Notebook: Dougherty Accomplishes Goal -- So Far

By Alex Miceli

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Ed Dougherty has been close before to winning a U.S. Senior Open before.

The year was 1999 and Dougherty opened with a 68 to take the first-round lead, and then followed it with a 69. Dougherty stumbled in the third round, shooting a 75, but still held the 54-hole lead.

In the final round, his 72 wasn’t good enough to best Dave Eichelberger's 68 and Dougherty finished in second place, three shots behind.

“It's a great memory,” said Dougherty of his chance for victory in 1999. “I said a couple of years ago, it's great to play well in a USGA event. Des Moines was a hard golf course, and this certainly was a hard golf course.  I'm thrilled to be here, really.”

Like Des Moines, Dougherty is in the hunt again. He is 5 under par, four shots behind leader Don Pooley.

Dougherty’s analysis of a round that saw him climb past five players and into fourth place is simple.

“I just played — it's a hard golf course,” said Dougherty. “I drove it pretty good, gave myself chances, which is what you have to do in an Open. I'm pretty happy about that.”

Clearly not one for many words, Dougherty didn’t want to talk about what it would be like to win on Sunday. But he has his mind focused.

“What's my mind set?” Dougherty said when asked about being in contention. “Everybody has their own agenda in the Open. My agenda was just to improve one position with my best finish in the Open. You know what that was?”

On The Line

How important is Sunday’s final round to Paul Simson and Bob Clark? Very important.

They are the only two remaining amateurs in the field of 63 and whomever finishes as low amateur receives an exemption into next year’s U.S. Senior Open and the U.S. Senior Amateur later this summer at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla.

Simson, the low amateur at last year’s U.S. Senior Open at Salem Country Club, is a two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist and won the 1998 Carolinas Player of the Year award.

Clark is a two-time college All-American in California.

Simson is also attempting to become just the second player to be the low amateur in consecutive years at the Senior Open.

Going Low

Don Pooley’s third-round 8-under 63 set a new championship and course record at Caves Valley Country Club.

The previous record in a U.S. Senior Open was 64, matched four times, the first being in 1989 by Orville Moody when he was 8 under and the last being Thursday when R.W. Eaks posted a 7 under score.

Pooley’s 63 also ties the best round in a USGA Open championship. Johnny Miller shot 63 at the final round at Oakmont Country Club in 1973 and Helen Alfredsson accomplished the feat in the first round at Indianwood Golf and Country Club in 1994 at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Miller won the Open that year, while Alfredsson finished tied for ninth.

Alex Miceli is a freelance writer whose work has appeared before on ww.ussenioropen.com.