OLEAN, N.Y. — It could be argued that today’s Championship Flight semifinals of the 85th annual Southwestern New York-Northwestern Pennsylvania Men’s Amateur Golf Tournament at Bartlett Country Club is one of the most interesting ever.

Consider:

— Nine-time champion Chris Blocher made his seeming yearly trip to the semis, but had to beat two former SWNY-NWPA titleists to do it.

— Keith Stauffer, who hadn’t played in the Men’s Amateur for over 30 years, showed that even at 57, he still has his family’s golf skills.

— Argentinian Miguel Sancholvz, who speaks little English, was prevented from returning to his home country, due to closed borders, so opted to fill some of the time by entering a match-play tournament and playing lights out.

— John Nick Forrest, son of a three-time Men’s Amateur champion, is beginning to show the promise he hinted at when winning the tourney’s junior medalist title in 2009.

THIS MORNING, Bartlett’s Blocher and Pennhills’ Stauffer square off in one semi while Sancholvz, technically a previous area resident, and Forrest, of Bartlett, meet in the other for a berth in Sunday’s 36-hole final.

Blocher, the 45-year-old physical education teacher and basketball coach at Hinsdale Central School, had the toughest path to the finals. In the morning, he faced long-yime friend Eric McHone, 49, who lives in South Carolina but serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Salamanca’s McHone Industries. Blocher won a tough match anainst the 2003 champion, 3-and-1.

In the afternoon, it was 2001 titleist Josh Anderson, a 37-yard-old railroad equipment salesman who lives in St. Joseph’s, Illinois. Blocher had an even more difficult match, prevailing 2-and-1.

Of the two matches, Blocher, who won titles in 1997, ’99, 2007, ’10-’13, ’17 and ’19, didn’t recall what he scored, but said, “In the morning, I played 12 really solid holes and made maybe two mistakes … this afternoon I played 10 really good holes.”

Of his third-ever match against Anderson, he recalled, “I lost to him on Friday afternoon on 18 the year he won it (2001) and, in 2003, I played him in the semifinals (and won) before Eric thrashed me (9-and-8 in the finals).

Looking ahead to Stauffer, Blocher added, “I’ve played him in other areas around here, but never in match play. I played with him on Wednesday (in the medal qualifier) and his score was higher than what he played. He’s really solid.”

STAUFFER is looking to be his family’s third Men’s Amateur champion. His late brother Kent won it in 1979 and Kirk claimed it two years later. Both of them ended up as club pros, Kent in Pittsburgh and Charlotte, Kirk at Bradford’s Pine Acres and now Chautauqua Lake and each of them had sparkling careers in club-pro tournaments.

Of his morning round when he beat 2018 finalist and 2020 medalist Marcus Aiello (Birch Run), 6-and-5, Keith noted, “This morning was really, really good. I hit a lot of good shots and was three-under through 14 holes … a really solid game of golf, four birdies and one three-putt bogey.”

But things got tougher in the afternoon in a 2-and-1 victory over Bartlett’s Scott Brady.

“Scott’s really tough, this is his home course and he has a good track record here,” Stauffer said. “I’ve been following him for quite some time and he’s always in the quarters or semis (of the Men’s Amateur). I was up two, then we were even and I won Nos. 8 and 9 then we kind of parred the back nine. In the afternoon, I was probably one over for the 17 holes.”

Keith, who was a case manager at FCI-McKean, south of Bradford, faced mandatory retirement when he turned 57 last December, but joked, “I play five or six days a week … that’s why I retired, so I could play golf.”

SANCHOLVZ, 25, lives in Buenos Aires, and has degrees in farming business and water administration.

But his love is golf, carrying an astounding +3.8 handicap … that’s how many strokes he gives the course at home. He and fellow Argentinian Juan Tomas Arozena, are here as guests of countryman Maximilillano Almonacid, a former foreign exchange student who stayed with the Daniels family in Port Allegany. The mom and dad, whose daughter Kaci was the first female to play in the Men’s Amateur courtesy of her performance in the Penn-York Juniors, encouraged the trio to enter this year’s event.

And, they’ve made their mark, all three earning the Championship Flight.

Sancholvz edged two-time junior medalist and 2014 finalist, Corey Haas (Bartlett), 2-up in the morning and 2019 finalist, Mitch Faulkner (Pennhills), 4-and-2, in the afternoon.

Through Almonacid as interpreter, Sancholvz recalled of his two matches, “in the morning I had five birdies and only two in the afternoon but I didn’t make many mistakes.”

He admitted, “In Argentina we play courses of much longer distances but I really liked this course, it was in very good condition but the greens are very fast and difficult.”

Arozena and Sancholvz are hoping to return home Aug. 19, but as Almonacid noted, “That’s not certain, borders are closed so only a certain amount of people can come into the country per day.”

FORREST (Bartlett), 27, who works at the Holiday Valley Ski Area in the winter, has used this summer to play golf and his game has improved accordingly.

In the morning he beat his pal Adam Bennett (Bartlett) 7-and-6 and, in the afternoon, ousted Arozena (+3 handicap), who, in the morning,  had beaten defending champion Jack Geise 1-up in 20 holes, 5-and-4.

“My good buddy Adam didn’t play as well as he wanted this morning but this afternoon was a grind,” Forrest said “(Arozena) hits the ball great. I got up early, then I gave him two back and it was just a battle the rest of the way.”

The only obstacle for Forrest, given Arozena’s accent, “a couple of times I was confused whether he gave me a putt or not.”