Mann Hoping To Build On Last Year’s U.S. Senior Amateur Experience

Steven Mann is enjoying a different mindset and approach to this week’s U.S. Senior Amateur than he did heading into last year’s event held at The Honors Course.

After narrowly missing out making it into the field of various USGA events on seven occasions either via a playoff or as an overlooked alternate, Mann was thrilled to have his first foray take place on home soil.

However, there was a logistical challenge to be navigated first. The Tennessee Senior Amateur didn’t wrap up until two days prior to the first round of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur, allowing precious little time for rest or course preparation while traversing from one side of the state to the other.

The runway into this year’s 56^th U.S. Senior Amateur at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas has been less mentally and physically taxing for Mann. The Franklin resident is one of four Tennessee residents who will be among the 156 participants who begin play Saturday with the first of two rounds of stroke play qualifying to determine which 64 advance to match play on Monday.

The other three also hail from the Music City region who will be representing Tennessee. Arnold Cunningham is from Nashville, Beau Fields is from Brentwood, and Billy Green is also from Franklin.

“Yeah, I think I'll be more rested for sure heading into the tournament,” Mann said. “I played only one practice round last year. Luckily, I was able to play in the Lupton (Memorial Tournament at The Honors) in late May so that made it a lot easier preparing.”

Mann managed to make the cut in his inaugural USGA tournament, finishing tied for 39^th with rounds of 73-82 for a score of 11-over-par. He then lost his opening match in the Round of 64 by a 3 and 2 margin.

“I played well the first day down there,” Mann said. “But I didn’t have my best stuff in match play. I got down early and wasn’t able to make a comeback. It was a good experience for me. I thought going in if I made match play, it would be a good week. I don't know if I had a little letdown or what, but after you lose you always wish you'd have done better.”

With a year of experience under his belt, Mann has a different outlook when approaching this year’s event.

“I'm not going to be as nervous going in this year,” Mann said. “Being my first time, I really didn't even know what to expect stepping on the property last year. There's some relief at least knowing what to expect this time around. Last year was a lot unknowns for me, so this year should be a little bit easier.”

Mann earned his invitation to San Antonio by finishing as co-medalist at a qualifier outside of Cincinnati last month. Cunningham punched his ticket by also sharing the top spot on the leaderboard at a qualifier in Cleveland, Miss. Fields was the winner of a Nashville qualifier to secure his spot, while Green was runner-up.

After making into match play at The Honors Course last year, Mann has adjusted his expectations this time around.

“I was talking to a buddy of mine the other day who asked me what my goal was,” Mann said. “I’m sure he thought I’d say that I wanted to win the tournament. But my goal going to Texas is just to play really well. I feel like if I do that, I’m going to be okay. You can always run into a hot guy, and I want to limit the number of shots I give away. I know that's not the best answer, but I do feel like that with my game, if I play well then at least I'll be competitive.”

Mann is coming off a near miss in winning his second Tennessee Senior Amateur title in the last three years, falling to Brad Kuester at Belle Meade in a three-way playoff. A torrential downpour late in the second round led to an unfortunate quadruple bogey that cost him four shots, and a missed birdie try from four-feet after the restart are moments that still stick in his craw.

“That tournament's been a little bit of nightmare fuel for me these past few weeks,” Mann said. “I had some accumulated errors that cost me the chance to win, and that’s given me plenty of motivation going forward.”

Louis Brown of Marietta, Ga. is the defending champion after defeating California’s Daniel Sullivan in last year’s final. Eight other former champions are among the entrants including Gene Elliott, Norwalk, Iowa (2021); Doug Hanzel, Savannah, Ga. (2013); Sean Knapp, Oakmont, Pa. (2017); Bob Royak, Alpharetta, Ga. (2019); Dave Ryan, Taylorville, Ill. (2016); Rusty Strawn, Eatonton, Ga. (2022); Todd White, Spartanburg, S.C. (2023); and Jeff Wilson, Fairfield, Calif. (2018).

After the weekend’s stroke play qualifier, the Round of 64 matches take place on Monday. Tuesday will feature the Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals on Wednesday. The 18-hole championship match is slated for Thursday.

This year’s tournament was originally scheduled to be contested at Biltmore Forest Country Club in Asheville, N.C. However, with the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene in that region, the host sites were shifted with the championship making its way to North Carolina in 2028.

For Saturday’s tee times and live scoring, go to U.S. Senior Amateur.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com