Jim Holtgrieve

Jim Holtgrieve, 33, of Des Peres, Mo., won the inaugural Mid-Amateur Championship at the Bellerive Country Club in nearby St. Louis. He defeated fellow Walker Cupper Bob Lewis Jr., 37, of Warren, Ohio in the final, 2 up.

Holtgrieve, who has his own business representing a number of manufacturers, was a member of both the 1979 and 1981 U.S. Walker Cup teams and of the 1980 U.S. World Amateur team. Lewis, who is an executive in a steel tubing business owned by his family, was also a member of the 1981 U.S. Walker Cup team. Lewis also is a former professional golfer who regained his amateur status in 1978.

Medalist honors were shared by Jay Sigel of Berwyn, Pa., and Jay Rustman of Roselle, Ill. Both players had 36-hole scores of 145, one over par, to lead the 64 players who advanced to match play. Sigel, 37, an insurance executive, was a member of the 1977, 1979 and 1981 U.S. Walker Cup teams and of the 1978 and 1980 U.S. World Amateur teams. Sigel lost in the quarterfinals while Rustman was eliminated in the second round.

Holtgrieve and Lewis tied for third in the qualifying with scores of 146. Holtgrieve advanced to the final by defeating Tom Reed of Broomfield, Colo., 5 and 4; Tom Evans of Lake Bluff, Ill., 3 and 1; Randy Nichols of Connersville, Ind., 6 and 5; Kent Frandsen of Lebanon, Ind., 4 and 3; and Bob Housen of Brielle, N.J., 4 and 3.

In the other bracket, Lewis eliminated two-time Amateur champion Gary Cowan of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, 4 and 3; Jim Beltz of Southfield, Mich. 6 and 5; John Ruby of Stratford, Conn., 3 and 1; Bill Malley of Hayward, Calif., 2 and 1; and Gordon Brewer of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., 5 and 4.

In the 18-hole final, Lewis kept up his steady play through the first nine holes. He was one under par and 1 up. Both he and Holtgrieve scored pars on the first three holes of the second nine, and then the match turned.

Lewis had not made a bogey through the l4 holes of his morning semifinal match and 12 holes of the afternoon final. At the 13th, a par 3, Lewis missed the green, chipped 10 feet past and missed the putt for his first bogey of the day. The match was even.

Both players made pars at the 14th and bogeys at the 15th, so the match remained even. Holtgrieve went ahead on the 16th, another par 3, where he got down in two after his tee shot left him 70 feet away. Lewis three-putted from 50 feet. They halved the 17th in par 5s.

At the long par-4 18th, Holtgrieve followed a long drive with a 7-iron shot that stopped 10 feet from the hole. He holed the putt for a birdie to end the match.

The starting field included three former Amateur Champions: Cowan (1966, 1971); Marvin Giles III (1972); and Fred Ridley (1975). It took a 36-hole score of 158 to reach the match play portion of the championship. The USGA accepted 1,638 entries from golfers with handicaps of five strokes or less.