Saturday, June 11
Two 20-year-old collegians each defeated two foes to reach the final of the 95th Amateur championship of the Maryland State Golf Association during play at the Elkridge Club in Baltimore, June 11.
Both semi-final matches went to the 18th green, as Connor Flach edged Bart George, 1 up, and Tyler Herriott held off Dan Falls, 2 up.
No more than two holes separated Flach, from Ellicott City, and George, from Arnold, in a pairing of former Loyola University Maryland teammates. The second and last time the margin was two — both times by Flach — came via a George three-putt at No. 16. He promptly stayed in the hunt, however, on the par-3 17th with a 10-foot birdie putt, but it ended when both needed two putts on the par-5 finishing hole.
“It was a tough match,” said Flach, a Loyola senior who plays from Turf Valley Resort. “I wanted to keep the pressure on and I did. For the day, I think I was five or six under and had one bogey.” George, 23, was able to stay in contention during the final nine holes by following a bogey (3) with a birdie (3), but as he pointed out, “I missed some putts early and late and that cost me.” George and Flach were together at Loyola for two years prior to the former’s graduation.
No more than one hole separated Herriott, from Brandywine, and Dan Falls, from Gaithersburg and Manor CC, and for one stretch on the back nine, after Falls had made birdie at the 12th to draw even, they halved four straight holes. Falls, 40, who had won a MSGA Mid-Am on this track a year ago, missed a short putt to slip back at 17 and never really gave himself a chance at the last. “I struggled and it seemed like I was always playing catch-up,” he said “The wind was tough and the shots off the tee hurt me.”
Herriott, who plays from Old South CC, said, “I played well in the morning, trusted my swing and was in control of my ball. In the afternoon, I was a little tired, some shots got away from me and with the wind a factor I left myself in some bad spots. So it was all about recovery and believing in myself.”
In the morning quarter-finals, Flach defeated his college coach, beating Chris Baloga, 3 and 2; George had five front-nine birdies in getting past Tim Kane, 3 and 2; Falls book-ended his back nine with birdies at Nos. 10 and 17 for a 2-and-1 decision over Teagan Stephenson, and Mike Stackus, a finalist last year, made a great comeback against Herriott, after the latter went 5 up through 10. Stackus won 12, then birdied four holes in a row, winning three of them to get within one. They ended halving the last two.
Flach and Herriott will play a scheduled 36-hole match (June 12) beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Friday, June 10
Teagan Stephenson, from Frederick and P.B. Dye Golf Club, won two extra-hole matches to lead the way through the first two rounds of the 95th Amateur championship of the Maryland State Golf Association at the Elkridge Club in Baltimore, June 10.
Overall, there were six overtime matches in a 24-match program and in a rare occurrence, none went past the first extra hole, the 337-yard uphill first. Additionally, seven pairings were decided on the 18th green. Among the opening-round losers were defending champion Ben Warnquist, Manor CC; Tim Prey, Baltimore CC, second-low qualifier with 68, and Matt Bassler, CC Maryland, who tied for third in qualifying with 70.
Stephenson, 18, a recent graduate of Urbana High School and headed to Longwood University, defeated Tucker Sampson, Caves Valley Golf Club. Stephenson, who qualified with a 70 and held and lost a lead several times (but never was behind until the end), won the 17th with a par to go ahead, only to have Sampson come right back to win the 18th with a par and then win in overtime with another par. It was a sterling effort for Sampson, as he had had rotator cuff surgery in the winter and played his first round of the year inThursday’s qualifying round.
In the afternoon, Stephenson, who qualified with a 70, stopped Bennett Wisner, Piney Branch GC. This time Stephenson went 1 up at 16, but Wisner, who will be a Loyola University Maryland junior in the fall, came right back to get even at 17. They halved 18 and Stephenson won with a 10-foot birdie putt at the 19th.
Medalist Dan Falls (67), who had won last year’s MSGA Mid-Am with 68-68 on this golf course, was in trouble against teenager Ben Shields, Pine Ridge GC, who had secured the next-to-last spot in Thursday’s playoff for two places, Shields was 2 up through 15, but the experienced Falls buckled down and birdied 16, won 17 with a par and completed the comeback with a birdie at 18.
Joe Scheffres, Woodmont CC, who has had quarter-final and semi-final finishes in this event in the past, halved the last five holes with Lee Detmer, then took their morning match with a birdie on the playoff hole. Then he faced Falls, won 8-9 for 2 up and later won 16 for 1 up. However, Falls pulled another magic act with a birdie at 17 and a birdie at 18 for a 1-up decision.
Loyola University Maryland golf coach Chris Baloga was in the field, along with former Greyhound golfers, Bassler and Bart George, and current team member Wisner. Baloga lost to Warnquist in the first round last year, but made up for it this year with a chip-in birdie at 14 and a 20-foot putt at 15 to set up a 2-and-1 victory over the defending champion. Earlier Baloga had birdied Nos. 17-18 to stop David Long, 2 up.
Tim Kane, Columbia CC, a first-round loser a year ago, bounced back, beating Bassler, 4 and 3, as the loser did not play nearly as well as he had in the morning in piling up the day’s most one-sided score, a 7-and-6 win over Nick Finnblade, Blue Mash GC. Meanwhile, Kane, a 2005 quarter-finalist, won Nos. 7-8-9 with pars to open a 4-up cushion. Mike Stackus, Hobbit’s Glen GC, a finalist a year ago, was 3-down to Andrew Rice after 13 holes in the morning, then “grinded,” rallying to force overtime with wins at 15, 17, and 18. He won the extra hole with a par. In the afternoon, Peter Knade, Talbot CC, who will be a University of Maryland freshman in the fall, took Stackus to the 18th hole before yielding. A Stackus birdie at the end gave him a 2-up win.
The others to reach the quarters were George, Connor Flach, Turf Valley CC, and Tyler Herriott, MSGA EClub.
– Reported by John Stewart