Husband, Peterson Earn Qualifying Spots at U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying

View full size image

EDINA, Minn. – John Husband fired a 2-under-par 70 to earn medalist honors and one of the two qualifying spots at Edina Country Club into the U.S. Senior Amateur to be played at Martis Camp Club in Truckee, Calif. August 26-31. 

Husband, a native of Burlington, Ontario, Canada, qualified for his third U.S. Senior Amateur Monday helped by a bogey-free 3-under-par 34 on the final nine holes. Husband started off slowly with a bogey on the second hole followed by seven pars to make the turn in 1-over-par 36 and out of a qualifying spot.

After making the turn, Husband’s wedges came to the rescue. He would make birdie from close-in on the 10th, 13th and 15th holes.

“The back nine I made three birdies, I started to really flag my wedges. On ten, I hit it to a foot with a wedge, in fact the whole back nine I hit it within ten feet minus the 16th hole where I had about 20 feet. I hit it stiff on 10, I hit it stiff on 13 and I hit it stiff on 15 so my wedge play was really sharp today,” Husband said following the round.

His 3-under-par back-nine separated him from the field and earned him the medalist spot by three shots over Tim Peterson and Terry Cook. His last time in the U.S. Senior Amateur, in 2022, he had a torn MCL but did not want to miss the tournament.

“Last year I had a great summer going, I won a bunch of tournaments and then I tore my MCL in May and my knee ballooned but I didn’t not want to play. I went and played but couldn’t really pivot on it [his knee] so this year I want to go back and play well because last year was more a of struggle whereas this year I will be more competitive.”

Tim Peterson, 2021 MGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year, survived a one-hole playoff, making a 15-foot birdie putt, to earn the second and final qualifying spot. He had one of his worst swings of the day to start the playoff but survived it with resiliency.

“I hit probably the worst drive I hit all day, I had to pick it out of the driving range and laid up down in the fairway. I hit it to about 15 feet away and made to the putt,” Peterson said following the round.

Peterson also started with a bogey on the second hole and hit a wedge heavy from the fairway on the third hole, leaving him with about a 40-yard pitch for his third shot. He hit his approach close and made the putt for par to keep the momentum moving forward.

“I had just bogeyed the second hole, and on the third, it was one of the shots I laid the sod over the ball. I wound up short of the green about 40 yards and I got it up and down to keep the round going.”

Following the up-and-down, Peterson played steady golf going 2-under-par over his next 12 holes, birdieing the 8th and 12th holes, to reach 1-under for the round and into a qualifying spot. 

He would stumble over his last three holes, three-putting for bogey on the 16th hole and failing to get up-and-down on the 18th to find himself in the playoff for the final qualifying spot.

“I was happy with the way I hit the ball for the most part…One thing I regret is playing the last three holes two-over-par but those are difficult holes. I drove the ball really well and was never really in trouble the whole day,” Peterson said reflecting after the round.

This will mark Peterson’s second appearance in the U.S. Senior Am, with the other coming in 2021 where he advanced to the round of 16. With some experience at the event, he believes he is more suited to play better golf.

“Having been there before, it made me very incentivized to get back there again because it’s such a great event and I had really good experience last time. So when you get to the championship site, you try to do whatever you can to get through the qualifying and then after that in the match play, it is a free-for-all so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Terry Cook, of Norwalk, Iowa, shot a one-over-par 73 to get into the playoff with Peterson and would fall to Peterson’s birdie on the first playoff at the par-5 10th hole to earn the first alternate spot into the championship.

Pat Smith shot a two-over-par 73 to claim the second alternate spot.