-over 288 at Salem Country Club, in Peabody, Mass. His grandfather, John, who was the son of the Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary founder, introduced him to the game. He became a competitive golfer at age 40 and manages his sons, Capron and Corey, who are YouTube sensations for their crazy stunts and challenges while riding scooters. Funk has competed in five U.S. Mid-Amateurs.

Blake Gibson, 51, of Yukon, Okla., owns a cleaning and janitorial service. He is competing in his first USGA championship. Gibson played college baseball at Central Oklahoma and is the program’s all-time leader in stolen bases (98). He is also among the career leaders in runs (158) and triples (12). His father, Charles, was a major in the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War.

Jay Gregory, 52, of Lineville, Iowa, has been the host of the Outdoor Channel’s The Wild Outdoors for 25 years. The program features bowhunting, from caribou to sandhill crane to whitetail deer. Gregory, who is playing in his first USGA championship, took his first job as a golf professional in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1990, but regained his amateur status a decade later. Gregory also plays in a 1980’s rock tribute band.

Tyler Gruca, 25, of Buffalo, N.Y., attended nearby Milton (Ga.) High School and was a member of the golf team which used Atlanta National Golf Club as its home venue. Atlanta National is the stroke play co-host course for the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Gruca helped Milton tied for third in the 2010 Class 5A Georgia state championship. He was a walk-on at Georgia State University before eventually earning a scholarship and finishing third in the 2014 NCAA San Antonio Regional as a senior. He left his job with a technology software company at the beginning of summer to travel through Europe.

Randy Haag, 58, of Orinda, Calif., has played in 29 USGA championships, including nine U.S. Amateurs and three U.S. Senior Opens. Haag has competed in 11 U.S. Mid-Amateurs and advanced to the quarterfinals five times. He is a six-time Northern California Golf Association Player of the Year and owns 15 NCGA championships, the second-highest overall total. Haag, who employs a side-saddle putting style, was the low amateur and won the silver medal in The Senior Open, conducted by The R&A, in 2010 and 2011.

Stewart Hagestad, 26, of Newport Beach, Calif., won the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship by defeating Scott Harvey in 37 holes and was a member of the winning 2017 USA Walker Cup Team which posted a 19-7 victory over Great Britain and Ireland. Hagestad, who became the second-youngest Mid-Amateur champion, produced the largest comeback victory (4 down with 5 holes to play) since a 36-hole final was introduced in 2001. He was the low amateur in the 2017 Masters Tournament, tying for 36th, and competed in this year’s U.S. Open. Hagestad, a University of Southern California graduate, has played in 12 USGA championships, including eight U.S. Amateurs.

Scott Hailes, 39, of Peoria, Ariz., won the 1995 U.S. Junior Amateur by posting a 1-up decision against James Driscoll in the final at Fargo (N.D.) Country Club. Hailes, who has not played competitive golf for five years and was reinstated as an amateur in 2008, is an account manager for a landscape and irrigation products company. As a collegian, Hailes was an honorable mention All-America selection at the University of New Mexico. He has competed in seven USGA championships and reached match play in the 2001 U.S. Amateur at nearby East Lake Golf Club.

Doug Hanzel, 60, of Savannah, Ga., has competed in 32 USGA championships. He won the 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur. A physician who specializes in pulmonary critical care, Hanzel advanced to the Round of 16 in this year’s U.S. Senior Amateur. In 2012, he made USGA history by becoming the first player to qualify for match play in the U.S. Amateur, Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur in the same year. Hanzel, who wears an insulin pump to control Type 1 diabetes, was low amateur in the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Senior Opens.

Mark Harrell, 32, of Lookout Mountain, Ga., is playing in his eighth USGA championship and reached the Round of 32 in the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He missed the 36-hole cut by one stroke in the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club and was the stroke-play medalist in the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links. Harrell, who has also competed in three U.S. Amateurs from 2005-07, is the chief financial officer for a logistics company. He played on the 2007-08 University at Alabama team with Hunter Hamrick and Michael Thompson, the runner-up in the 2007 U.S. Amateur and 2012 U.S. Open.

