Stimmel and Cutrell Enjoy Success at USGA Senior Amateur

Pennsylvania Success Translates at U.S. Senior Amateur for Stimmel and Cutrell

By Pete Kowalski

Armed with past success at Pennsylvania Golf Association competitions, both Rick Stimmel of Pittsburgh and Arnie Cutrell of Greensburg have skills and savvy that travel well.

In the most recent instance, it was on a national stage at the 71st U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Baltimore Country Club in Lutherville, Md.

Both of the senior stars made the field of 64 for match play following stroke play and then proceeded to win their first-round matches at the championship that features Pennsylvanians J. Wood Platt, Bill Hyndman III, Gordon Brewer, Buddy Marucci, Chip Lutz and Sean Knapp among past champions.

A four-time Art Wall Jr. Memorial and three-time R. Jay Sigel Match Play winner, Cutrell, 62, won two matches before dropping dropped a 4-and-3 decision to 2025 semifinalist and Walker Cup alumni Mike Sposa in the Round of 16.

“I’ve played in Pennsylvania Golf Association events my whole life,” Cutrell said. “So it’s definitely prepared me well. And I’ve played in a number of USGA events, but this is the first U.S. Senior Amateur I’ve played in. So that’s prepared me probably the most.”

Cutrell, who finished second at the State Amateur in 1988 and 2014 and was the runner-up for State Senior Player of the Year last year, beat Jamie Slonis, 2-and-1 in the first round and then defeated past U.S. Junior Amateur champion Jack Larkin Sr. 2 up in the Round of 32.

Cutrell, a long-time Greensburg Country Club member, credits his usual schedule of Pennsylvania Golf Association events as credible traction for his good play at the U.S. Senior Amateur with a best finish of third in the State Senior Amateur.

“I played in the State Amateur, the State Open,” Cutrell said. “They have the Dressler event in the spring, and I’ve played in that and the State Senior. So, I’ve played, I think, in four of them this year to prepare for it, yes.”

Stimmel, who is on the verge of his fourth consecutive Senior Pennsylvania Golf Senior Player of the Year Award, was looking to chase his previous best finish at a USGA championship – runner-up at the 1997 U.S. Mid-Amateur. In the 2026 golf season, he captured the State Senior Amateur crown to add to his illustrious list of Pennsylvania victories.

The Connoquenessing Country Club member, who won the State Am in 1996 and earned the state Player of the Year honors in 2020, won his first-round match at Baltimore’s East Course, 4 and 3 over Ron Mangold, marking his fourth straight appearance in the championship’s Round of 64. His previous best finish was advancing to the Round of 16 in 2024.

Stimmel, 59, then played 2023 champion Todd White in Round of 32 and lost 1 down.

“Todd’s a good friend of mine so I kind of knew what I was getting myself into and I was behind the 8-ball early,” he said. “He was 3 up through four and I squared it up on the front nine. I won 15 and was 1 up with 3 to go and he birdied two of the last three on me. He flat out beat me today.”

Stimmel was pleased to share the big-event stage with an old friend in Cutrell.

“I’ve known Arnie for over 30 years,” Stimmel said. “We stay at the same hotel. We played our practice rounds together this week. He’s a great guy. I know probably 50 percent of the field that was there this week but it’s nice to see a friendly local face.”

An admitted advocate for the Pennsylvania Golf Association, Stimmel remembered the 1993 State Amateur as his first event.

“I think any competition is good competition and maybe the level when you get on a national stage is a little deeper than it is on a local level, but it certainly prepares you for bigger and better things,” Stimmel said. “I’ve been playing state golf association events for quite a long time, and they’ve always been a great steppingstone for bigger things.”

Two other Pennsylvania players competed at the U.S. Senior Amateur – Lehigh’s Bob Beck, who is a former PA Senior Match Play winner and Hartefeld National’s Jack Carrigan, who was the PA Senior Open runner-up in 2026.

At the concurrent U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Montclair Golf Club, Jackie Rogowicz, a two-time state Women’s Amateur winner from Merion Golf Club and Hannah Zurich of Williamsport Country Club. did not advance to the match play bracket.

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Pete Kowalski worked more than two decades as a department director in communications at the USGA and confides that his friendships in the game are more numerous that his greens-in-regulation.

Photo courtesy of the USGA