Tournament Results | Photos | Interview
Hunt Valley, Md. – The 26th Maryland Senior Open concluded on Wednesday, October 15, at Hayfields Country Club. 112 golfers participated in the two-day tournament, all with hopes of capturing the Maryland Senior Open title.
Round 1: Hayfields Member Leads With an Impressive 3-under-par Round
Leading the charge at the conclusion of round one was Hayfields Country Club member Patrick Herwig, who turned in an impressive performance on his home course. Herwig played nearly a flawless round of golf, with his lone bogey coming on the seventh hole. Otherwise, the Hayfields member carded four birdies en route to a 3-under-par 69.
2024 champion Sean English, PGA, from Elkridge Club, put together a solid but more tumultuous round one performance. English started his first round with four birdies to go along with a bogey and double bogey on his first nine holes. He found himself in a similar situation on the second nine, where English carded three birdies, a bogey, and a double bogey, ultimately rounding out his score at 1-under-par 71.
Rich Schuller, a former back-to-back champion (2020-2021) from Meadowbrook Country Club, also delivered a strong performance. In the first round, Schuller recorded three birdies and finished with a score of even-par 72.
John O’Leary from Trump National Golf Club found himself a stroke behind Herwig at the conclusion of round one. O’Leary turned in a solid performance that included five birdies and gave him a round one score of 2-under-par 70.
Round 2: An Unlikely Champion Emerges
The second round of the Maryland Senior Open provided plenty of excitement, and an unexpected contender emerged midway through the day.
After round one, leader Patrick Herwig sought to maintain his momentum in round two. He birdied his first hole and then added another birdie on the third hole, bringing his total score to 5-under-par. However, while he recorded only one bogey in his first round, Herwig struggled in the second round, carding six bogeys and only adding one more birdie after carding two in the first three holes. He finished the second round with a score of 3-over-par 75, giving him an overall total of even-par 144 and a third-place finish.
2023 Champion Brendan McGrath from Trump National Golf Club improved his position on the leaderboard by eight spots with his second round performance. McGrath played a flawless front-nine, tallying nine consecutive pars before breaking through on hole 10 with a birdie. He added an additional birdie on hole 14 and finished his second round at 1-under-par 71. McGrath concluded his Maryland Senior Open with a total score of 1-over-par 145, placing fifth after a scorecard tiebreaker.
David Nocar, a former Maryland Amateur and Maryland Senior Amateur Champion from Chartwell Golf and Country Club, delivered one of the best performances of the day with an impressive 5-under-par 67, which would only be surpassed by one other player. It was a shaky performance on the front nine in his first round, where Nocar found himself at 8-over-par after the first nine holes. Day two was a different story. Nocar showed laser focus in his round two front nine, tallying two birdies and an eagle, to stand at 4-under-par at the end of the first nine holes, a stark contrast to his first round. The former MSGA champion faced some challenges on the back nine but still managed to add four birdies, finishing the tournament with a total score of 1-over-par 145 and placing fourth after a scorecard tiebreaker.
Joseph Hodsden of XGOLF Chesapeake found himself in contention for the championship as his competitors ahead of him began to falter. Hodsden had put together a steady round one performance, turning in a score of 1-over-par 73. In his second round, Hodsden found a little more consistency, tallying five birdies for a second-round score of 2-under-par 70. Hodsden would finish as the low professional in the tournament with a total score of 1-under-par 143, just one stroke behind the champion.
Teeing off in the 12:10 PM tee time, an hour and thirty minutes before the leaders, and seven strokes behind the leader, Kenny Smith from Beaver Creek Country Club was likely not thought to have a chance of pulling off the victory. That didn’t stop him from putting together the most impressive performance from any player in the tournament for his second round.
Smith began the second round by playing an impressive front nine, which featured three birdies, placing him within striking distance of the leader. In contrast, the day before, Smith had struggled to secure a birdie, finishing his front nine with just a single bogey. As he moved to the back nine, Smith maintained his strong performance, recording birdies on holes 12 and 14, bringing his total round score to 5-under-par. However, he experienced a brief setback on hole 15, resulting in a bogey on the par-4. Smith quickly rebounded, tallying consecutive birdies on holes 16 and 17.
He concluded the day with a tournament-low score of 6-under-par 66, a championship-clinching performance, ultimately finishing with a total score of 2-under-par 142 and securing the 26th Maryland Senior Open title. Smith is the first amateur to win the Maryland Senior Open since 2014. In total, eight amateurs finished in the top ten at the conclusion of the tournament.
Mark Coburn from Hunt Valley Country Club claimed the honor of Low Super Senior Overall in the 26th Maryland Senior Open.
In the Super Senior division, Mark Coburn from Hunt Valley Country Club emerged victorious to claim both the Low Amateur Super Senior and Super Senior Overall. Coburn turned in an effective round one, carding three birdies on his way to an even-par 72. In his second round, Coburn hit a snag on his first hole, where he carded a double bogey. However, he was able to settle in with two birdies on holes three and four to offset the initial setback. Ultimately, Coburn finished his second round at 3-over-par 75 and a tournament total score of 3-over-par 147, securing his victory in the Super Senior Overall.
The Maryland State Golf Association would like to thank the staff and membership at Hayfields Country Club for their hospitality this week in hosting the 2025 edition of the Maryland Senior Open.
MSGA Mission
To serve, grow, and advance the game of golf in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