Scott Harvey, 39, of Greensboro, N.C., has competed in 25 USGA championships, including nine U.S. Mid-Amateurs. He won the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur, which earned him an invitation to the 2015 Masters, and was the runner-up to Stewart Hagestad last year. Harvey, a property manager, has reached match play in three U.S. Amateur Four-Balls with partner Todd Mitchell (2015, semifinals; 2016, Round of 16; 2017, quarterfinals) and was a member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team. Harvey qualified for his first U.S. Open this year at Erin Hills.

Tony Hejna, 49, of Cleveland, Ohio, was chosen in the third round of the 1986 National Hockey League Draft by the St. Louis Blues. Hejna, who was a two-time captain and scored 123 career points as a collegian at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), won the Turner Cup in his lone season with the IHL’s Peoria Rivermen but then retired due to multiple back surgeries. Hejna, who works in banking, is playing in his sixth USGA championship and fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Scott Hovis, 43, of Jefferson City, Mo., has served as Missouri Golf Association Executive Director since 2005. During that period he opened the first-ever fully handicap accessible 9-hole golf course, known as The Ken Lanning Center. Hovis, who started playing at age 3 and was a member of the Kansas State team from 1993-96, is competing in his fifth USGA championship and fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur. He won the 2004 Missouri Mid-Amateur and was the runner-up in 2006.

Ryan Howison, 50, of Jupiter, Fla., competed on the PGA Tour and won three Nike Tour (now Web.com Tour) events in the 1990s. Howison, who works as a financial advisor, was reinstated as an amateur in May 2014. He is playing in his first USGA championship. Howison was the starting third basemen on the University of North Carolina’s 1989 baseball team that won the Atlantic Coast Conference title and advanced to the College World Series.

Blake Humbles, 37, of Alta Loma, Calif., is a firefighter for the City of Ontario (Calif.). He drives the back of the ladder truck and is known as the “engineer.” Humbles, who is competing in his second USGA championship, played as a collegian at Nebraska, where he earned varsity awards in 2001 and 2002. He won the 2013 World Police & Fire Games Championship by nine strokes.

Mike Ignasiak, 51, of Saline, Mich., is playing in fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur. Ignasiak was a right-handed pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1991-95. His brother, Gary, played for the Detroit Tigers. As a collegian, he played on the same Michigan team as shortstop Barry Larkin and pitcher Jim Abbott. Ignasiak, who also competed in the 2000 and 2001 U.S. Amateurs, owns a Dairy Queen franchise.

Joe Kerrigan Jr., 40, of Ardmore, Pa., is the son of longtime Major League Baseball pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who also had a short stint as the Boston Red Sox manager in 2001. Kerrigan, who was selected in the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos and 1999 MLB Draft by the Red Sox, is the head baseball coach at Radnor (Pa.) High School. He led the program to the 2016 PIAA state quarterfinals in his first year. Kerrigan Jr., who is playing in his first USGA championship, swings right-handed and putts left-handed.

Sean Knapp, 55, of Oakmont, Pa., won the 2017 U.S. Senior Amateur when he defeated Paul Simson in the final on Aug. 31. Knapp, who caddied at Oakmont Country Club, has competed in 41 USGA championships, including 15 U.S. Mid-Amateurs. He advanced to the semifinals in 2008 and 2010. Knapp lost to eventual champion Tiger Woods in the Round of 16 of the 1995 U.S. Amateur and tied for 60th in the 2012 U.S. Senior Open. Knapp, who is a 14-time Western Pennsylvania Golf Association Player of the Year, is a member of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania athletic hall of fame.

Kevin Leach, 52, of Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., is a real estate investor who has also developed and produced reality television programming. Leach, who is competing in his third USGA championship and was reinstated as an amateur in 2009, earned All-America and All-Pac-12 Conference honors at UCLA. The Bruins, coached by the legendary Eddie Merrins, won the 1988 NCAA Championship. Brandt Jobe, who finished third in this year’s U.S. Senior Open that included a third-round 62, was one of Leach’s teammates.

