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McGregor Reaches Finals of USGA Senior Am——As Referee
While Utah’s Pat Murphy turned in a marvelous performance at the USGA Men’s Senior Amateur by winning three matches and losing in the quarterfinals another Utahn, Reed McGregor made it to the finals as the referee of the championship match.
McGregor has been a long time rules official of the Utah Golf Association and has officiated at numerous USGA championships, but this is the first time he has been assigned to be the referee of the championship match.
“It was an honor to be asked to referee the championship match,” Reed said. “The USGA doesn’t just let anyone perform that duty. Among rules officials it’s considered a feather in your cap when assigned the championship match of any of the tournaments,” he said.
In golf there is a significant difference between an observer and a referee. An observer follows a match, or maybe two, but is not supposed to enter into the match without an invitation from one of the players. He is there as an observer of rules violations, or to give information about a rule when asked. On the other hand, a referee is responsible for the match and is required to intervene whenever a rule is broken or about to be broken.
“We didn’t have any unusual rulings in the championship match,” said McGregor. “It was pretty stress free,” he added.
McGregor has also been an official at the United State Amateur and last year’s NCAA Championship.
McGregor has spent many days during the winter months as an official for the Future Collegians World Tour. That tour is held from October through May and includes some of the nation’s top junior players.
Utah is very well represented at the USGA in the rules area. Mark Passey, USGA Director of Regional Affairs, and former Executive Director of the UGA has had significant influence in training and placing several Utahns in rules positions. Keith Hansen has served as an official with the USGA for more than 25 years. Passey, Hansen, and McGregor are all past presidents of the UGA and at one time were all members of the Logan Golf and Country Club. Thomas Pagel, who served a two-year stint as Executive Director of the UGA, was hired by the USGA to oversee the Rules of Golf with the R and A (Royal and Ancient).