Vienna’s Pat Tallent finished fifth in a field of 144 in the British Senior Amateur, contested last week at Heath Walton, in Surrey, England. Tallent, who shot a 4-over-par (73-76-71 – 220), finished 12 strokes behind 59-year-old Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C. (70-69-69 – 208), who won for the third time in the last five years. Heath Walton hosted the 1981 Ryder Cup.
Bobby Morris (Great Falls) shot 224 to tie for 17th. Last month, Morris and Tallent were instrumental in Congressional Country Club’s victory in the Washington Metropolitan Golf Association team championship. They qualified for the British Senior Am by getting to match play in the 2009 U.S. Senior Amateur.
In his second straight year at the British Senior Am, John Long (Centreville) shot 229 to tie for 34th. Long, a 60-year-old member at Evergreen, placed sixth last year at historic Prestwick, earning a return trip.
Tallent, a 56-year-old former basketball standout at George Washington University, will play the prestigious Crump Cup at Pine Valley (N.J.) next month where he is the defending champion in the senior division, beating 2009 U.S. Walker Cup captain Buddy Marucci in the final.
