Zahringer, 54, Young At Heart

By Dave Shedloski

San Francisco – With five children of his own, George Zahringer is accustomed to thriving in the company of youngsters. He’s getting used to a similar set of circumstances in the U.S. Amateur Championship.

"The dominant players out here are the college kids … well, young men, but they seem like kids to me," said Zahringer, 54, of New York, who is the oldest player to make match play in the 107^th U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club. "It’s been that way for a long time. It’s not really something I think about anymore."

Zahringer, who in 2002, at age 49, became the oldest winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur, is going to get the chance to see if his game can hold up against the younger set. He did fine Tuesday when he had to play 27 holes at Olympic Club after a fog delay Monday, finishing off a 71 on the Ocean Course before matching that score on the Lake Course in the afternoon. His 2-over-par 142 total was easily good enough to move into the match play phase reserved for the top 64 qualifiers.

"I was a little sloppy on the final nine, but I got it in," said Zahringer, who made two late birdies after a four-hole stretch of golf starting at the third hole, his 12^th of the day, in five over par. "I didn’t drive it well, and you have to do that here. If I can drive it well, I can still be competitive. I’m going to have some lunch and then work on it a little."

Zahringer, low amateur after a closing 69 earlier this summer in the U.S. Senior Open at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Haven, Wis., would be by far the oldest winner of the U.S. Amateur should he navigate the minefield of predominantly young guns that will populate the match play bracket. Jack Westland’s 1952 victory came at the age of 47.

The oldest winner of recent vintage is John Harris, who was 41 when he won the 1993 championship.

A senior managing director at Bear Stearns in New York, Zahringer advanced to the semifinals in 2003 at Oakmont to earn a spot on the Walker Cup team, reached the round of 16 in the championship two years ago at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., and advanced as far as the quarterfinals in 1992 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Interestingly, he believes that the Lake Course at Olympic might afford him his best chance to advance deeper.

"This is what you come out here for, to see what you can do," he said. "On this golf course I don’t think length, per se, is a real advantage. I have to keep it in play, be smart. You’re going to make swing errors so you have to be careful. I’m looking forward to it."

Zahringer said he could drive the ball 250 to 280 yards, depending on conditions. The youngsters he will face are able to blow it by him, if they choose. He tries not to watch what they do, how far they hit. "The kids hit it a long way. I just try to play my own game," he said. "I don’t really know what they’re thinking. Some young kids can be full of themselves. I can’t worry about what they do."

While some former Amateur champions, such as Harris and Jay Sigel, have gone on to compete professionally on the Champions Tour for players 50 and older, Zahringer said he harbors no similar ambitions. It’s not the competition that dissuades him.

"It’s a difficult lifestyle," he said. "To do that week in and week out, it’s hard even for the best players. I love to play golf competitively and just for fun. I’m going to be 55 next year. I have two small children. It’s not something I’ve really considered. I get enjoyment out of amateur golf."

That was evident Tuesday after Zahringer, who won the Metropolitan Stroke Play championship earlier this summer, fought his way around a tough layout. That allows him to stick around for at least another day, maybe longer.

"This is a magnificent setting," he said, looking around The Olympic Club property. "The topography is so unique and you have the great trees, the cypress trees and the Monterey Pines … it’s scenically one of the most peaceful golf courses I’ve ever seen. So I’m excited to play."

As excited, one might say, as a kid.

Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has appeared previously on www.usamateur.org.