Round 2
Tom Winegardner, from The Cannon Club, captured the 94th Maryland Senior Amateur Championship at The Elkridge Club in Baltimore on September 21. He finished the two-day, 36-hole test with a 71-71-142 even par performance.
Scores were higher on the second day, which was not the case for Winegardner, being one of three to shoot even par. Winegardner was able to make sixteen pars with one birdie and bogey. The birdie on the short par-4, 14th, got Winegardner back to even-par for the tournament and turned out to be the difference. As a result of the higher scores, Vance Welch of Hobbit’s Glen lost his first-round lead after making double bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6. Tied with Welch for second was Bob Kaestner of Baltimore Country Club. He was able to shoot one-over-par to secure his second-place finish. Tucker Sampson of Manor Country Club, and Mike Tydings of Turf Valley, rounded out the top five.
With temperatures in the low 80’s and no rain in the forecast, the course was played at 6,295 yards to a par of 36-35–71. A first-day cut to the low 24 and ties ended with 25 players at 78 and better advancing to the final round.
Winegardner, 61, a Lothian resident, will be on the Senior Team Challenge for the MSGA on October 6 at Country Club of Maryland.
Jim Castagna
Jim Castagna, a member at Manor Country Club, won the Super Senior title by a thirteen-shot margin, posting 66-70–136. His closest challengers were Mike Weiner, Hayfields Country Club, at 149, and Tom Grem, Hunt Valley Country Club, at 150. Heading into round two with a significant margin, Castagna did not have to worry about losing his lead. He got off to a hot start by shooting a 3-under- par 33 on the front nine but three consecutive bogeys on Nos. 13-15 got him back to even par on the day. A birdie on No. 16 got him back to one-under-par for the day. Over the two-day tournament, he was able to make eleven birdies.
For the Super-Senior Championship. the course played at 5,7736 yards par of 36-35–71. The first-day cut of 1/3 of scores and ties ended with seven players at 76 and better advancing to the final round.
Round 1
Vance Welch from Hobbit’s Glen GC, who was in the third group of the day, was able to shoot a one-under-par 36-34—70 on September 19th at The Elkridge Club in Baltimore to take a one-stroke lead in the first round of the 94th Maryland Senior Amateur Championship. He was looking to add his second Maryland Senior Amateur Championship victory, his first coming in 2020 at Rolling Road Golf Club.
Welch started off great by shooting an even-par 36 on the front nine of the first day. On the back nine, he made birdies on Nos. 14, 16, and 17 to offset the two bogeys he had made to finish his round at one-under-par and in the lead heading into Round 2.
2018 Maryland Senior Amateur Champion, Tom Winegardner, was one of two players tied for second after shooting an even-par in the first round. The other player was Bob Kaestner of Baltimore Country Club.
Past champion Ben Clements of Hobbits Glen Golf Club joined Welch and Winegardner as former champions to make the cut.
Jim Castagna, Manor, tops the Super Senior (65-over) division with 31-35-66, a tour that included seven birdies and two bogeys. Past champion Tom Grem, Hunt Valley Country Club, carded a 74, followed by Mike Weiner and Sean Mulgrew at 75. The starting group of 21 was cut to seven, and all played the course at 5,773 yards.
In the one-day net division, Tom Omestad, from Bethesda Country Club, was low with 84-14-70, backed by John Horan, MSGA Clustered Spires Golf Club, 80-9-71, and John Torre, from Queenstown Harbor Golf Links, 77-4-83. Among the Super Seniors (65-over), Richard Slatten, from TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, was low with 79-12-67, followed by Ralph Swartwood, Chesapeake Hills Golf Course at 81-12-69, and Steven Schooley, Turf Valley, at 78-6-72.
