ANDOVER, Kan. – Let’s hear it for match play.
It seems that all we hear about is medal play. There ought to be more match play.
Why? Match play is unpredictable and fun to watch. It is a study in strategy. It is an exercise in human emotion. It is the most intense kind of golf.
Here at the USGA Senior Amateur, it’s down to two golfers in the match-play final. Stan Lee of Heber Springs, Ark., and Sam Farlow of Birmingham, Ala., will meet in Thursday’s 18-hole showdown at Flint Hills National Golf Club.
It gets better.
With the start of the college football season, Lee and Farlow have managed to take a football rivalry to the golf course. Lee played golf at Louisiana State, while Farlow played at Alabama. They have competed against each other since the 1970s and never miss an opportunity to express some football one-upmanship.
“No way can Alabama beat LSU,” Lee bragged.
On football coach Nick Saban leaving LSU and eventually ending up at Alabama, Farlow joked, “He finally came to his senses. Just wait and see what he does. I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
As far as golf is concerned, both golfers say they are worn out. They’ve played two practice rounds, two medal-play rounds and five matches so far. That’s nine rounds of golf in seven days.
“I can feel my body coming apart,” said Lee. “I usually play once a week. I’m way overgolfed here.”
Now only the final awaits.
Farlow probably is favored because he’s been there before. He advanced to the semifinals of last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur before losing to eventual champion Mike Bell.
Lee, though, seems to be playing better.
“You never know in match play,” Farlow said. “It’s a mystery. I played fantastic this morning when I beat Vinny (Giles, 4 and 3). I was awful this afternoon, but still managed to win over Frank (Ford III, 2 and 1).”
Lee outlasted Logan Jackson in 19 holes, then dominated Stu Grendahl, 4 and 3.
If he wins, Lee, 55, will become the youngest winner in the history of the championship. He turned 55 on Sept. 1, the opening day of the event. If he had been born one day later, he wouldn’t have been eligible until next year.
Farlow, 60, qualified for the PGA Tour in 1973 and played as a pro until 1977. He regained his amateur status and is employed as a manufacturer’s representative for ATS Medical, which makes heart valves and other medical products.
Lee is vice president of business development for 1st Arkansas Bank and Trust.
“I love my job,” Lee said. “When I was young, I hit 1,000 balls a day. I wanted to be Jack Nicklaus. Now it’s all different. If I get mad about golf, I’m stupid. I don’t fear the bad any more, so I always have fun on the golf course.”
How unfootball-like. Oh well, Geaux Tigers! Roll Tide! If they can’t settle this championship on the golf course, maybe the two golfers will wrestle each other in a bunker or something like that.
“We’re good friends,” said Lee. “I can’t imagine a better final match than to be playing Sam.”
If this were medal play, he wouldn’t be making such a statement. Long live match play. There ought to be more tournaments like this.
Posted: 9/5/2007
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