ANDOVER, Kansas -- Stan Lee beat Sam Farlow 4 and 3 to win the USGA Senior Amateur title Thursday -- five days after his 55th birthday -- to become the tournament’s youngest champion.
Lee, of Heber Springs, Ark., surpassed the previous record of 55 years, three months and 18 days, set by Bill Bosshard in 1991. ‘I cannot believe it,’ said Lee. ‘It is a dream come true. I’m still kind of pinching myself to see if this is real or not. What an honor to win a USGA event.’
Lee took the early lead after Farlow, of Birmingham, Ala., three-putted the third hole at the par-71, 6,502-yard Flint Hills National Golf Club. Lee then built the lead to 2 up when Farlow couldn’t get up and down from a bunker on the par-3 fourth, and extended his lead when he made a 15-footer for birdie on the sixth and Farlow couldn’t match from 20 feet.
Farlow closed the deficit with a 15-foot par putt on the seventh hole, but Lee got it right back when he made a 60-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth.
‘I knew when that putt went in that I was going to be hard to beat,’ said Lee, who played the PGA Tour from 1976-80.
The match ended on the 15th hole when Farlow missed a 3-footer for par and then conceded Lee’s 3-foot birdie putt, giving Lee his first national title.
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