After two rounds of medal play Monday and Tuesday at Southern Hills (7,093 yards) and Cedar Ridge (7,336 yards), the field will be sliced to 64 players. The Golf Channel will televise match play Wednesday-Friday. NBC takes over for the semifinals Saturday and finals Sunday.

Past champions of the 104-year-old event include Bobby Jones, the only five-time winner, and Tiger Woods, the only winner of three straight, as well as major championship winners on the PGA Tour — Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer, Hal Sutton, Justin Leonard, Lanny Wadkins, Jerry Pate, Mark O’Meara, Craig Stadler and Nicklaus.

For the four local players — all first-time qualifiers for the Amateur — advancing to match play would be a significant feat. For a late-bloomer such as Lese, 26, who has never won a significant local event, just getting to Tulsa is perhaps the accomplishment.

To survive the sectional round at Hayfields, Lese needed to go seven extra holes — after playing 36 in 90-degree heat — to outlast Tracy Vallandingham of Leonardtown. When he rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt to clinch the berth, Lese did it in near darkness, 13 hours after his morning tee time.

“I’ve actually been in a lot of these things,” said Lese, a member at Argyle. “But never with the stakes this high. Getting to the Amateur, that’s really big for me.”

For McCarthy, also a member at Argyle and a junior this fall at Georgetown Prep, it will be his second USGA event this summer. He played well in the U.S. Junior Amateur, tying for 15th in a field of 156 to advance to match play.

After winning his opening match, McCarthy lost in the round of 32 to Yosuke Asaji of Japan, who made five birdies en route to the victory, 3 up. McCarthy lost despite playing the final 10 holes in 3-under-par, his confidence unshaken.

“I just ran into a hot player at the wrong time,” said McCarthy. “If I had played anybody else in that round, I would have won.”

McCarthy is ready for famed Southern Hills, host of seven PGA Tour majors, after playing last week at another major championship venue — Oak Hill of Rochester, N.Y. In the 46th Williamson Cup, which includes the top junior players from 10 golf associations from the east coast and Canada, McCarthy shot 67-70 — 137 to take the individual title and lead Washington to second place.

For McLister, 20, a junior at Delaware, qualifying for the Amateur had special significance. His brother, Joey, played in the 2005 Amateur at Merion. Now Kevin will try to go his brother one better, by qualifying for match play.

For Delmar, 21, a berth in the Amateur comes at a good time after a frustrating season at Coastal Carolina, where a disagreement with the golf coach led to his departure from the team.

Burke wins third
Maryland Mid-Am

Terry Burke of Burning Tree won the Maryland Mid-Amateur, following up his course-record-tying 64 with a 72 Tuesday at Chestnut Ridge to beat Brian Woods of Baltimore Country Club (68-71 — 139) by three shots. It was the record third Mid-Am title for Burke, whose previous wins came in 2000 and 2007.

Burke had a chance to notch the course record Monday as he came to the 18th hole at 7-under-par, but he made a bogey and settled for tying the course standard established by local professional standout Webb Heintzelmann.

Burke emerged from a field of 106. Maryland limits its Mid-Am to players 30-and-over with a handicap index of 5.4 or less.

Herndon takes Maryland Women’s Senior

Diane Herndon (Argyle) shot 80-78 — 158 to topple two-time defending champion Meg Giusti (82-77 — 159) and 2006 winner Anita Venner (80-79 — 159) in the Maryland Women’s Senior Amateur, Monday and Tuesday at Holly Hills.

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