Courtesy photo Artie Fink Jr. (right) with Brett Quigley at the qualifier in Rockville.

On Monday, at a USGA qualifying event for the Senior U.S. Open, Altoona’s Artie Fink Jr. played well enough to earn the first alternate spot.

The Senior U.S. Open, a major championship for golfers over the age of 50, will be contested at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, July 2-5.

Monday’s qualifying event at Manor Golf Club in Rockville, Maryland featured 52 golfers vying for six qualifying spots into the Senior Open, and when all scores were tallied Fink was a bit disheartened to find that his well-played round of 71 placed him just outside of the automatic entries.

However, officials quickly gathered Fink and the three others who had tied for seventh place to participate in a playoff that would determine the first and second alternate positions.

Surprisingly, it took a full seven holes to decide, and when the dust cleared Fink was alone at the top. Fink actually parred all seven playoff holes to secure the official first alternate spot at the Rockville qualifying tournament.

“It was a grind all day,” he said. “I played really well and was happy to earn the first alternate spot. I was also glad when the playoff came to an end. I’m not used to walking a total of 25 holes these days.”

As the first alternate, Fink will gain entry into the Senior Open if any of the top six finishers at this qualifying site pull out. He was also informed that his finish placed him as the fifth overall alternate among the larger group of golfers who earned automatic exemptions into this year’s Senior Open (if any five of these exempt golfers would happen to withdraw, Fink will also gain entry).

Fink was told by officials that golfers in this same position have actually gained entry into the championship each of the past three years.

A highlight of this particular qualifying event was also the presence of Champions Tour standout Brett Quigley, who had just capped off a fourth-place finish in the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa on Sunday. After a quick plane flight to Maryland on Sunday evening, Quigley was left scrambling when his clubs were lost by the airline. Undaunted, Quigley borrowed the host pro’s set of clubs and turned in the event’s low score of the day. His 3-under 67 earned Quigley medalist honors and a spot of his own into the 2026 Senior U.S. Open.

Fink was able to witness this first-hand as he was paired with Quigley for the event.

“He’s an absolutely great guy to play with,” Fink said. “He has a great golf game, and he couldn’t have been nicer to play with.”

Here’s hoping Fink’s alternate spot eventually leads to an entry into the 2026 Senior U.S. Open, scheduled for early July.

Tournament officials have been in regular contact with Fink over the past several days and will continue providing status updates until the tournament begins on July 2.

Senior events

One of the biggest changes to the local tournament scene over the past 10 years has been the increase in the number of quality senior events that are now offered by area clubs. Next week’s tournament at Summit Country Club is just one example.

Summit is holding its second annual Senior Challenge Two-Man Invitational, a best-ball event played over two days of stroke play (June 26-27).

Tournament spots are still open for this event. To enter, call Summit Country Club at 814-886-9985 or email randyrepko@pga.com.

45 years ago

During the third week in June of 1981, the Huntingdon team of Ram Cirignano and Ed Strickler captured the first annual Centre Hills Invitational in State College.

Cirignano and Strickler defeated Bill Acker and Dean Helsel in the semifinals before besting Altoona’s Dan Lawruk and Pittsburgh’s Dave Borkovitch in the finale, 3 and 2, to take home the trophy.

Ken Love covers local golf for the Mirror. He can be reached at GLTR777@atlanticbb.net.