Thompson, Marucci earn spots in match play

   Overbrook Golf Club's Ray Thompson and Merion G.C.'s George "Buddy" Marucci continued their solid play in the second round of qualifying Sunday at Kinloch G.C. in Manakin-Sabot, Va. to earn berths in match play at the U.S. Senior Amateur.
   Thompson, a Drexel Hill resident, added an even-par 72 to his opening-round 70 for a 2-under 142 total that left him in a tie for fourth overall. Thompson shared fourth place with another Golf Association of Philadelphia senior stalwart, Reading's Chip Lutz, the reigning British Senioir Amateur champion.
   Marucci, the winning Walker Cup captain in 2007 and again in 2009 at Merion's East Course, added a second-round 75 to his opening-round 73 for a 4-over 148 total. Marucci, runnerup to Tiger Woods in the 1995 U.S. Amateur, won the U.S. Senior Amateur crown in 2008 in the midst of his two terms as Walker Cup captain.
   Rounding out the Delco contingent at the U.S. Senior Amateur was Mike Owsik, the proprietor of the M Golf Range in Newtown Square. Owsik took five shots off his opening-round 83 with a 78 Sunday, but failed to advance to match play.
U.S. falls in Walker Cup
    The 14-12 victory for the Great Britain-Ireland side over the U.S. in the Walker Cup Match that concluded Sunday at Royal Aberdeen's Balgownie Course in Aberdeen Scotland serves to emphasize what an accomplishment it was for Marucci to win the Cup, not just at his home course at Merion in 2009, but on the road in Northern Ireland in 2007.
   It's not a criticism of Jim Holtgrieve, whose squad made a furious final push in the singles matches Sunday, but came up short. There was no shortage of talent on this team, with many observers comparing it to Marucci's 2007 side that has produced a bunch of PGA Tour regulars.
   It's just not easy to win this thing. It's an exercise in team-building and Marucci was able to create the kind of team chemistry you need to beat a determined and talented GBI squad.
   All of Marucci's players in 2009 talked abou the emphasis he placed on putting together teams for the foursome matches. And it paid off.
   This year's U.S. team dug a 3-1 hole in the first round of foursome matches Saturday it could never dig out of.. GBI picked up three-and-a-half more points in the foursomes matches Sunday, which enabled the home side to withstand the U.S. onslaught in singles.