After establishing himself as one of the top senior amateur golfers in the country last fall, Phil Pleat has an upcoming date with some Champions Tour greats.

As runner-up in the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur, the U.S. Golf Association national championship for male amateurs 55 and older, the longtime Nashua Country Club standout earned a berth in the 2012 U.S. Senior Open, a Champions Tour major that's widely considered the crown jewel of senior golf. And so next Sunday, the 56-year-old financial advisor will travel to Michigan to share the stage with the likes of Fred Couples, Tom Lehman, Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson.

Although Pleat has played in nine previous USGA individual championships, including five U.S. Amateurs, none of those will quite compare with the experience of teeing up against the world's top 50-and-older pros, several of whom won majors in their PGA Tour days. It's a daunting prospect, of course, but a challenge that Pleat relishes.

“I'm just going to try to have as much fun as I can and soak in the atmosphere,” he said. “You always want to play well in a big event, so I'll try to do that, but if not, no big deal.”

Scheduled for July 12-15, the Senior Open will be played at Indianwood Golf and Country Club in Lake Orion, Mich., about 40 miles north of Detroit. Pleat's preparation for the event has been curtailed somewhat by chronic hand, elbow and back injuries, which prompted him to withdraw from the recent Northeast Amateur. But despite the ailments, Pleat expects to be ready 11 days from now.

“I'll just take it slow and see what happens,” he said. “I guess at this age you've got to resign yourself to the fact that you're going to play with more aches and pains than before.”

Pleat plans to play Monday and Tuesday practice rounds at Indianwood, followed by nine holes on Wednesday, he said. His son, James, will caddie, while wife Lisa and daughter Jennie will be in the gallery.

A 21-year-old Dartmouth golfer, James will return a favor from last August, when Phil looped for him at the U.S. Amateur. Although James' college schedule prevented him from caddying at the USGA Senior Amateur, Phil is happy to have him on the bag for the Senior Open.

“He knows my game, because we practice a lot together, and of course his eyes are better than mine, so he's very good at reading greens,” Phil said. “He'll help me try to stick to playing my game and play to my strengths, so that's a good thing. And it's a comfort factor.”

James is well-rehearsed for his role, having caddied for his old man since age 10.

“Obviously he knows how to manage his game better than most people, so I don't know if I have much to offer in that part, but just supporting his decisions and giving as much input as he wants is what I'm going to do,” James said. “And I'll keep him loose, because it's definitely the biggest stage he's been on in his career.”

The Senior Open is a 72-hole, stroke-play tournament with a 36-hole cut from 156 starters to the low 60 scorers and ties. Although Pleat won't know his pairing for the first two rounds until next weekend, he hopes to arrange a practice round with Kenny Perry, a 14-time PGA Tour winner who's won twice on the Champions Tour, through a mutual friend.

While at the Senior Open, Phil and James will miss the concurrent State Amateur at Concord. A perennial contender, Phil has won the State Am three times, while James reached the semifinals last year.

“I hate to miss it, but this is a one-time deal,” Phil said. Added James: “For the most part, it really wasn't a tough decision.”

Although he expects to be nervous on the first tee, Phil figures playing alongside the Champions Tour's finest will provide an invaluable education.

“I've been to events like this, but not as a participant, obviously,” he said. “It will just be good to watch (the pros) and how they do things and learn from it.”

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Through the green: The Oaks' Mike Mahan (70-71-73) won the Seacoast Amateur at Pease last Sunday, edging three-time champion Craig Steckowych of Portsmouth by a stroke. ... New Hampshire won the 14th annual Julian Cup at the Country Club of New Hampshire last Thursday, defeating Vermont, 16 ½-13½, in the competition between teams of 10 top high school golfers from each state. Gilford's Chris Houston, Manchester Central's Nick Desjardins and Hollis-Brookline's Griffin Brown led the Granite State squad by winning all three available points in their individual matches. ... Hanover's Peter Williamson (68-68-73-69) was the low New Hampshire finisher at the Northeast Amateur June 23, tying for 23rd. ... Atkinson's Mark Mancini and Manchester's Ryan Tombs (73) were the low scorers in State Amateur qualifying staged in conjunction with the State Junior at Campbell's Scottish Highlands last Monday. Five juniors advanced to the State Am, scheduled for July 9-14 at Concord. ...… Derryfield's Tara Watt and Roberta Cullity won low gross (77) at the NHWGA Presidents Cup, an alternate-shot event at North Conway last Tuesday. Three teams shared low net (71): Waukewan's Yolanda Miller and Yvonne Hale, Atkinson's Marny Peabody and Oak Hill's Cathy Jacques, and Stonebridge's Maryellen St. Laurent and Derryfield's Joanna Teas.

Mike Cullity's column on New Hampshire golf appears weekly during the golf season in the New Hampshire Sunday News. E-mail him at mcullity@unionleader.com.