Tucker Sampson Reclaims Victory in 98th Maryland Senior Amateur

98th Maryland Senior Amateur Champion Tucker Sampson

Results | Photos | Champion Interview

Rockville, Md. – The 98th Maryland Senior Amateur took place at Manor Country Club, September 14-15. 120 golfers took to the tee to compete across Championship, Super-Senior, and Mid-Master divisions.

Championship

Round One (September 14)

Patrick Herwig of Hayfields Country Club topped the leaderboard at the conclusion of round one after posting one of only two under-par scores. Herwig came out strong with a birdie on the 1st, followed by another on the 5th. Despite a brief setback with a bogey on the 6th, he regained control and made the turn at one-under.

Herwig played a flawless back nine, adding one more birdie on the final hole to finish at two-under-par 68. Herwig noted his putting kept him in contention and would continue to do so as he looked towards round two, “I made a ton of putts, a bunch of par saves, which really kind of kept me in it on the back nine.”

2023 champion Tucker Sampson of Manor Country Club followed closely behind with a one-under-par 69 finish. Sampson opened his round with a bogey but rebounded quickly and played clean golf from there. He fired off a birdie on the 9th to make the turn at even-par.

Sampson carried that momentum into his back nine, posting two more birdies on the 10th and 12th. After a bogey on the 15th, Sampson finished the day just one stroke behind the leader.

Two-time champion Tom Winegardner of The Cannon Club and Philip Insley of The Elkridge Club tied for the third-place position after shooting rounds of three-over-par 73.

Round Two (September 16)

After round one, the championship division was cut to the top 30 plus ties. The remaining 30 players teed up for round two at 8:00 a.m.

Herwig fell to third place after carding a round of nine-over-par 79. Despite leading in round one, he posted one birdie against four bogeys on the front nine. He added four more bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine to finish with a tournament total of seven-over-par 147.

Marc Ehudin of Norbeck Country Club climbed the leaderboard in the final after posting an eight-over-par 78 in round one, where he recorded zero birdies. His final round told a different story for Ehudin, as he fired off two birdies against one bogey on the front to make the turn at one-under. Ehudin continued his hot streak on the back nine, posting three more birdies and going bogey-free to finish at four-over-par 144 and land in second place.

Sampson’s final-round play kept him in contention throughout the day. He opened with a birdie on the 1st, but back-to-back bogeys on the 2nd and 3rd dropped him to one-over for the round. A birdie on the 4th quickly brought him back to even-par, but after a bogey on the 9th, Sampson wrapped up the front nine at one-over.

Bogeys on the 11th and 14th cut his lead to just three at the time, but a birdie on the 16th gave him the breathing room he needed to close out the victory. Sampson posted a two-over-par 72 in his final round to win the tournament with a total score of one-over-par 141.

Now a two-time champion, Sampson reflected on rejoining the winner’s circle, “You always hope you can win one, but if you can find a way to win two, it kind of validates the first one, and it makes you feel like you have a little bit of game as you age.”

Sampson added, “To play here at Manor, which is my home course, was even better. At some level it put more pressure on me, but the course really fits my eye, and I’ve played here so much that I know where to hit and where to miss it and all those sorts of things.”

Mid-Master Division

Dan Falls of Manor Country Club took home the win in the Mid-Master division after posting back-to-back rounds of three-over-par to finish with a total score of six-over-par 146.

Mike Costigan of Turf Valley Resort finished runner-up with a 36-hole total of eight-over-par 148.

Jeff Lim-Sharpe of the MSGA eClub rounded out the top-3 after carding rounds of 72-77-149.

Super-Senior Division

In the Super-Senior division, David Boynton of Manor Country Club completed the sweep for the host club after topping the leaderboard with a tournament total of nine-over-par 149.

Burke Hayes of Chevy Chase Club claimed second place after posting rounds of 76-74 to finish at 10-over-par 150.

Paul Bernstorf of Mountain Branch Golf Club and Joe Lefavor of the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club tied for third place after each posted a tournament total of 13-over-par 153.

The MSGA would like to thank the membership and staff at Manor Country Club for their hospitality this week in hosting this MSGA championship.

MSGA Mission

To serve, grow, and advance the game of golf in Maryland and the District of Columbia.