SPARKS, NV (July 27, 2026)–Randy Haag (Medalist) and Mark Sear topped a field of 35 golfers to qualify for the 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur. The one-day qualifier was held July 27, 2026, at Red Hawk Golf and Resort’s Lakes Course in Sparks. The 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur will be held Aug. 29-Sept. 3, 2026, at Baltimore Country Club’s East Course.–by Bill Bowman
Robert McCalister is the first alternate while John Montross is the second alternate.
MEDALIST
Three birdies on the front nine helped Northern California’s Randy Haag earn Medalist honors with a one-under-par 71 total.
The win earned Haag his 48th trip to a USGA final event.
Haag is a star in the Northern California golf scene. He’s a six-time Northern California Player of the Year and five-time Senior Player of the Year. He was voted into the NCGA Hall of Fame in 2018 as well as the Olympic Club Hall of Fame in 2019. He’s won more than 350 tournaments, local and national, in his career.
But it’s the 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur that is now his focus.
“These events, as an amateur, are the most important events you can qualify for and play in,” he said. “It’s a national championship and these are very well run. Plus, you’re playing against the best amateurs in the world, no matter what age class you’re playing in.”
He said his finish in the qualifier showcased his focus.
“I missed a putt on 16 that would have gotten me to three-under,” he said. “Then, on 17, a par-3, I tugged a seven-iron left into a bunker. It left me with a downhill lie with no green to work with and a lake looking at me. I decided to hit it to the right and left myself with a 90-foot par putt that I ran five-feet past. It was a downhill putt that I made. If I wouldn’t have made it, it would have gone five-feet past. That was the clutch putt of the day and one of the best bogeys I’ve made in that type of situation.”
Haag said a national title is front-and-center for him…again.
“I’m 67 years old and this is one of the last things on my bucket list…winning a national tournament,” he said. “I have a lot of buddies–Chip Lutz, Gene Elliott and Mike McCoy–who have won them and now I’ve got another chance.”
He’s had his chances with a runnerup finish in the 2019 British Senior Amateur being his best showing.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “It would absolutely be near the top of my list when it comes to wins. There are others that are near and dear to my heart but these are such great events with great fields.”
He also loves the format.
“Match play is such a great way to determine a champion,” he said. “But it’s a challenge. You’ve got to play the course, not the other guy and you’ve got to make smart decisions. I just love match play.”
QUALIFIER
Mark Sear, from Newport Beach, CA, earned the second spot in the 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur, posting a birdie on the second playoff hole to advance.
For Sear, it will be his second U.S. Senior Amateur as he also qualified in 2023.
“I had about a two-hour wait to see if there was a chance but it was worth the wait,” he said.
Sear made a 12-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole while Robert McCallister missed his birdie chance to end the playoff.
“I played really well,” Sear said. “I only missed one green on the front and that shot was just a couple of feet short…and I almost chipped it in. I just didn’t make any putts.”
But he said he stayed focused.
“I just wanted to shoot a good score,” he said. “I stayed patient.”
That patience was tested on the 10th hole.
“I hit a good drive on 10,” he said. “I had a four-iron in but hit it heavy. It went into the scrub grass short of the bunker. I had one foot in the bunker and one foot out. I just didn’t hit a good next shot and it wound up in the bunker. I wound up thinking birdie and walked away with a bogey.”
He bounced back with a birdie on 12 but gave the stroke back with a three-putt bogey on the 13th.
“I asked myself what I was doing but I didn’t get upset,” he said.
A birdie on 16 got him back to even par and, eventually, a spot in the playoff. He holed a 12-footer for birdie on the second hole.
“I guess I saved the best putt for last,” he said with a laugh.
Sear will now join his brother, Steve, in the national event.
“I talked to my dad (Brian, age 90) and said you’re probably the only guy to have two sons qualify for this event,” he said.
His father, because of health problems, probably won’t be able to make the trip to this year’s event.
“Last time, he came out and they gave him a trolley, kind of like a little scooter, and he tooled around,” Sear said. “This year Steve and I will probably have to call him after each round with updates.”
2026 U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier-Northern Nevada
MEDALIST
Randy Haag, 71
QUALIFIER
x-Mark Sear, 72
x-Advanced in playoff
ALTERNATES
Robert McCallister, 72, first alternate
John Montross, 73, second alternate
