Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
Tommy Conway Takes Eighth at Horton Smith Championship
5/16/2013 12:11:00 PM | Men's Golf
Brian Churchill-Smith also advances in U.S. Open Qualifying
DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Just two week removed from the Mid-American Conference Championship and already the circuit of summer golf tournaments is underway. Eastern Michigan University sophomore Tommy Conway (Jackson, Mich.-Lumen Christi) finished in eighth place at the 2013 Horton Smith Championship, May 9-11, at The Detroit Golf Club. The Jackson, Mich. native fired a 72-hole total of 281 (70-67-75-69).
Bowling Green State University's Wes Gates fired a red-hot final-round 63 to win by six shots. Gates shot rounds of 72-65-70-63 and was an easy winner over runner-up Michael Ignasiak, who shot rounds of 69-65-74-68.
The tournament in named in honor of Horton Smith (May 22, 1908–Oct. 15, 1963), who is best known as the first man to win the Masters Tournament. He accumulated 32 PGA Tour titles in total, the last of them in 1941. Smith's two major championships both came at the Masters Tournament, the first at the inaugural tournament in 1934 and the second in 1936. He played in every Masters until his death in 1963. He also played for the United States in the Ryder Cup five times: 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935 and 1937.
In other news, Brian Churchill-Smith (Oakville, Ontario, Canada-Oakville Trafalgar) qualified for the second round, sectional qualifying, of the United States Golf Association's U.S. Open tournament. The U.S. Open is one of golf's four major championships. Qualifying was held at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. Monday, May 13.
Churchill-Smith posted scores a 71 to finish in a tie for third place. He will now compete in the sectional qualifier at the Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Ohio Monday, June 3.
The sectional qualifying round, a 36-hole test of skill and endurance, will be played at 11 sites in the United States as well as one each in England and Japan. The USGA accepted a record 9,860 entries for this year's U.S. Open. The previous record was 9,086 in 2009.
After the first two rounds of qualifying have whittled the field down, 156 competitors will converge on the Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, Penn., for the 113th playing of the national championship.
Bowling Green State University's Wes Gates fired a red-hot final-round 63 to win by six shots. Gates shot rounds of 72-65-70-63 and was an easy winner over runner-up Michael Ignasiak, who shot rounds of 69-65-74-68.
The tournament in named in honor of Horton Smith (May 22, 1908–Oct. 15, 1963), who is best known as the first man to win the Masters Tournament. He accumulated 32 PGA Tour titles in total, the last of them in 1941. Smith's two major championships both came at the Masters Tournament, the first at the inaugural tournament in 1934 and the second in 1936. He played in every Masters until his death in 1963. He also played for the United States in the Ryder Cup five times: 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935 and 1937.
In other news, Brian Churchill-Smith (Oakville, Ontario, Canada-Oakville Trafalgar) qualified for the second round, sectional qualifying, of the United States Golf Association's U.S. Open tournament. The U.S. Open is one of golf's four major championships. Qualifying was held at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. Monday, May 13.
Churchill-Smith posted scores a 71 to finish in a tie for third place. He will now compete in the sectional qualifier at the Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Ohio Monday, June 3.
The sectional qualifying round, a 36-hole test of skill and endurance, will be played at 11 sites in the United States as well as one each in England and Japan. The USGA accepted a record 9,860 entries for this year's U.S. Open. The previous record was 9,086 in 2009.
After the first two rounds of qualifying have whittled the field down, 156 competitors will converge on the Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, Penn., for the 113th playing of the national championship.
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