Sept. 14, 2005
Ooltewah, Tenn. – Former Georgia Tech All-American Carlton Forrester of Birmingham, Ala., and Kevin Marsh of Las Vegas, Nev., each won two matches Wednesday to advance to the 36-hole final of the 25th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, being held at the par-72, 7,037-yard Honors Course.
Forrester, 29, needed 18 holes to outlast Mike McCoy, 42, of West Des Moines, Iowa, in a back-and-forth semifinal match. McCoy struck first, winning the par-3 third hole when Forrester bogeyed. Forrester came back to win the next two to take a 1-up advantage. He increased his lead when McCoy double bogeyed the par-3 eighth, but McCoy rallied to win No. 10 and 11 to again square the match.
Forrester had beaten Kenneth Kellaney of Phoenix, Ariz., 3 and 1, in his quarterfinal match Wednesday morning.
In the other semifinal, Marsh, 32, never trailed against Steve Liebler, 46, of Irmo, S.C., and built a 3-up lead at the par-5 11th after Liebler bogeyed. Liebler got one back on No. 13 when Marsh three-putted and got another on the par-3 14th when he earned a conceded birdie after hitting his tee shot to three feet.
Now Forrester stands 36 holes away from a USGA trophy, which comes with a probable invitation to play in next year’s Masters Tournament. He and Marsh will begin their match at 8 a.m. Thursday, with the second 18 holes starting at 12:45 p.m.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet, he said. “And if you think about it, it really is not going to do you any good. I am just trying to go out and play The Honors Course and play the best golf that I can play. And try not to think about the consequences, whether they are positive or negative.”
Forrester twice was an honorable mention All-American at Tech in 1999 and 2000, and earned all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 1999, playing with stars such as 1997 U.S. Amateur champion Matt Kuchar, four-time All-American and U.S. Walker Cupper Bryce Molder and 2002 NCAA Champion Troy Matteson.
See a feature profile on Forrester and follow his championship match progress Thursday.
U.S. MID AMATEUR RESULTSThursday, September 14, 2005The Honors Course, Ooltewah, Tenn.
Round of 8 Upper Bracket Steven Liebler, Irmo, S.C. (147) def. Trey Lewis, Hendersonville, Tenn. (145), 19 holes Kevin Marsh, Las Vegas, Nev. (142) def. Tripp Davis, Norman, Okla. (146), 3 and 1
Lower Bracket Michael McCoy, West Des Moines, Iowa (148) def. Brendan Hester, Northbridge, Mass. (143), 7 and 6 Carlton Forrester, Birmingham, Ala. (146) def. Kenneth Kellaney, Phoenix, Ariz. (145), 3 and 1
Round of 4 Upper Bracket Marsh def. Liebler, 2 and 1
Lower Bracket Forrester def. McCoy, 1 up
