Bill Swed: The three-time club champion at Oakwood Golf Club in Sun Lakes is playing some of the best golf in his life at age 59. Last week he won the senior title in the Arizona Golf Association’s Divisional Match Play Championship at Alta Mesa Country Club with a 4-and-2 victory over Terry Beels of Phoenix.

It was a nice tune-up for the retired engineer, as Swed recently qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, which will be held Sept. 17-22 at Rocky Face, Ga., 90 miles north of Atlanta. “It’s going to be a fun trip for me and my wife,’’ said Swed, whose wife, Darlene Williams, is a former national tennis champ in doubles. “My daughter, Shannon, lives in Atlanta, and her boyfriend is Garnet Exelby of the Atlanta Thrashers. So we’ll visit the kids and watch an NHL exhibition or two.’’

But first there’s this little golf tournament, which will be Swed’s maiden in a U.S. Golf Association national championship after trying several other times to qualify. “I’d like to make it to the match play (top 64 players ),’’ said Swed, who grew up in Quincy, Ill., graduated from Michigan State and moved to Arizona in 1971, when he took a job with Motorola. “I know there will be a lot of great players entered -- a lot of guys who were once pros but have since gotten their amateur standing back -- so for me, it’s a lot of fun just to be there. I love the game.’’

It’s a theme he adheres to daily while playing with his golfing buddies at Sun Lakes. “I decided to retire early, and just play a lot of golf,’’ said Swed, a scratch handicap whose 62 at Oakwood is the course record. “We’ve got a great bunch of guys. We don’t play for money; we play for the fun of the sport. And then a few times a year, I like to get in a tournament and see if I can still compete.’’

Swed said the strength of his game is his irons and consistency. “I don’t hit it a long way, but I play from the fairway a lot,’’ he reported. “I guess technology has changed the game a lot, because I probably hit my driver about 10 to 15 yards farther than I used to.’’

In other results from the AGA divisional tournament, Cyrus Whitney of Oro Valley beat Greg Boone of Mesa, 3 and 1, in the masters division, while Mike Rombold of Payson defeated George Chesley of Gold Canyon, 4 and 2, in the legends category.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Open on horizon: The 61 st Cingular Wireless Arizona Open is set for Sept. 12-17 at Troon Golf & Country Club. A field of 168 of the state’s finest amateurs and club professionals are expected to play in the 54-hole event, with Utah’s Steve Schneiter being the defending champion. The winner will received $25,000 from the $150,000 purse. For more information, visit www.southest.pga.com.

Kontak ups lead: Brian Kontak of Phoenix captured last week’s Grey Goose Gateway summer series event at Talking Stick Golf Club by a convincing four shots. For Kontak, who ended up at 19-under, it was a 62 in the third round that built the gap. The former Scottsdale Community College All-American leads the summer series with $68,146, with Mesa’s Ryan Hogue second-best at $42,405.

Drive to Kapalua: Mercedes Benz of Chandler will host a qualifying tournament at Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler on Sept. 23, with winners in three different divisions advancing to regional play at LaCosta Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.. Overall winners earn a spot in the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Championship at the PGA Tour event in early January at Kapalua, Hi.

And finally: Three Arizonans will be inducted tonight into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame during ceremonies at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla. They include Mark Kizziar and Joe Black in the past presidents category, and the late Bill Strausbaugh Jr. in the professional of the year category.