Headline: Veterans Justin Peters and Fran Quinn Lead Field to advance to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying
For Immediate Release: May 18, 2009
Bernardston, MA — With youngsters half their age playing alongside them, two wily veterans who have made a career on the professional circuit stole the headlines at U.S. Local Qualifying held today at Crumpin-Fox Club.
Justin Peters (Stuart, FL) and Fran Quinn (Holden, MA), who dominated the local amateur scene years ago, were two of four qualifiers who earned a ticket to Sectional Qualifying following strong rounds in Bernardston today.
The top qualifier of the day was Peters, an outstanding Bay State amateur golfer in the 1990s who made national headlines when he won The Golf Channel's reality series "The Big Break" in 2003.
Peters, 32, posted a 2-under par 70 today and was the only golfer in the 70-plus player field to break par. Following a rocky front nine where he registered four bogeys and two birdies, Peters turned on the heat down the stretch as he came through with four birdies to finish at 2-under for the day.
A flash back to his amateur days would reveal that Peters was one of the most dominating players during the late 1990s. He was the 1998 Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year who earlier in his career captured the 1994 Massachusetts Junior Championship and then in 1996 advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
Finishing two strokes back of Peters was Quinn, who is also no stranger to the Massachusetts golf world. Quinn, now 46 years old, turned pro back in 1988 and went on to capture the 1990 Massachusetts Open Championship. Incidentally, his younger brother, Kevin, followed in Fran's footsteps when he won the Massachusetts Open title in 1999. Kevin, who still competes as an amateur player out of Charles River Country Club, stands as the last amateur to have won the State Open Championship.
Fran, meanwhile, has spent most of his career on the Nationwide Tour where he has claimed four career victories - two on the Nationwide Tour and two on the Asian Tour. Most recently, he is coming off a strong 2008 season on the Nationwide Tour where he posted 10 top-25 finishes and finished 53rd on the money list.
Today at Crumpin-Fox Club, Quinn displayed his veteran poise as he posted a 1-over par 73. After making the turn at 2-over par 38 - he made bogey on the 1st and 6th holes - he recovered nicely by piecing together a solid back nine that included one birdie and eight pars.
Also qualifying today at Crumpin-Fox Club were Trevor Murphy (Scottsdale, AZ) with a score of even par 72 and two-time New England Amateur Champion Michael Welch (North Quincy, MA), who matched Quinn's score of 1-over par 73.
2009 U.S. Open Local Qualifying
Crumpin-Fox Club (Bernardston, MA)
May 18, 2009
Par 38-36-72
Qualifiers
1) Justin Peters (Stuart, FL) 38-32--70
2) Trevor Murphy (Scottsdale, AZ) 33-39--72
T3) Fran Quinn (Holden, MA) 38-35--73
T3) Michael Welch (North Quincy, MA) 38-35-73
Alternates
1st Matthew Donovan (Pittsfield, MA) 38-36-74
2nd Greg Farland (Sturbridge, MA) 39-36--75