Randal Lewis, 60, of Alma, Mich., has competed in 30 USGA championships and 14 U.S. Mid-Amateurs. He became the oldest winner (age 54) in U.S. Mid-Amateur history by defeating Kenny Cook, 3 and 2, at Shadow Hawk Golf Club in 2011. Lewis, who has a 20-8 match-play Mid-Amateur record, was named the Michigan Golf Association’s Player of the Decade for the 1990s and was inducted in the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2009. He has also played in nine U.S. Amateurs and two U.S. Senior Opens.

Pete Mangold, 37, of Denver, Colo., served in the U.S. Army for five years and was a finance officer in Baghdad, Iraq, from 2004-05, after graduating from parachutist school. Now a financial advisor, Mangold was a two-time All-Patriot League selection at the U.S. Military Academy and led Army to the 2002 league title and an NCAA Central Region berth. He helped the U.S. win the 2006 World Military Championship, in Galway, Ireland, and was a color guard member at the 1999 Ryder Cup.

Michael McCoy, 54, of Des Moines, Iowa, has competed in 52 USGA championships, including 18 U.S. Mid-Amateurs. He was the low amateur in the 2014 and 2015 U.S. Senior Opens and in 2013 was the second-oldest winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur when he defeated Bill Williamson, 8 and 6, in the 36-hole final at the Country Club of Birmingham (Ala.). A member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team, McCoy works in the insurance business and is a member of the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame.

Michael Muehr, 45, of Potomac Falls, Va., is competing in his seventh U.S. Mid-Amateur and 18th USGA championship. Muehr, who works as a financial advisor, advanced to the quarterfinals in last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur and was also a quarterfinalist in 2011. He was diagnosed with melanoma in 2003 and is the founder of Golf Pros Beating Cancer, a charitable foundation in Virginia. Muehr, who underwent successful treatment and surgery, previously has competed on the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour before regaining his amateur status in 2007.

Kirk Noyes, 43, of The Woodlands, Texas, has competed in Ironman Triathlons for eight years and qualified for the 2015 World Championship in Hawaii. Noyes, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, has worked with golfers, including Patrick Reed and 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Shuai Ming Wong, regarding fitness and nutrition. Noyes, who is playing in his first USGA championship, is a partner in a small engineering business and is represented by a Houston modeling agency.

Brad Nurski, 38, of St. Joseph, Mo., was the runner-up to Scott Harvey and shared stroke-play medalist honors in the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He is playing in his 13th USGA championship and advanced to the Round of 32 in last year’s Mid-Amateur. Nurski works as a conductor and switchman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. He claimed his second Missouri Golf Association State Amateur title this year by defeating Sam Midgal, 2 up.

Matt Parziale, 30, of Brockton, Mass., is a firefighter with the Brockton Fire Department. Parziale, whose father, Vic, has worked for the same fire department for more than 30 years, is playing in his ninth USGA championship and fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur. He shared medalist honors with Scott Harvey in the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Parziale was reinstated as an amateur in 2013 after competing on the NGA Hooters and eGolf tours and making three trips to PGA Tour Qualifying School.

Devaughn Robinson, 29, of The Bahamas, is a mechanical designer for analytical instruments company. He has competed in three Latin American Amateur Championships and tied for 19th in 2016. Robinson, who played in the 2014 U.S. Amateur Public Links and won the 2016 Bahamas Amateur, was an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection at Texas Southern University. He recorded three top-10 finishes in the SWAC Championship and shared runner-up honors in 2009.

Dave Ryan, 63, of Taylorville, Ill., won the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship and advanced to this year’s semifinals. Ryan aced a par 4 in his Round-of-16 match on his way to the title. He is competing in his 23rd USGA championship and sixth U.S. Mid-Amateur. He has reached match play in two Mid-Amateurs (1998, 2015). Ryan, a seven-time Chicago District Golf Association Senior Player of the Year, has played in four U.S. Senior Opens and made the 36-hole cut in 2015 at Del Paso Country Club.

