Anthem golfer finishes runner-up at U.S. Senior Amateur Championship

When Greg Sanders arrived to Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio for the 70th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, he had no idea what to expect from himself. 

But the 61-year-old from Anthem managed to play consistent golf, limit the high numbers and wound up in Thursday’s championship match. Sanders took home the silver medal. 

RESULTS

“If somebody said I could transport myself into the finals of the U.S. Senior, I’d say, ‘where do I sign up? Are you kidding me?’ This was a deep run for me, so I did not expect it,” Sanders told USGA, following the final. 

A retired petroleum engineer, this was Sanders’ first appearance in the U.S. Senior Am final. The six-day event began Saturday with 36-holes of stroke play for a field of 156 players, age 55 and up. 

By Monday, that field shrunk to the top-64 for a match play bracket. Sanders navigated his head-to-head matches well, reaching the title match against Michael McCoy. 

In Thursday’s final, McCoy rushed out to a strong start stringing together a run of birdie-birdie-par for an early 3-up lead through three holes. The 62-year-old of Des Moines, Iowa, held a commanding 5-up lead by the time the pair reached the No. 9 tee box. 

Then it was Sanders’ turn, carding a birdie on No. 9 and a par on No. 12 to take two holes back and cut McCoy’s lead to 3-up with six holes to play.

McCoy just never made a mistake, halving the remaining holes with Sanders for a 3&2 victory, and earning custody of the coveted Frederick L. Dold trophy for the year. 

After the match, Sanders pointed to the challenging pin locations as an obstacle for a comeback. With holes just a handful of paces from the edge of the green, approach shots can turn to bogeys quickly. 

Still, Sanders was proud of his performance this week and made a deeper run than he ever imagined. 

“I think mentally I was really good is probably what stands out,” Sanders told USGA. “Today, I don't know, man. I knew I could have won, but against McCoy, you can't just be average. You've got to be really good. Of course his start just blew me out... It wasn't completely terrible, but it was hard to win. That's all.”

Greg Sanders watches his tee shot at the ninth hole during the finals of the 2025 U.S. Senior Amateur at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo By" Ted Pio Roda/USGA)

Sanders’ path to the final

Rounds of 70 (-1) and 69 (-2) were strong enough for a third-place tie through the 36-hole stroke play qualifier for Sanders. 

Earning the No. 3 seed, he advanced to the 64-man match play bracket where he opened with a 4-up victory, later taking the round of 32 to the 19th hole where a par was good enough for the win. 

Sanders won the round of 16, 4&3, taking the quarterfinal match dramatically to the green on No. 18 and sinking a 30-footer for birdie and the win.

The roller coaster semifinal also went Sanders’ way, 3&2. Only three of the 16-holes were halved in the match. 

Notable: 

• Both Sanders and McCoy earned exemptions into the 2026 U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, and next month’s U.S. Mid-Amateur at Troon Country Club, in Scottsdale. 
• Scottsdale’s Bryan Hoops was another Arizonan to reach match play at the U.S. Senior Am. He took the round of 16 to 21 holes before falling to Jacobo Cestino.
• With his victory, McCoy becomes the first player in USGA history to win both the U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Senior Amateur. 
• Next year’s U.S. Senior Am will be played at Baltimore Country Club’s East Course in Maryland from Aug. 29-Sept. 3.

Michael McCoy, left, and Greg Sanders pose with the Frederick L. Dold trophy before the start of the final round of the 2025 U.S. Senior Amateur at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo By: Ted Pio Roda/USGA)