Jackson Meets Courville; Zahringer Faces Wilson in SemifinalsGreenwich, Conn. – Defending champion Tim Jackson, 43, of Germantown, Tenn., and 2001 runner-up George Zahringer, 49, of New York, N.Y., edged closer to a rematch of last year by advancing to the semifinals at the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, being held at The Stanwich Club (par 72, 6,952 yards).
Jackson, who defeated Zahringer, 1 up, at the 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur, ground out a 1-up win over 2002 British Amateur champion John Kemp in his morning quarterfinal match.
”I putted pretty well,” said Jackson, who also won the 1994 Mid-Amateur. “Starting off, I hit a couple of shaky shots but then I made a nice birdie on 3 and got things kind of righted and after that I fell into this mental competitive zone. It was a tough match.”
With the match all square on the par-5 17th, Jackson made a slippery downhill side hill 7-foot putt for birdie to win the hole. The players halved the 18th with pars and Jackson advanced to his third Mid-Amateur semifinal.
“I think today was more of just gutting it out,” said Jackson, a two-time USA Walker Cup team member. “It was a well-played match. He never really made any mistakes. I don’t think I was up until the 17th hole. It was a good match. He’s a good player.”
Jackson will meet 1995 Mid-Am champion Jerry Courville, 43, of Milford, Conn. in the afternoon semifinals. Courville now has 32 career match plays win at the Mid-Amateur, surpassing previous record holder Danny Yates, the 1992 champion after defeating John Pate, 42, of Santa Barbara, Calif., 3 and 2.
Courville, who has reached the semifinals for the fifth time, defeated Jackson in both previous meetings at the Mid-Amateur, winning 3 and 1 in the quarterfinals in 1995 and 2 and 1 in the first round in 1999. In both years, Courville advanced to the final.
Zahringer, 49, of New York, N.Y., notched a 3-and-1 win over fellow Metropolitan area player Austin Eaton, 33 of Stamford, Conn., who made the field as an alternate. Zahringer’s semifinal opponent is Jeff Wilson, 39, of Suisin, Calif., who edged Terrence Miskell, 35, of New Braunfels, Texas, in 19 holes. Wilson was the medalist on his way to a berth in the 2001 semifinals.
Thursday’s 36-hole final match begins at 7:45 a.m. Eastern.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur, for players 25 and older, is one of 13 national
championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10
of which are strictly for amateurs.
Greenwich, Conn. -- Results from Wednesday’s quarterfinal round of match play from the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at The Stanwich Club (6,952 yards, par 72).
Quarterfinal Round
Upper Bracket
Jerry Courville, Milford, Conn. (148) def. John Pate, Santa Barbara, Calif. (146), 3 and 2
Tim Jackson, Germantown, Tenn. (147) def. John Kemp, England (147), 1 up
Lower Bracket
Jeff Wilson, Suisun, Calif. (149) def. Terrence Miskell, New Braunfels, Texas (149), 19 holes
George Zahringer, New York, N.Y. (142) def. Austin Eaton, Stamford, Conn. (149), 3 and 1
12:15 p.m. Courville vs. Jackson
12:30 p.m. Wilson vs. Zahringer
