Voges Qualifies for Match Play in La Jolla

Mitch Voges of Simi Valley became the No. 2 qualifier for match play in the 86th Trans-Mississippi Amateur Golf championship Wednesday, shooting a 3-over-par 75 at La Jolla Country Club.

Voges, 39, shot an opening-round 73 on Tuesday and was tied with three other golfers, three strokes behind leader Pat Duncan of Rancho Santa Fe, who opened with a round of 70.

Voges’ 75 on Wednesday gave him a 148 total, one stroke behind qualifying leader Jack Spradlin of San Diego, who had rounds of 73 and 74 for a 147 total. Duncan struggled to a 79 on Wednesday and was the No. 3 qualifier with a 36-hole score of 149.

Match play was scheduled to begin this morning among the 64 golfers--from a field of 156--who survived the cut. The qualifiers will play 18 holes today, 36 on Friday and 36 more on Saturday. The 18-hole championship match between the two finalists will be played Sunday.

Voges, a regional manager for a carpet company, was nearly forced to give up golf five years ago when he sustained ruptured disks in his back. But surgeons removed two of the damaged disks and fused the spinal cord back together. Voges resumed his golfing career less than a year later.