Mark Scheibach, 44, of La Quinta, Calif., is the general manager of The Quarry at La Quinta. Scheibach competed on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Canadian Tour before being reinstated as an amateur in 2007. He was a three-time All-Big Ten Conference performer at the University of Wisconsin, from 1994-96. Scheibach has played in five USGA championships and four U.S. Mid-Amateurs.

Sammy Schmitz, 37, of Farmington, Minn., won the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and earned an invitation to the 2016 Masters. Schmitz recorded the second known ace on a par 4 in USGA championship history when he holed his tee shot on No. 15 at John’s Island Club’s West Course in the championship match. Schmitz, who works for a healthcare services company, is competing in his eighth USGA championship and fifth U.S. Mid-Amateur. He tied for third in this year’s Minnesota State Open.

Corby Segal, 46, of Santa Clarita, Calif., is a PGA Tour caddie who is currently working with Brandon Hagy but has also carried for Brandt Jobe, Woody Austin and Briny Baird. Segal is playing in his 11th USGA championship (third this year) and fifth U.S. Mid-Amateur. Segal, a 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist, won last year’s Southern California Golf Association Mid-Amateur when he made an 18-foot par putt on the final hole.

Nathan Smith, 39, of Pittsburgh, Pa., is a four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012). He is second in career Mid-Amateur match-play wins (34) behind Jerry Courville Jr.’s 36 victories. Smith won the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball title with partner Todd White, who is also in this field. A member of three USA Walker Cup Teams (2009, 2011, 2013), Smith works as an investment advisor. He has played in 41 USGA championships, including 17 U.S. Amateurs. In 2015, he was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.

Larry Sterling, Jr., 34, of Sterling Heights, Mich., was a minor-league hockey goalkeeper from 2000-13 and played for teams in the International Hockey League, Central Hockey League and North American Hockey League. Sterling, who is an operations manager for a golf apparel company, helped Port Huron reach the 2008 Turner Cup finals. In three seasons with the IHL franchise, he posted a 74-39-10 record with a 2.65 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.

Rick Stimmel, 50, of Pittsburgh, Pa., was the runner-up in the 1997 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Stimmel qualified for the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links, competed professionally on the PGA, Nationwide and Hooters tours before being reinstated as an amateur in 2011. Stimmel won the 1996 Pennsylvania Amateur and was the runner-up the following year.

Scott Strickland, 35, of Birmingham, Mich., advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur, losing to eventual champion Stewart Hagestad. He has competed in four USGA championships, including this year’s U.S. Amateur. Strickland, a wealth advisor, won the 2013 Golf Association of Michigan Amateur. He caddied for Australian Harrison Endycott during the 2016 U.S. Amateur, which was played at Oakland Hills Country Club, his home course.

Matthew Sughrue, 58, of Arlington, Va., was the runner-up to Dave Ryan in the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur and advanced to this year’s quarterfinals. He has competed in 14 USGA championships, including six Mid-Amateurs. An insurance professional for more than 25 years, Sughrue changed course and earned a master’s degree in human development and marriage & family therapy from Virginia Tech in 2012. Sughrue now works as a marriage and family therapist and performance coach for athletes, including golfers, swimmers and baseball players.

Dan Sullivan, 50, of Pasadena, Calif., reached the quarterfinals in last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur. He has played in nine USGA championships, including six Mid-Amateurs. Sullivan, who works as a real estate lender, also advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links. He won this year’s Southern California Golf Association Mid-Amateur by four strokes with a 54-hole score of 11-under 205. His, wife, Lindsay, is a vice president with Fox Sports and its regional networks.

Matthew Swan, 30, of Atlanta, Ga., is competing in his 10th USGA championship, including fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur. Swan, who works for an investment firm, twice reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Amateur (2005, 2006). He was an All-American and three-time All-Southeastern Conference selection at the University of Alabama. Swan won the 2004 Alabama Class 4A state high school championship.

