Jerry Gunthorpe, of Michigan, will face Iowa’s Gene Elliott on Thursday morning after both won a pair of matches on a glorious Wednesday at the Country Club of Detroit.

Gunthorpe, 58, eliminated Dave Bunker 3&1, while Elliott, 59, defeated Craig Davis 5&4, on a breezy day with temperatures in the upper 60s and very little humidity.

The two finalists couldn’t have more contrasting golf résumés

While Gunthorpe, whose biggest victory to date is the 2004 Horton Smith Invitational at Detroit Golf Club, is a long-time standout in the state of Michigan, he just started playing national events after turning 55 three years ago. This week was only his second USGA championship; he lost in the Round of 64 in the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur at Old Chatham Golf Club.

Gunthorpe has played competitively since age 12, but chose raising his two boys – both Nathan (Michigan State) and Nick (Grand Valley State) are golfers who have qualified for USGA events – and daughter, Casey, a former cheerleader at MSU, over pursuing a national golf schedule. 

After a distinguished amateur career, Gene Elliot is looking for his first USGA title. PHOTO: USGA.

Meanwhile, Elliott is currently the No.2 senior golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking behind 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur champion Doug Hanzel.

His portfolio includes victories in the prestigious Porter Cup and Terra Cotta Invitational as well as this year’s Senior Amateur Championship conducted by The R&A. He has also won 15 Iowa state titles, including three Iowa Amateurs, and been the medallist in the U.S. Amateur (1999). This is his 36th start in a USGA championship.

When it comes to elite, veteran amateurs – male or female – without a USGA title since World War II, Elliott’s name certainly belongs on that list with the likes of the late Bob Lewis Jr. (three runner-up USGA finishes, 4 USA Walker Cup Teams), Dick Siderowf (2 British Am titles, 5 Walker Cup Teams) and John Grace (2 USGA runners-up, including the 1974 U.S. Amateur) on the men’s side. And Pat Cornett (1 U.S. Women’s Mid-Am runner-up, 4-time USGA semi finalist, 2 Curtis Cups and 66 USGA starts), the late Toni Wiesner (3 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runners-up, 50-plus USGA starts) and Brenda Corrie Kuehn (1 U.S. Women’s Mid-Am runner-up, 2 Curtis Cup starts and 45-plus USGA events) on the women’s side.

“This is a special week,” said Elliott, who is looking to join Ed Updegraff (1981) as Iowa natives to win the U.S. Senior Amateur. “We’ve gotten it this far. Just want to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

If he performs like he did against Davis, when he shot the equivalent of six-under-par over 14 holes (with the usual match-play concessions), he might be holding the trophy on Thursday.

“He saved his best golf for me,” said Davis. “I played with him in the [stroke-play] rounds and he didn't play anywhere near that well. Looks like his game has gotten better each day.”

Jerry Gunthorpe is only a recent entrant to the national amateur scene and hopes to keep Michigan's recent run of success going. PHOTO: USGA.

Gunthorpe might not have the pedigree of his opponent, but he has shown plenty of chops this week in his home state as he vies to become the third player from Michigan to win the U.S. Senior Amateur, after Greg Reynolds in 2002 at Timuquana Country Club and Tom Drape in 1971 at Sunnybrook Golf Club.

He also hopes to continue a marvellous three-week stretch for Michigan following James Piot’s victory in the U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club and the Taylor Little League team that captured the Little League World Series on Sunday.

“I’m just looking forward to tomorrow,” said Gunthorpe. “I played with Gene one other time in a Golfweek event last winter. Great guy, good player. I know it's going to be a tight, tough match if I play well. I just need to play well and see what happens.”

Gunthorpe birdied two of his first three holes against Bunker, including a 35-footer on the first hole. When Bunker narrowed the deficit to 1-down, Gunthorpe responded with three consecutive birdies from No.9, the latter two winning the hole. The two took turns exchanging wins on Nos. 14-17, with Gunthorpe winning the match with a birdie on the par-5 17th.

Elliott’s victory was highlighted by a hole-out for an eagle from 78 yards on the par-5 10th that pushed his lead to 3-up. A winning par on No.11 and his fourth birdie of the round on the 172-yard, par-3 13th put him 5-up with five to play.

Earlier in the day, Rusty Strawn was unable to rally from 2-down with two to play against Gunthorpe, something he did in the Round of 16 on Tuesday to eliminate Jim Lehman. The Georgia Southern graduate missed an eight-foot birdie on No. 17 that would have extended the match.

Local favourite Tom Gieselman never recovered from losing the first three holes against Elliott. The Oakland Hills member, who had the biggest following this week, missed a six-footer for birdie on No.16 that would have tied the match. One hole later, handshakes were exchanged when Elliott birdied No.17 to close out a 2&1 victory in the quarterfinals.

Bunker registered a winning par on the 18th hole to knock out Billy Mitchell 1-up, in the quarterfinals.