Doug Hanzel ’79 Qualifies for Match Play at USGA Senior Amateur
9/12/2014 4:44:00 PM | Men's Golf
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Former Kent State golfer, Dr. Doug Hanzel '79, completed the first two rounds of stroke play during the 2014 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship hosted at Big Canyon Country Club. Hanzel, the 2013 USGA Senior Amateur champion, shot an even-par 72 in the first round, and then added a one-over-par 73 in the second round to tie for 18th and qualify for match play.
Hanzel is coming off a Georgia Senior Amateur Championship on Aug. 28 with a 3-under par 213 (71-67-75) at Doublegate Country Club. The victory marked Hanzel's second Georgia Senior Championship victory, after claiming his first in 2012 at Reynolds Plantation-Great Waters in Eatonton, which was his first year eligible for senior competitions on the GSGA circuit. Last year, Hanzel won his first national championship - the 2013 USGA Senior Amateur Championship - at Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers, N.C.
Just two years ago, he became the only player in USGA history to qualify and reach the match-play stages of the U.S. Men's Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur and the U.S. Senior Amateur.
In both 2012 and 2013, Dr. Hanzel qualified to face the top professionals in the world at the United State Senior Open, making the cut both times and finishing as the low amateur.
While at Kent State, Hanzel was a member of the 1977 MAC championship team, and he was the captain of Page's first team in 1978-79.
Hanzel was also joined by former teammate Mike Cassell '77. Cassell recorded scores of 77-77=154 but missed the cut.
In a USGA amateur Championship, there are two days of stroke play qualifying to determine exactly the 64 players who will make it to match play. The "Match Play Tree" is then established -- much like a tennis tournament or NCAA basketball - and players are seeded according to how they played during stroke play.
Match play is a competition played by holes rather than total strokes for the round. In USGA amateur Championships, two opponents play against each other and while there may be other players on the course, each group is its own match and has nothing to do with the rest of the field. The winners of each match keep advancing until there is only one player left. With 64 players, this occurs after 6 matches.