Ken Tanigawa, 49, of Paradise Valley, Ariz., is playing in his 10th USGA championship and third U.S. Mid-Amateur. He was a quarterfinalist in the 2013 Mid-Amateur and reached matched play the following year. Tanigawa played six years on the Japan Tour and was reinstated as an amateur in 2012. He was born in Kobe, Japan, and moved to Los Angeles at age 3. Tanigawa, who played as a collegian at UCLA, runs a chemical product manufacturing business with his brother.

Justin Tereshko, 27, of Greensboro, N.C., is the head golf coach at Guilford College and has led the program to two NCAA Division III Tournament berths and a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles. He is competing in his fifth USGA championship and second U.S. Mid-Amateur. Tereshko, who reached match play in the 2015 Mid-Amateur, won this year’s North Carolina State Amateur by three strokes on June 18 with a 72-hole score of 5-under 283. He was one of two mid-amateurs to qualify for match play in this year’s U.S. Amateur.

Sam Weber, 25, of Hartland, Wis., is a caddie at both Erin Hills, the site of the 2017 U.S. Open, and TPC Sawgrass. He assisted PGA Tour caddies, such as Tim Tucker, who works with Bryson DeChambeau, with course knowledge for this year’s U.S. Open. Weber played as a collegian at Wisconsin-Green Bay and was a member of four state championship teams (2007-10) at Arrowhead High School.

Todd White, 49, of Spartanburg, S.C., is playing in his 25th USGA championship and seventh U.S. Mid-Amateur. He reached the Mid-Amateur semifinals in 2012 and was a quarterfinalist in 2014 and 2015. White won the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship with partner Nathan Smith and was a member of the winning 2013 USA Walker Cup Team. The high school history teacher played in the 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. In 2017, he advanced to the Amateur Four-Ball quarterfinals with Smith and tied for second in the Azalea Invitational.

Brad Wilder, 38, of Fort Wright, Ky., has played in eight USGA championships, including five U.S. Mid-Amateurs. He advanced to the 2015 Mid-Amateur semifinals, losing to eventual champion Sammy Schmitz. Wilder, who works as a bank wealth advisor, also made the match-play bracket in 2010 and 2016. He won the 2011 Cincinnati Metropolitan Amateur and two Cincinnati Opens (2003, 2005).

Ryan Wilkins, 26, of San Diego, Calif., was a pitcher on North Carolina State’s 2013 College World Series team. He posted a 6-2 record with two saves and a 4.21 earned run average in 24 appearances and pitched in the minor leagues for the Sioux City (Iowa) Explorers, an independent team in the American Association. Wilkins, a junior underwriter for an insurance company, is the junior varsity coach for Cathedral Catholic, his high school alma mater. His father, Dean, was chosen in the second round of the 1986 MLB January Draft by the New York Yankees and pitched for the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros.

Brendan Williams, 40, of Atlanta, Ga., manages the transcatheter heart valve division for a medical innovations company. Williams, who is playing in his first USGA championship, is a Capital City Club member and has recorded two holes-in-one on the Crabapple Course. In the NFL off-season, he plays regularly with Atlanta Falcons quarterback and club member Matt Ryan.

Bill Williamson, 40, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up to Michael McCoy at the Country Club of Birmingham (Ala.). Williamson, who has competed in six Mid-Amateurs, has advanced to match play three times. Williamson, an attorney, is competing in his 15th USGA championship. A three-time Greater Cincinnati Player of the Year, he will be inducted into the University of Akron’s athletic hall of fame on Oct. 7, 2017.

Steve Wilson, 47, of Ocean Springs, Miss., won the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur by defeating Todd Mitchell, 5 and 4, in the final at Milwaukee Country Club in River Hills, Wis. He advanced to the Mid-Amateur quarterfinals the following year in defense of his title. Wilson, a gas station owner, is playing in his eighth U.S. Mid-Amateur and 13th USGA championship.