Final Round Recap
Geoffrey Redgrave, head professional at the Wintergreen (Va.) Resort, saw an early lead disappear, then recovered with four back-nine birdies to squeeze out a victory in the 18th Maryland State Senior Open at the Chevy Chase Club, October 11. The first round co-leader finished with a 1-under-par 69 to complete a 36-hole total of 137.
In the process, he thwarted another title bid by Jim Estes, Olney Golf Park professional, a contender in recent years, who was two strokes ahead in the middle of the back nine, and returned a second straight 69, but fell one stroke short with 138. Brendan McGrath, Hidden Creek CC head professional, finished third with 139, followed by Burning Tree head professional Ricky Touma, who, like Estes, has made a career of challenging without success. He put up successive 70’s for 140.
The pivotal hole was the 14th, where Redgrave holed a 30-foot putt for birdie while Estes bogeyed. The two-shot swing let the Virginian grab a share of the lead and he went ahead to stay with another “bomb,” a 35-foot birdie putt at the 16th. Further insult followed at the 17th, as Redgrave, making his first appearance in the event, retained his lead by getting up-and-down from 40 yards.
“I did the best I could,” Estes said. That meant three back-nine birdies, but it’s tough to have an answer to a streak like Redgrave’s. Their 69’s shared the low round of the day with Virginia professionals Glenn McCloskey, from Loudon Golf & CC, and Rick Schuller, from Stonehenge G&CC.
Earlier, three straight bogeys by Redgrave (Nos. 6-7-8) enabled Estes to stay in the hunt and he took a one-stroke lead with a birdie at the ninth. Both birdied 10, and Redgrave added 11, before Estes responded with birds at 12-13 to go up by two.
Redgrave, 54, said, “With those three bogeys, things were kind of going sideways. Then I hit it short of the green at the par-3 ninth, but got up-and-down and that gave me a boost. The first day, I hit the fairways, but today, I missed them. On the three bogeys, I drove it in the rough and then missed the greens.”
Chevy Chase club members earned two of the tournament’s prizes, as Carter Steuart finished low amateur with 143 (fifth overall), and Burke Hayes, the 2003 champion (the last time the club held the event), earned the Super Senior (60-over) title with 147.
Where the opening round was conducted in sunny, 85-degree weather, the second was played under an overcast that provided a day-long threat of rain, which finally materialized as mist in the final minutes of play.
First Round Recap
Geoffrey Redgrave, from the Wintergreen (Va.) Resort, returned a late afternoon 68 to climb into a first-place tie with early leader Vance Welch, from Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club, in the first round of the 18th Senior Open championship of the Maryland State Golf Association at the Chevy Chase Club, October 10.
Redgrave, director of golf and head professional at Wintergreen, who started on the back nine of the 6,442-yard, par-70 course, had three birdies, one bogey at the turn, then came back with a birdie at the eighth and a missed-green bogey at the ninth for 35-33. In his first appearance in the event, Redgrave, 54, cited a “fairways and greens” plan after a practice round and returned with what he called, “a solid round.”
Welch, 52, carded a 2-under-par 33-35 and finished with four birdies, two bogeys. He reached 15 greens — “They were perfect” — in regulation and two of the misses led to his bogeys.
The current Hobbit’s Glen Match-Play champion started on the back nine and two of his best birdies came on the front side where he chipped in from behind the fifth green and at the 224-yard, par-3 ninth, where he closed with a 5-wood shot to 10 feet, then coaxed home a slick, downhill putt.
Estes, a top-5 finisher in two of the last three years, also started on the back and was rewarded for strong play on the front. He doubled 12 and birdied 16 to turn 1 over, then had four birdies, two bogeys on the other side, including finishing with birds at 8-9.
McGrath, 20-year professional at Hidden Creek CC in his first Maryland Senior Open, had three birdies — all inside 10-12 feet — and two bogeys. Birds at 17-18 got him to the turn in 1-under and he shot even-par on the front.
A more crowded leaderboard than usual listed four at 70, pros Ricky Touma, perennial contender from the Burning Tree Club, and Steve Wenpetren, of SW Golf Academy, and amateurs Carter Steuart, from the host club, and Lee Flemister, University of Maryland GC.
There were 110 players who posted a score and will return for the final round, October 11.
Included in this group were 31 players, headed by amateur Ben Brundred, from Congressional CC, and pro Mark Lambert, Nansemond River (Va.) GC, with 72’s, and Burke Hayes, a Chevy Chase member, 73.
Reported by John Stewart
