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Meet The 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur Quarterfinalists

TODD BURGAN, 40, KNOVILLE, TENN.

Playing in his second U.S. Mid-Amateur…missed cut in 2008…a member of Tennessee’s 2009 USGA Men’s State Team Championship…won the 2009 Tennessee State Match Play title, defeating 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Danny Green in 19 holes…runner-up at the Tennessee State Match Play in 2006…club champion at Holston Hills C.C. (2008 and 2009)…lowest competitive round is 64 at Holston Hills C.C. championship…also won the 2008 Greater Knoxville Amateur…1991 graduate of the University of Tennessee…pharmacist by trade…married to Ginger Burgan…born April 15, 1969.

PATRICK CARTER, 41, HUNTINGTON, W.VA.

Playing in his 10th U.S. Mid-Amateur…has advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth time (also in 1996, 1997 and 2003)…16-time West Virginia Player of the Year…12-time West Virginia State Amateur champion…competed in 12 U.S. Amateurs and made the quarterfinals in 2003…represented West Virginia six times at the USGA Men’s State Team Championship….first USGA championship was the 1985 U.S. Junior Amateur, where he lost in the first round of match play…was paired with Tiger Woods in the stroke play portion of the 1996 U.S. Amateur…lowest competitive round is 63 at 1992 U.S. Amateur qualifying…1991 graduate of Marshall University…area manager for insurance company…married to Kelli Carter…son Hogan and daughter Heidi…brother, Earl, is his caddie this week…born March 6, 1968

TRIPP DAVIS, 42, NORMAN, OKLA.

Playing in his sixth U.S. Mid-Amateur…was medalist in 2003 and advanced to the quarterfinals in 2005…also represented Oklahoma in the 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 USGA Men’s State Team Championship...Inverness National Mid-Amateur champion in 2003…runner-up at 2002 Sunnehanna Amateur…best competitive round is 64 in the first round of the 2004 Porter Cup…has seven holes-in-one…1989 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of the NCAA Division I Championship team in his senior year when he earned All-America honors…owns a golf course architecture firm, which just renovated Oak Tree National, site of the 2014 U.S. Senior Open…reinstated amateur…married to Jenny Davis…two daughters, Mary and Maggie…born Sept. 24, 1967.

ROBERT GERWIN, 42, CINCINNATI, OHIO

Playing in his 10th U.S. Mid-Amateur…he also advanced to the quarterfinals in 1997…13 appearances in U.S. Amateur, including 2009…three-time member of Ohio’s USGA Men’s State Team Championship squad…first USGA championship was 1984 U.S. Junior Amateur…won Ohio State Amateur in 1996 and 2001…also won Inverness Mid-Am in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001…won Players Mid-Am in 2007…development specialist…lowest career round is 59 at Camargo Club in the club championship…1989 graduate of Furman University…married to Jenny Gerwin…three children…his friend, Andy Giannella is his caddie this week…born Oct. 8, 1966.

CHRIS MARIN, 31, MONTEREY, CALIF.

Playing in his first Mid-Amateur, after five tries…also played in 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links, where he made the match play cut…won 2008 and 2009 California Mid-Amateur…also won Monterey City championship in 2007…runner-up at 2009 Scratch Players Mid-Am and 2009 Stocker Cup…best competitive round is 65 at 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links qualifying…2003 graduate of California State University-Monterey Bay…works as a caddie at Del Monte Golf Course which is one of the four properties of Pebble Beach Golf Links…single with one brother and one sister…Steve Mack, his friend from college, is his caddie this week…born July 22,1978.

NATHAN SMITH, 31, PITTSBURGH, PA.

Playing in his fifth U.S. Mid-Amateur…won the championship in 2003 at Wilmington (Del.) C.C…. also played in 2006-2009…member of victorious USA Walker Cup Match team in 2009…member of Pennsylvania’s victorious 2009 USGA Men’s State Team Championship team…won 2009 Pennsylvania Amateur…fourth at 2009 Sunnehanna Amateur…played in 2004 Masters Tournament, where he was paired with Arnold Palmer in his last Masters…played with Phil Mickelson in the Masters Par-3 Tournament the year Mickelson won the tournament… …eight appearances at U.S. Amateur with best finish of final 16 in 2000…played in two U.S. Junior Amateur championships…2001 graduate of Allegheny College, where he earned Division III All-America honors all four years and was an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship winner…investment advisor…married to Dr. Nicole Bianco-Smith…parents Larry and Vicki Smith are accompanying him…Larry is his caddie this week…born Aug. 6, 1978.

TIM SPITZ, 33, ROCHESTER, N.Y.

Playing in his first U.S. Mid-Amateur…also played in 1996 U.S. Amateur…won 2008 Rochester Tournament of Champions…four-time runner-up in Rochester District Championship and runner-up in 2009 Rochester Tournament of Champions…won 2009 Oppenheimer Challenge…five-time Monroe Golf Club champion…four-time winner of Brook Lea Invitational…1997 graduate of Furman University, where he helped the Paladins win the 1997 Southern Conference Championship by birdieing the first two playoff holes…teammate Jordan Byrd qualified for the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur but did not advance to match play…best competitive round was 65 in his first round as a professional…municipal bond specialist…reinstated amateur (2002)…married to Courtney Spitz…two daughters, one son….born Oct. 31, 1975.

STEVE WILSON, 39, OCEAN SPRINGS, MISS.

Playing in his third U.S. Mid-Amateur…won the 2008 championship…played in 2008 Masters Tournament…played in the 2007 and 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships…member of Mississippi’s 2007 and 2009 USGA Men’s State Team Championship squads…won 2008 Mississippi State Mid-Amateur and 2007 Mississippi State Amateur…has won the Mississippi Coast Amateur and Mississippi Coast Open several times each…runner-up at 2008…Mississippi Coast Amateur…inducted into Mississippi Gulf Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2008…1997 graduate of Southern Mississippi University…his good friend Scott Jackson was Brett Favre’s roommate at Southern Miss…plays in Favre’s annual charity event…gas station owner…reinstated amateur….won professionally on the Emerald Coast Tour, Gulf Coast Tour and DP Tour…lowest competitive round is 63 at Moors Golf Club in Milton, Fla…has 10 career holes-in-one…married to Shelly Wilson, son Gavan…brother Tom is his caddie this week…born Feb. 18, 1970

Compiled by Pete Kowalski, manager of championship media relations for the USGA.