Dave Bunker (USGA Photo)

Dave Bunker has heard all of the good-natured ribbing about his last name. But the Canadian lived up to his unique surname in dynamic fashion on Tuesday at the 69th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at The Honors Course when it mattered most.

Facing a challenging approach from a fairway waste bunker on the 19th hole in his Round of 16 match against No. 1 seed John Kemp of England, Bunker hit a gap wedge from 129 yads to five feet to put the pressure squarely on Kemp, who was buried in a greenside bunker.

Kemp’s third shot barely cleared the edge of the bunker, conceding the match after missing his lengthy par putt to allow Bunker to advance to Wednesday’s Round of 8.

A member of Cherry Hill Club in Ridgeway outside of Niagara Falls, Bunker was able to single-handedly eliminate both of England’s remaining entrants after ousting Stephen Creed earlier in the day in the Round of 32 by a 5 and 3 count.

“It looks like the colony got the better of the leader of the colony today,” Bunker said. “It was the second time I ended up in that trap there today, but I had a good sand shot just like I did earlier in the day.”

So much for the snarky comments about his last name being Bunker. It seems like he’s found a level of comfort there.

This is Bunker’s second appearance in the quarterfinals, having lost three years ago at the Country Club in Detroit. This is the fourth time he has qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur as he tries to become the first international player to win this prestigious tournament.

“I missed the cut the last two Senior Ams, and lost in the semis in 2021,” Bunker said. “I have been this far before and so I'll just draw on that a little bit. It doesn’t matter who I play because they’re all good at this point. I'll have to play my best like I did today.”

Bunker will be matched against Dan Sullivan of Pasadena, Calif. in his Quarterfinals contest. Sullivan defeated Jon Brown of Idel, Iowa, 3 and 2.

The retired middle school teacher and boys’ and girls’ basketball coach is a member of the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame and has twice played in the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open. Bunker spends his winters in Venice, Fla. where the weather is more conducive for golf, and he won the 2021 Florida State Golf Association Senior Amateur.

“Most of my summer I spend traveling,” Bunker said. “I've played in England. I've been here in Tennessee for a week, plus other events in Ontario and Canada. So, in the summer, I'm not home a lot.”

Finally healthy after battling injuries the past two years, Bunker was particularly relieved about another reward for advancing into Wednesday’s play.

“It's important to get to tomorrow because then you get the exemption,” Bunker said. “It's not easy to qualify for this tournament. You could be a really good player and you have a bad day or you run up against a couple other good players and you don't get in. So, to get the exemption is a big deal.”

Bunker earned his way into the tournament as medalist with a 4-under 68 at Stafford Country Club in New York. He also has previous experience in USGA events by competing in two U.S. Senior Opens and three U.S. Mid-Amateurs, making it to the Round of 16 in 2009.

In his Round of 32 win over Creed, Bunker won three holes on the front side with birdies to make the turn at 3-up, then birdied 14 and closed the match with a par on 15.

His Round of 16 match with Kemp involved much more drama.

After Bunker held a 2-up advantage after the front nine, Kemp fought back to square the match with pars on 10 and 12. Bunker rallied to regain the lead at 13, only to have Kemp stiff his tee shot on the par 3 16th to again forge a tie.

Kemp drained a clutch par putt from eight feet on 17 to halve the hole, then got up-and-down from a testy sidehill lie on 18 to force extra holes where Bunker’s steely approach sealed the outcome.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com