Smith Sinks Spitz in USGA Mid-Am Final

     Tim Spitz celebrates his 3 & 2 semi-final victory (John Mummert-USGA).

Rochester amateur and Monroe Golf Club member Tim Spitz provided area golfers a week long thrill by qualifying for match play and making a deep run at the 2009 U.S. Mid Amateur Championship.  The competion took place on the Cassique Course at The Kiawah Island Club in S.C.

The champion receives a gold medal, custody of the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy for one year, an exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Mid-Amateurs, and, historically, an INVITATION TO THE NEXT MASTERS TOURNAMENT!!!  Both finalists are also exempt from qualifying for the 2010 U.S. Amateur.

Unfortunately, Spitz could not keep up the fine play that carried him through his first four matches falling 7 & 6 to 2003 champ Nathan Smith in the scheduled 36 hole final.

Spitz, who brought his wife and three young children with him on the trip, has accrued many local victories in his hometown of Rochester (3-time winner at the Tournament of Champions and the Brook Lea Invitation). En route to the final, he defeated 2005 Mid-Amateur champion Kevin Marsh in the first round and four-time quarterfinalist Pat Carter in the semifinals. He stressed that making the final is his biggest golf accomplishment “without a doubt.”

Spitz, a reinstated amateur who graduated from Furman University in Greenville, S.C. in 1997, realized that he gave Smith an early opening.

“I’m disappointed that I didn’t play better,” said Spitz, a municipal bonds specialist. “I hit it just as good as him and he putted well and I putted horribly. I hit a lot of very bad first putts this morning and he made a few. My putter really let me down this morning.”

A key turning point in the morning 18 was the par-3 fifth hole where Spitz’s tee shot went into the hole and rebounded out for a conceded birdie. However, Smith delivered a 35-foot birdie putt from the fringe to halve the hole and remain 3 up.  Smith played the morning 18 holes without a bogey on his way to an 8-up lead.

Despite the one-sided final match it was great fun following Tim's run through match play. I'm sure many local golfers had the same reaction as I did to this accomplishment - WOW! That's cool! Congratulations to Mr. Spitz for the finest performance in a USGA event for a Rochester golfer in a generation (or maybe two).

The U.S. Mid-Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are for amateurs.

(portions of this posting were taken from the USGA Mid-Am web site)