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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Alan Fadel shot a 5-under 67 on Sunday in the U.S. Senior Amateur to top the 64 match-play qualifiers.
The 59-year-old Fadel, a financial adviser from Toledo, Ohio, had a 7-under 137 total at Big Canyon.
"It is a dream come true to do anything at a USGA event," Fadel said. "I have been playing in USGA events since I was a kid. This is very special to me. I want to continue to play the way I have been playing. This is a lot of fun. I do have confidence right now. When you have confidence, sometimes good things happen."
He considered skipping the tournament after having to withthrew from the U.S. Mid-Amateur last week because of gastroenteritis.
"My wife was apprehensive about coming out here," Fadel said. "I had another attack on Tuesday. It only lasted an hour and a half and that's when we knew it was a viral thing. I watched what I ate. Today is the first time I have had lunch before I played."
First-round leader Tim Jackson was a stroke back after a 72. The 55-year-old Jackson, from Germantown, Tennessee, is a two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.
"You get through this piece of it and tournament starts tomorrow, Jackson said. "There are a lot of good players in the field and this golf course, you can birdie all of these holes and you can make bogeys on them. It's going to be a good match-play course."
Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Washington, and Chris Hall of Mableton, Georgia, shot 66 to tie for third at 5 under.
Seventy-one-year-old Vinny Giles of Richmond, Virginia, the 1972 U.S. Amateur champion and 2009 Senior Amateur champion, had a 73 to tie for 13th at 1 under.
Defending champion Doug Hanzel of Savannah, Georgia, also advanced. He had a 73 to tie for 18th at 1 over.
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